NCAA is an acronym that stands for the National Collegiate Athletic Association. This organization is in charge of all the colleges and universities playing in 1st, second and third league sports divisions. The 2012 NCAA Bracket is in charge of facilitating many games like basket ball, football and hockey. The association hosts around 1282 schools all over Canada and the United States. Its head quarters are situated in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The division one league has in it the all the biggest institutions in NCAA. The second and third divisions host all the other smaller colleges and other institutions. The 1st and second division leagues all have scholarship options for their athletes. The institutions hosted in these divisions provide people scholarships based on their talents and capability in sports. The third division nevertheless does not have this option.

The association facilitates a wide range of sports in the more than two thousand institutions that are registered members there. The major two sports are basketball and football. All the colleges and universities that offer football as a sport are categorized in 3 groups, namely divisions 1, 2 and 3. The 1st division was then additional sub divided in 1978 into the I A, I AA and I AAA categories. The I AAA was done away with soon afterwards.

Prior to the inclusion of ladies in all sports hosted by the association, women had their personal organization which represented their interests and facilitated all female college sporting events. This organization was the AIAW, the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Ladies. In 1982 however, this female sporting association was dissolved and its responsibilities had been largely absorbed by the NCAA.

In order to qualify for participation in college athletics in their fresh man year, any person student should be high school graduates who have completed the minimum academic courses needed of them and they should also have an above typical grade point typical score. This score is spread across 16 academic credits.

As of 2011, every student looking for to play in the league was to submit a signed letter of intent that was to express his interest in playing. This was to be carried out after the 1st week of February for all these wishing to submit their letters. Also in 2011, the organization raised the academic specifications for all athletes who had been to play in post season games.

The 2012 NCAA Bracket has several guidelines which were formulated to enforce the legislation of the association. The guidelines had been promulgated in 1952 following considerations by the association. Going against these guidelines might outcome in severe punishment for the athletes or member school.