The 2012 NCAA Tournament bracket was released on Sunday evening and, not surprisingly, the South Dakota State Jackrabbits drew a pretty difficult matchup. The Jackrabbits, with a roster headlined by St. Cloud's own Nate Wolters, will have to play the Baylor Bears in the first round.
The Bears ended the season with a 27-7 overall record, including an impressive 12-6 record in the Big 12, before losing to the Missouri Tigers in the conference championship on Saturday. Baylor may not have the most talented team, per se, but they probably have one of the most talented lineups.
In fact, ESPN's Eamonn Brennan wrote that they could potentially make the Elite Eight:
The Bears have been inconsistent and frustrating at times this season, but with future lottery pick Perry Jones III (who played two of the best games of his life in wins over Kansas and Kansas State in the Big 12 tournament), Quincy Acy and Quincy Miller, they have one of the nation's most talented lineups. And also, let's remember one thing: We're talking about Baylor, not a national hoops power. Traditionally speaking, anything past the opening weekend is a bonus.
Wolters will have other ideas, methinks, but that's a lot of praise for the Jackrabbits' first round opponent.
For more on the Jackrabbits, visit our team page. For more coverage of South Dakota State in the 2012 NCAA Tournament, visit SB Nation Minnesota's StoryStream. Here's the full 2012 NCAA bracket.