South Region Round of 64 Game Breakdowns
Virginia’s stifling defense and improving offense will be way too much for UMBC. The Retrievers are a very good shooting team though. If Jairus Lyles keeps knocking down clutch shots, UMBC has the potential to score some points. It will not be enough though.
#8 Creighton vs. #9 Kansas State
Creighton lost in their first round game last year, an upset at the hands of Rhode Island. This time around they will hope to make a little deeper run. The Blue Jays boast one of the most efficient offenses in the country and will take smart shots and avoid turnovers. However, there is a lack of depth in the frontcourt following an injury to Martin Krampelj in mid-January. Kansas State forward Dean Wade will look to take advantage of Creighton’s frontcourt issues after averaging 16.5 points and 6.3 rebounds during his junior campaign.
Go Wildcats. Who are you going to beat? The Wildcats. Davidson snuck into the NCAA Tournament by upsetting St. Bonaventure and Rhode Island in the Atlantic 10 tournament. They are playing well right now, but so is Kentucky. The Wildcats are coming off a conference tournament title of their own. Including those three games, Kentucky have won seven of their last eight games. Freshmen like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Hamidou Diallo, Kevin Knox and Nick Richards are finally starting to play well together and that is bad news for Davidson.
Buffalo has some size on their roster, but Arizona should be able to dominate in the paint. Deandre Ayton is a beast in the paint and averages 20.3 points, 11.5 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. With center Dusan Ristic by his side, the Bulls are going to struggle to stop Arizona in the paint.
#6 Miami (FL) vs. #11 Loyola (IL)
This will be one of the most popular upset picks. Loyola went 28-5 on the year and have a very balanced scoring attack. They also shoot over 50 percent from the floor and will work for quality shots. Miami has a balanced offense too with seven players averaging at least 8.7 points per game. The key for the Hurricanes will be their defense. They rank 11th in the ACC in field-goal percentage and that is a statistic that plays right into Loyola’s strength.
#3 Tennessee vs. #14 Wright State
Tennessee has had a surprisingly good season and it will not end here. The Volunteers have quite a few scoring options, led by slasher Grant Williams and his 15.3 points per game. When Williams is getting to the basket, it opens up space on the perimeter for the shooters. And this team has plenty of shooting threats who will take smart shots. Most notable is 6-5 small forward Admiral Schofield who is second on the team behind Williams with 13.8 points per game.
Nevada may not get the credit they deserve, but this is a group that has the talent to reach the Sweet Sixteen. Caleb and Cody Martin are big time scoring threats in the frontcourt and the Wolf Pack also boast guard Jordan Caroline, who averages 17.9 points per game. This is a team that plays smart basketball and has an offense that shares the ball well and commits very few turnovers. Nevada will work for open looks and everybody on this team will knock down shots. Texas’ Moahmed Bamba will not make it easy for Nevada to get open looks though. He is a beast in the paint and averages 3.7 blocks. If Bamba can alter how Nevada wants to play, Texas will be in a good position to win.
#2 Cincinnati vs. #15 Georgia State
The Bearcats are coming off an AAC Tournament championship and their defense can give anybody nightmares. Georgia State will be happy to slow things down and let their defense do the talking too. Both teams make it tough for the opposition to get open looks and both rank in the top ten in the country in field-goal percentage defense.
