NCAA Bracket 2012: South Region Coverage And Updates

NCAA Tournament 2012: Western Kentucky Rallies Over Mississippi Valley State, 59-58

And we’re off.

Down 15 points with less than eight minutes to play, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers forced Mississippi Valley State into turnovers, and also took advantage of some unforced errors, to advance to the real first-round of the NCAA Tournament, with a 59-58 victory.

The comeback was sealed with a T.J. Price's three-pointer with 19.5 seconds remaining:

With President Obama and Prime Minister David Cameron in attendance, the teams did not play quality basketball, but a close and dramatic game did get the tournament off on the right foot.

Statistically, neither team did anything very well. WKU turned the ball over 27 times and MVSU allowed 21 offensive rebounds, but the game showed just how fun the NCAA Tournament can be.

Even the poorest of games can evoke excitement.

The Hilltoppers advance to play top-seeded Kentucky in the South Region, which will pit former high school teammates Derrick Gordon and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist against one another. The duo starred at New Jersey’s St. Patricks.

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For more on the 2012 NCAA Tournament bracket, stay with SB Nation's Selection Sunday StoryStream, and stick around SB Nation's NCAA Tournament hub for a complete printable NCAA Tournament bracket and tons of analysis on who was snubbed, who got the best bracket, and who will make it all the way to New Orleans and the Final Four.

NCAA Bracket 2012: South Region Gets Kentucky, No. 1 Overall Seed

The South Region of the 2012 NCAA Tournament bracket may well belong to the Kentucky Wildcats. John Calipari's Wildcats are the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, and get a bracket that sets up nicely for them, with what could be a short road to the Final Four consisting of an in-state trip to Louisville and a drive down to Atlanta.

The Wildcats got favorable No. 2 and No. 3 seeds, too: No. 2 Duke and No. 3 Baylor are less imposing than some of the other teams on those seed lines. But they may have a tougher round of 32 game than most teams, with No. 9 UConn looming. Elsewhere in the South, No. 5 Wichita State and No. 12 VCU meet in the second round in a tussle of mid-majors, and No. 10 Xavier breezed into the tournament after being considered a bubble team in recent weeks.

Here's the full South Region bracket for the 2012 NCAA Tournament:

No. 1 Kentucky
No. 16 Mississippi Valley State OR Western Kentucky

No. 8 Iowa State
No. 9 UConn

No. 5 Wichita State
No. 12 VCU

No. 4 Indiana
No. 13 New Mexico State

No. 6 UNLV
No. 11 Colorado

No. 3 Baylor
No. 14 South Dakota State

No. 7 Notre Dame
No. 10 Xavier

No. 2 Duke
No. 15 Lehigh

Other NCAA Tournament Regions: East | Midwest | West

Who do you think will win this region? Let us know in the comments below.

For more on the 2012 NCAA Tournament bracket, stay with SB Nation's Selection Sunday StoryStream, and stick around SB Nation's NCAA Tournament hub for a complete printable NCAA Tournament bracket and tons of analysis on who was snubbed, who got the best bracket, and who will make it all the way to New Orleans and the Final Four.

VIDEO: 2012 NCAA Tournament Bracket Predictions, South Region

NCAA Bracket 2012: How Colorado Basketball Got To March Madness

After running through the Pac-12 tournament, the Colorado Buffaloes are hot heading into March Madness.

NCAA Bracket 2012: How New Mexico State Got To March Madness

After winning the WAC tournament, the New Mexico State Aggies are going dancing. Here's how they did it.

NCAA Bracket 2012: How MVSU Basketball Got To March Madness

Mississippi Valley State started the 2011-12 season dreadfully. The Delta Devils will end it in the NCAA Tournament.

NCAA Bracket 2012: How Western Kentucky Basketball Got To March Madness

Western Kentucky earned an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament with a Sun Belt Conference championship.

NCAA Bracket 2012: How Xavier Basketball Got To March Madness

The Musketeers entered the season with sky-high expectations but mostly stumbled after a strong start.

