March 11, 2012
LEXINGTON, Ky. – After registering its NCAA record 13th 30-win season, the University of Kentucky men’s basketball team (32-2) will make its NCAA-leading 52nd NCAA Tournament appearance after earning the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed, it was announced Sunday night. Kentucky, which is the top seed in the South Region, will play the winner of the first-round game of Mississippi Valley State (21-12) and Western Kentucky (15-18) on Thursday, March 15 in Louisville, Ky.
The No. 1 seed is the 11th in school history for the Wildcats, who will play their second and third round games in Louisville. This is just the third time in school history UK will play in the Derby City in the Big Dance. In its last appearance in Louisville, Kentucky defeated Morehead State before losing to Ohio State during the 1961 tournament.
Kentucky has played in its home state on seven previous occasions. UK was last in the Bluegrass State during the 1984 tournament when the Wildcats appeared on their home floor ,defeating Louisville and Illinois.
Western Kentucky won the Sun Belt Conference Tournament Championship this year, claiming an automatic bid into the NCAA Championship. UK is 3-2 all-time versus Western Kentucky with the last meeting coming in 2001 when WKU defeated the Wildcats 64-52.
The Mississippi Valley State Delta Devil’s won the 2012 SWAC Tournament Championship, claiming an automatic bid into the 2012 NCAA Championship. The Wildcats are 3-0 all-time vs. the Delta Devils including an 85-60 win a year ago.
If UK prevails over Mississippi Valley State or Western Kentucky, it will face the winner of eighth-seeded Iowa State (22-10) and ninth-seeded UConn (20-13) on Saturday, March 17.
Should the Wildcats advance past the second and third rounds, they will play in Atlanta, in the South Regional Semifinals on March 22-23. If UK continues to win, it will play in the South Regional Finals on March 24-25 with a victory moving the Wildcats to the National Semifinals on March 31. The National Championship game is scheduled for April 2 in New Orleans.
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<br/>Tickets for the second and third round games in Louisville are sold out. However, tickets for Regional Semifinal and Regional Final in Atlanta are available online at ticketmaster.com or available through the host site. Game times and the ensuing schedule of events will not be available from the NCAA until later. 
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