The East region features a great match-up for local college basketball fans in the second round of the 2012 NCAA Tournament with the No. 8 Kansas State Wildcats facing off against the No. 9 seeded Southern Miss Golden Eagles. Andy Glockner of Sports Illustrated says that the game shouldn't be as close as it might look at first glance, and that Kansas State should have the upper hand.
Glockner writes, "The Golden Eagles were RPI darlings this season, but more analytical ranking systems tell a much different story. Southern Miss finished the season 71st in Pomeroy and 67th in Sagarin's Predictor rankings, making them much more akin to a 13-seed in performance than a 9. Mix in five losses in their final 10 Conference USA games and Kansas State's ultraphysical style against a team that was a galling 313th in D-I in 2-point FG%, and this may not be a very long stay for C-USA's at-large representative."
The next round would likely feature a prominent match-up for Frank Martin's squad versus the No. 1 seeded Syracuse.
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