NCAA Bracket 2012: How South Dakota State Basketball Got To March Madness

Nate Wolters leads a South Dakota State team who is making their first NCAA tournament appearance.

NCAA Bracket 2012: How Wichita State Basketball Got To March Madness

If the nationally ranked Shockers make a deep Tournament run, don't call it an upset.

NCAA Tournament Player Watch: NBA Prospects Abound In South Region

The South Region of the NCAA Tournament is stacked with NBA prospects, none more tantalizing than Kentucky's Anthony Davis and UConn's Andre Drummond, who could meet in the second round. We break down the top 10 prospects in the South.

NCAA Bracket 2012: How UNLV Basketball Got To March Madness

UNLV earned a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament after a strong regular season performance.

NCAA Bracket 2012: How VCU Basketball Got To March Madness

NCAA Tournament 2012 Schedule: Game Times, TV Coverage For South Region

The Kentucky Wildcats are the NCAA Tournament's top overall seed and they're the No. 1 seed in the South region, where the semifinal and final — better known as the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight — will take place in Atlanta. Here are the TV times, announcers and matchups for all the games.

1 Kentucky vs. 16 Mississippi Valley State/Western Kentucky (TBS)

Thursday, March 15, 6:50 p.m.

Announcers: Verne Lunquist/Bill Raftery/Leslie Visser

Location: Louisville, Ky.

5 Wichita State vs. 12 VCU (CBS)

Thursday, March 15, 7:15 p.m.

Announcers: Brian Anderson/Dan Bonner/Jenn Hildreth

Location: Portland, Ore.

3 Baylor vs. 14 South Dakota State (truTV)

Thursday, March 15, 7:27 p.m.

Announcers: Spero Dedes/Bob Wenzel/Jamie Maggio

Location: Albuquerque, N.M.

8 Iowa State vs. 9 UConn (TBS)

Thursday, March 15 after conclusion of Kentucky vs. MVSU/WKU

Announcers: Verne Lunquist/Bill Raftery/Leslie Visser

Location: Louisville, Ky.

4 Indiana vs. 13 New Mexico State (CBS)

Thursday, March 15 after conclusion of WIchita State vs. VCU

Announcers: Announcers: Brian Anderson/Dan Bonner/Jenn Hildreth

NCAA Bracket 2012: How UConn Basketball Got To March Madness

The Connecticut Huskies had lofty expectations heading into the 2011-12 NCAA season. The defending NCAA champs fell well short of those expectations, but will have one last chance of redeeming themselves in the 2012 Tournament.

NCAA Bracket 2012: How Notre Dame Basketball Got To March Madness

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish finished third in the Big East without Tim Abromaitis. Can they make an NCAA tournament run without him as well?

NCAA Bracket 2012: How Lehigh Basketball Got To March Madness

Lehigh finds itself in the NCAA Tournament after winning the Patriot League Tournament to capture an automatic bid.

NCAA Bracket 2012: How Kentucky Basketball Got To March Madness

The Kentucky Wildcats earned the No. 1 overall seed in the 2012 NCAA Tournament, despite a loss in the SEC finals.

NCAA Bracket 2012: How Iowa State Basketball Got To March Madness

Iowa State joins the NCAA Tournament after a third-place finish in the Big 12 regular season standings.

NCAA Bracket 2012: How Indiana Basketball Got To March Madness

Indiana opened plenty of eyes with a non-conference win over Kentucky and even though the Hoosiers faded in Big Ten play, they're back in the NCAA Tournament.

NCAA Bracket 2012: How Duke Basketball Got To March Madness

After a solid season and second-place finish in the ACC, Duke is looking to make some noise in the NCAA Tournament.

NCAA Bracket 2012: How Baylor Basketball Got To March Madness

Despite having two future NBA lottery picks, a series of bizarre coaching decisions has Baylor stumbling into the NCAA Tournament after a 16-0 start to the season.