NCAA Bracket 2012: How The Detroit Titans Got To March Madness

Mar 06, 2012; Valparaiso, IN, USA; Detroit Titans guard Ray McCallum (3) dribbles the ball around Valparaiso Crusaders guard Erik Buggs (15) during the first half for the finals of the Horizon League Championship at the Athletics-Recreation Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-US PRESSWIRE

The Detroit Titans are partying in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1999, winning the Horizon League championship to get there.

The Detroit Titans will remember this season after beating heavily favored Valparaiso in the Horizon League Championship game to clinch an automatic bid to the 2012 NCAA Tournament. The Titans (22-13, 11-7) are the 15-seed in the Midwest region, where they will face second-seeded Kansas in the second round.

The Titans' season didn't start out well at all, but they rallied late to build momentum toward the postseason. They started 7-10, losing to some low-quality teams like Youngstown State, Illinois-Chicago (which went 8-22) and Bowling Green. After their two-point loss to Valpo Jan. 6, they won 15 of their next 18 games to charge to the Big Dance.

They're led by point guard Ray McCallum, who scores 15.6 points a game and dishes out 3.9 assists. They're among the higher scoring teams around, averaging a hair less than 73 points a game. It's hard to imagine them doing damage to Kansas and National Player of the Year candidate Thomas Robinson, however.

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