Previewing the South Region for the NCAA Tournament
South Region
The South region has a very midwest feel to it, with Michigan State, Iowa State and Michigan all among the top 5 seeds. Can any of those teams manage to topple Auburn?
I don’t think so.
Creighton and Louisville will tip off the tournament for the right to play Auburn in the second round. But are some other things to watch for in the South Region.
Who wins the West: Auburn
I know that the Tigers have slowed down a bit after boat-racing the SEC for all of January and February, but this team was built for this and they probably have the most favorable road to the Final Four.
When you have the national Player of the Year, a team that takes great pride in their defense, a team that has great shooters and a team that has been battle-tested since November…you have a team that not only will go to the Final Four, but very well may win the whole thing.
Potential Upset #11 North Carolina over #6 Ole Miss
The trendy pick is UC San Diego taking out Michigan, The Tritons are top 10 in the country in both not turning the ball over AND forcing opponent turnovers. That is a rare combination that really boosts your possessions. They also shoot threes very well. These are some dangerous metrics for Michigan. But also, typically the trendy 12 over 5 upset pick isn’t the one that happens.
I hate to do it, but I think North Carolina is the lock for an upset in this region. A First Four team has won a Round 1 game nearly every year. The Tar Heels looked great against San Diego State on Tuesday night and they appear to be playing their best basketball at the right time. Personally, I don’t think they belong in the tournament and I’d like to see them lose by 25. But I think they beat Ole Miss.
I wouldn’t sleep on Yale pulling off an SEC upset again either. They have 3 very good scorers and their third leading scorer was the Ivy League Player of the Year. Texas A&M should be paying attention.
Frankly, I like New Mexico to beat Marquette as well. Maybe this is the bracket with all of the upsets in the first round?
Players to Watch
Besides the Auburn roster? Broome and Chad Baker-Mazara are fun to watch.
RJ Davis of North Carolina has been around seemingly forever and is guard who is very fun to watch.
Bez Mbeng is Yale’s, do-everything guard. He was third on the team in scoring but averaged over 5 rebounds and assists as well. Mbeng had three triple-doubles this year and shot 37% from three.
PrizePicks Lock: Mbeng OVER 0.5 threes
This is a green goblin pick on Prize Picks, but this one is going to be a lock.
I would also take Jaxon Kohler OVER 5.5 rebounds.
Intriguing later-round matchups
Iowa State and Michigan State may not be sexy teams, but this would be a great game.
Best Mascot
Mascots and bizarre team nicknames are part of what makes the tournament great, but this region is fairly boring. Maybe the UC San Diego Tritons are the best?
I do love Sparty’s mascot though.