The South Region has the number one overall seed, an under-seeded Arizona team, a guy playing against his former school and two big men that are likely to be lottery picks. What more could you ask for?
If you don’t have a rooting interest for any of the teams in the South Region then you should at least watch the games for the matchups. Creighton takes on Kansas State, and the only reason I mentioned that is because Marcus Foster started his career at Kansas State. Now he gets to face them for the first time, so that’s all the narrative you need there.
This region also features two big men in Mohamed Bamba and DeAndre Ayton that are both likely to be lottery picks in this years NBA Draft. Throw in a Tennessee team that isn’t led by one singular star, and a Cincinnati team that loves to make games a fist fight and you have a region worth watching.
Who’s the No. 1 seed?
The Virginia Cavaliers are the number one overall seed this year, and are atop this South Region. Virginia finished the season 31-2 with their two losses coming to West Virginia on the road and Virginia Tech at home. Other than those two games it was a lot of winning for the Cavaliers. Who could forget the game against Louisville where they trailed by four with less than a second left, and still won the game?
What Virginia lacks in offensive firepower they definitely make up for it on the defensive end of the floor. They are probably the best defensive team in the country, and they can suffocate anyone on any given night.
They’re number one in points allowed per game, but for a team they is so good defensively they’re equally as awful when it comes to rebounding. They’re 312th in the country in rebounds per game. It’s mostly a product of their ability to limit their opponents possessions, but if you can control the glass you might be able to beat this team.
They’ve struggled under Tony Bennett in the tournament unfortunately. Outside of their Elite Eight appearance in 2016 they’ve only made it out of the first weekend one other time. Hopefully they can change that this year.
Who’s on upset alert?
I will preface who’s on upset alert by saying this — Miami had better not look ahead to second round simply because history is not on their side. The No. 11 seed has won three of the four matchups in back-to-back years for the first time ever.
With that out of the way I have a bigger upset alert pick, and it could occur in the second round. The Cincinnati Bearcats should they face the Texas Longhorns in the second round could find themselves in a little bit of trouble.
Texas plays in arguably the toughest conference in the country, and although they finished 8-10 in the Big 12 they played some really good teams. In the PK-80 tournament the had both Duke and Gonzaga on the ropes before they faltered down the stretch in both of those games.
This Texas team is capable of beating anyone on any given night. If Mohamed Bamba is healthy he provides elite rim protection, and is borderline assured of a double-double every time he steps on the floor. Kerwin Roach and Matt Coleman are two very talented guards who can carry this squad if need be. Cincinnati has to be careful should they run into Texas in the second round.
Player to watch
This region isn’t filled with lottery pick talent like some of the other regions, but there is one big name lottery pick in this region. That would be Arizona’s big man DeAndre Ayton.
The Pac-12 Player of the Year absolutely dominated the conference averaging 20 points and 11 boards a night while shooting over percent from the floor. Ayton is a lock to be a top-five pick in this years upcoming NBA Draft, but he has some business to take care of in March first. The fact of the matter is Ayton is almost unstoppable in the post, and what might get overlooked about his game is his ability to pass the ball.
Whoever Arizona plays in any round is going to have their hands full with Ayton.
Team to watch
Arizona and Virginia are the big names in this region, but a team that might get overlooked in this region is Tennessee. Head coach Rick Barnes has done a terrific job turning this program around since he got there, and now they have a legitimate shot to make it to an Elite Eight.
Their RPI rank is only one spot behind Cincinnati, they’ve beaten Purdue and they beat Kentucky twice. Their rotation only goes seven players deep, but each and every one of them are committed on the defensive end.
There are moments when their offense goes dormant, but all it takes is a couple games of making shots, and they’ll be right there. They’re going to compete on the defensive end, it’s all about the offense for them.
Tennessee didn’t get a No. 3 seed by sheer luck. This team isn’t led by one singular “star”, but they get it done as a team. Look out for Tennessee not as a Cinderella team, but a squad that has a serious chance to make a run in this tournament.
Predicted winner
Even with Tennessee, Arizona and Cincinnati in this region I still like Virginia to come out victorious in the South.
In the end this team is just too connected on the defensive end, and as mentioned before they can suffocate any team on any given night. Their biggest challenge will most certainly be DeAndre Ayton and Arizona should that matchup come to fruition, but I’ll side with the old adage defense wins championships.
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They say guards win games in the tournament and Virginia has three very good ones in Devon Hall, Ty Jerome and Kyle Guy. Guy has been shooting the light out as of late, and Jerome has been as clutch as it gets all season long.
The only thing question with this team is whether or not they can score enough. The defense will be there, but will they be able to put enough points on the board especially against a team like Arizona that has so many offensive weapons. Only time will tell.