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The 2012 NCAA Tournament bracket and field has been announced, and the Virginia Cavaliers will receive a No. 10 seed in the West region. Virginia's first opponent will be the Florida Gators, and they will play on Friday, March 16 at in Omaha, Neb. If the Cavaliers win their first matchp, they will face the winner of No. 2 Missouri and No. 15 Norfolk State on Sunday, March 18.
The Cavaliers earned the No. 10 seed mostly on the strength of their early-season work. A November win over Michigan helped propel the Cavaliers up high in the rankings. However, a slow finish, coupled with a quarterfinal ACC Tournament loss to North Carolina State, caused the Cavaliers to fall down several seeds.
Here's a look at the West Region of the 2012 NCAA Tournament bracket:
No. 1 Michigan State vs. LIU, Friday 3/16/12
No. 8 Memphis vs. No. 9 Saint Louis, Friday 3/16/12
No. 5 New Mexico vs. No. 12 Long Beach State, Thursday 3/15/12
No. 4 Louisville vs. No. 13 Davidson, Thursday 3/15/12
No. 2 Missouri vs. No. 15 Norfolk State, Friday 3/16/12
No. 7 Florida Gators vs. No. 10 Virginia, Friday 3/16/12
No. 3 Marquette vs. No. 14 BYU/Iona, Thursday 3/15/12
No. 6 Murray State vs. No. 11 Colorado State, Thursday 3/15/12
No. 8 Memphis vs. No. 9 Saint Louis, Friday 3/16/12
No. 5 New Mexico vs. No. 12 Long Beach State, Thursday 3/15/12
No. 4 Louisville vs. No. 13 Davidson, Thursday 3/15/12
No. 2 Missouri vs. No. 15 Norfolk State, Friday 3/16/12
No. 7 Florida Gators vs. No. 10 Virginia, Friday 3/16/12
No. 3 Marquette vs. No. 14 BYU/Iona, Thursday 3/15/12
No. 6 Murray State vs. No. 11 Colorado State, Thursday 3/15/12
For more on Virginia, visit Streaking The Lawn. For more coverage of the Cavaliers in the 2012 NCAA Tournament, visit SB Nation DC's StoryStream. Click here for a link to our NCAA bracket 2012. SB Nation's live printable bracket can be found here.
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