The field of 64 is already shrinking, as 16 teams were eliminated on Thursday in the second round of the 2012 NCAA tournament. Those fans looking for upsets were disappointed, as only one lower-seeded team - VCU - was victorious on Thursday.
The surprise of the day came in a near win for UNC-Asheville over Syracuse, which would have marked the first time a 16 seed had toppled a one seed. The Orange prevailed late, staving off an historic defeat.
Here's a look at each of the final scores from Thursday:
South Bracket:
1. Kentucky 81 Vs. 16. Western Kentucky 66
3. Baylor 68 Vs. 14. South Dakota State 60
4. Indiana 79 Vs. 13 New Mexico State 66
8. Iowa State 77 Vs. 9. Connecticut 64
11. Colorado 68 Vs. 6. UNLV 64
12. VCU 62 Vs. 5. Wichita State 59
East Bracket:
1. Syracuse 72 Vs. 16. UNC-Asheville 65
2. Ohio State 78 Vs. 15. Loyola-MD 59
4. Wisconsin 73 Vs. 13. Montana 49
5. Vanderbilt 79 Vs. 12. Harvard 70
7. Gonzaga 77 Vs. 10. West Virginia 54
8. Kansas State 70 Vs. 9. Southern Miss 64
West Bracket:
3. Marquette 88 Vs. 14. BYU 68
4. Louisville 69 Vs. 13 Davidson 62
5. New Mexico 75 Vs. 12. Long Beach State 68
6. Murray State 58 Vs. 11. Colorado State 41
Second round plays continues on Friday, with 16 more games set to be played.
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.
