NCAA Women's Tournament 2012 Bracket: UCSB Is 16, Will Face Baylor On March 18

The 2012 NCAA Women's Tournament bracket and field has been announced, and the UCSB Gauchos will receive a 16 seed in the Des Moines region. UCSB's first opponent will be the No. 1 ranked Baylor Bears, and they will play on March 18 at 11:45 am in Bowling Green, Ohio. If the Gauchos win their first matchup, they will face the winner of No. 8 Ohio State/No. 9 Florida on March 20.

The Gauchos earned the 16 seed by winning the Big West Conference tourney despite entering as a No. 6 seed.  Their overall record is 17-15 (14-15 before the conference tourney) in a weaker conference.  For the Gauchos to beat the number one team in the nation they'll have to play their top defense against a Bears team and keep them under 60 points to have a chance.

Here's a look at the Des Moines of the 2012 NCAA Tournament bracket:

No. 1 Baylor vs. No. 16 UCSB, March 18 at 11:45 am PST

No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 9 Florida, March 18 at 9:15 am PST

No. 5 Georgetown vs. No. 12 Fresno State, March 18 at 9:20 am PST

No. 4 Georgia Tech vs. No. 13 Sacred Heart, March 18 at 11:50 am PST

No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 15 UT Martin, March 17 at 1:10 pm PST

No. 7 DePaul vs. No. 10 BYU, March 17 at 3:40 pm PST

No. 3 Delaware vs. No. 14 UA Little Rock, March 18 at 2:20 pm PST

No. 6 Nebraska vs. No. 11 Kansas, March 18 at 4:50 pm PST

Click here for a link to the complete NCAA Women's tournament bracket.