March Madness 2019: South Region preview, predictions – Can you trust Virginia?

March Madness is here and the South Region of the NCAA Tournament features Virginia as the No. 1 seed who hopes to avoid last year’s early upset.

Takeaways

Can the Virginia Cavaliers rebound from last year’s historic defeat to No. 16 UMBC? It was the first time a No. 1 seed had fallen to a No. 16 seed and the Cavaliers will be playing with a chip on their shoulders not to let it happen twice.

The bracket also features the Tennessee Volunteers, who land the No. 2 seed and will look to ride an incredibly talented starting five deep into the heart of this year’s tournament. The team, which finished 29-5 in the regular season, features three players, Grant Williams, Admiral Schofield and Jordan Bone, who are playing over 30 minutes per game. They’ve used that time to combine for an average of 49.3 points.

This side also features three relatively unpredictable Big Ten teams. Wisconsin and Purdue feature Big Ten players who have taken the nation by storm in the years spent in Madison and Lafayette, in Ethan Happ and Carsen Edwards, respectively. These two players have the ability to make or break their team in this year’s NCAA Tournament.

Best Players

Ethan Happ, Wisconsin

Happ comes into the tournament averaging a double-double through a tough Big Ten competition. He’s put up 17.5 points per game on the season with 10.1 rebounds. He’s a stat stuffer, while also spurring on his team to some big wins down the stretch.

Carsen Edwards – Purdue

It feels like Carsen Edwards has been at Purdue for years, but the veteran guard is the engine that drives the Boilermakers squad. Look for him to have the ball in his hands for every crucial possession and won’t be nervous if he needs to take a last-second shot.

Kyle Guy – Virginia

The junior guard from Indianapolis comes into the tournament averaging 15.6 points per game, to go along with 2.2 assists and 4.4 rebounds.

Grant Williams – Tennessee

The No. 2 seed Tennessee Volunteers also boast a stat-stuffing star player in Grant Williams, who is averaging 19.2 points, 7.5 assists, and 3.1 assists per game to pair with 1.4 blocks and 1.2 steals. He’s shot 56.2 percent from the field on the season.

Potential Cinderella – Cincinnati

One of the potential Cinderella teams in the South comes is No. 7 Cincinnati. The Bearcats flirted with the Top 25 all season and finished strongly with a 25-6 regular season record, and a second-straight AAC Tournament championship, which buys them their ninth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance.

Last year’s champions Villanova should also make this category, based on their tournament history under coach Jay Wright. They’ll begin their title defense and could make another deep run after building momentum at the end of the season. Considering they’ve won two recent national titles, they don’t really fit the Cinderella mold, however.

Potential upsets

If both No. 3 Purdue and No. 6 Villanova can avoid upset in the first round, Purdue can be a bit too reliant on Edwards, and a team like Villanova can settle him in defensively on the road, Purdue could be a victim of an upset.

Another team on upset alert is Virginia if they meet up with Kansas State where coach Bruce Weber is no stranger to high-pressure situations and will be looking for another deep tournament run to add to his resume.

Best Potential Matchups

• Tennessee vs. Virginia
• Purdue vs. Villanova
• Virginia vs. Kansas State

South Region Winner – Virginia

The South region bracket is the hardest to call. Of the top-seeded teams, none of them really stand out as that convincing. It’s hard to go with Virginia the whole way through after last year’s fiasco, but they stand a good chance at finishing this one out.

Look for both the No. 1 and No. 2 seed to get far in this year’s South region, with Virginia having the best chance at advancing. Also, look for a few lower-seeded teams to pull off some impressive victories before running out of gas down the stretch. The NCAA Tournament is an unforgiving venue, and the South could be an incredibly unforgiving region of the bracket.