This 2012 NCAA Tournament mid-game report offers insight and analysis about today's game, in which North Carolina State and San Diego State are battling for a tough Big Dance win.

The game is one of the most-anticipated first-round games as 11-seed NC State has been on a tear lately, coming within just three points of beating the mighty University of North Carolina Tar Heels in the ACC Tournament.

And so far, North Carolina State is making the bracketologists happy who picked them for a first-round upset, as they were up 33-29 at the half.

Wolfpack forward Richard Howell is having a huge game, with 15 points already by the time the teams headed to the locker room for the half-time break, but SD State's sophomore guard Jamaal Franklin is keeping the Aztecs in the game with 13 points and four rebounds of his own.

San Diego State is seen by many observers as one of the weakest six-seeds in the tourney, and NC State is consistently rated as a sleeper candidate for a Cinderella run to the second or third round, as if it beats San Diego State it will have to face Georgetown, which was no powerhouse as the season wound down either.

SD State lost twice to New Mexico and once each to Air Force and Colorado State, putting it in no rarified air, and North Carolina State had a much tougher conference schedule.

NC State's losses are nearly all to ranked teams and the team is dominating so far this game on defense, so don't bet against NC State, they could make it at least to the second round without really shocking anyone who follows college basketball closely.

But don't get out the red pen just yet if you had SD State winning this one in your bracket. This is March Madness, after all, and anything can happen.

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