South Regional Overview
Fresh off the SEC league and tournament title, Nate Oates has the number one overall seeded Crimson Tide playing as well as anyone in the country. Led by freshmen All-American Brandon Miller they will be able to match up with anyone and everyone in the South. That being said, every road to the Final Four is difficult and I have a feeling Arizona, Creighton, and Virginia might have something to say about it.
#1 Alabama, #2 Arizona, #3 Baylor, #4 Virginia, #5 San Diego State, #6 Creighton, #7 Missouri, #8 Maryland, #9 West Virginia, #10 Utah State, #11 NC State, #12 Charleston, #13 Furman, #14 UC Santa Barbara, #15 Princeton, #16 Texas A&M-CC / Southeast Missouri
Who Can Win?
The overview gave this away with Alabama and they are by far my favorite, but I really like Creighton’s draw here in the south. Creighton had a very poor start to their December losing five straight to start the month. The important thing to note here is that three out of those five losses were without their leading scorer and seven foot big man Ryan Kalkbrenner. They’ve also began to struggle a bit going 4-4 their past eight including the Big East tournament. This team can absolutely make a run, by far being the best six seed according to KenPom at #13 who could draw the struggling Baylor Bears in the second round for a trip to the Sweet Sixteen. However, just like in the world of online casinos which you can find at kasyno internetowe na pieniadze where fortunes can change in an instant. Creighton still holds a lot of potential. With their current form, they can absolutely make a run, especially considering their favorable seeding.
Who Can Surprise?
There are a couple teams I like as surprises this year but if I had to go with one it’s going to be the Furman Paladins. This might be going against the grain a bit because I would assume Charleston is the most popular upset alert, but I think people are sleeping on Furman. They’ve won fourteen out of their last fifteen games and currently are riding a six game win streak into the tournament. They’re led by two stud seniors in Mike Bothwell at 18 points per game and Jalen Slawson at 15.7 along with two more double digit scorers to round out the top four. Virginia’s defense is not as strong as we usually see out of them, and I think these two players are capable enough to do some damage in round one and two.
Who’s Hot?
Mentioned above, Charleston is currently riding a ten-game win streak and Colonial tournament title. This team is incredibly balanced on both offense and defense ranking #70 in adjusted offense and #75 in adjusted defense according to KenPom. Not only are their general stats balanced, but so is their box score where they have five players averaging double digits with the most being 12.3 points per game and the lowest being 10.6. I think this is going to be a very popular pick for the first round over San Diego State and the committee gave the Aztecs all they can handle where each team goes eight and nine players deep, something not a lot of teams are able to do.
Mentioned above, Charleston is currently riding a ten-game win streak and Colonial tournament title. This team is incredibly balanced on both offense and defense ranking #70 in adjusted offense and #75 in adjusted defense according to KenPom. Not only are their general stats balanced, but so is their box score where they have five players averaging double digits with the most being 12.3 points per game and the lowest being 10.6. I think this is going to be a very popular pick for the first round over San Diego State and the committee gave the Aztecs all they can handle where each team goes eight and nine players deep, something not a lot of teams are able to do.
Who’s Cold?
This one is easy when you take a look at the bracket and see the three seeded Baylor Bears. We all know how difficult the Big 12 was this year but Baylor has lost four out of their last six, including back-to-back losses to Iowa State with one at home and one was on a neutral court for the Big 12 tournament. This is one of the most electrifying offenses in the tournament rated #2 in adjusted offense by KenPom and if they get hot there isn’t many teams that are going to be able to stop them.
This one is easy when you take a look at the bracket and see the three seeded Baylor Bears. We all know how difficult the Big 12 was this year but Baylor has lost four out of their last six, including back-to-back losses to Iowa State with one at home and one was on a neutral court for the Big 12 tournament. This is one of the most electrifying offenses in the tournament rated #2 in adjusted offense by KenPom and if they get hot there isn’t many teams that are going to be able to stop them.
Upset Alert!
I feel like this bracket is full of upset potential and could be the most difficult bracket to get correct outside of Alabama. I’ve already mentioned several potential upsets and I’m sticking with my first thought on Furman over Virginia. They’re a senior led team, they’re well coached, they’re used to winning, and everyone else is going to be talking about Charleston over San Diego State.
I feel like this bracket is full of upset potential and could be the most difficult bracket to get correct outside of Alabama. I’ve already mentioned several potential upsets and I’m sticking with my first thought on Furman over Virginia. They’re a senior led team, they’re well coached, they’re used to winning, and everyone else is going to be talking about Charleston over San Diego State.
What Possible Matchup is Interesting?
The bottom half of this bracket has the potential for some VERY high scoring games. As of right now the Missouri and Utah State game has the second highest over under for round one at 155. Arizona and Princeton are right behind them at 154.5 so that goes without saying that whoever wins in the first shootout between Missouri and Utah State will be heading into another high scoring game against Arizona. This portion of the bracket has adjusted offenses #2 in Baylor, #4 in Arizona, #10 in Missouri and #13 in Utah State. The best ranked defense out of those four is Arizona at #41 so outside of Creighton and their #15 ranked defense, all these games are going to be some of the most fun to watch for the first three rounds.
The bottom half of this bracket has the potential for some VERY high scoring games. As of right now the Missouri and Utah State game has the second highest over under for round one at 155. Arizona and Princeton are right behind them at 154.5 so that goes without saying that whoever wins in the first shootout between Missouri and Utah State will be heading into another high scoring game against Arizona. This portion of the bracket has adjusted offenses #2 in Baylor, #4 in Arizona, #10 in Missouri and #13 in Utah State. The best ranked defense out of those four is Arizona at #41 so outside of Creighton and their #15 ranked defense, all these games are going to be some of the most fun to watch for the first three rounds.
Which Player Will Dominate?
Brandon Miller, Brandon Miller, and Brandon Miller. Slotted to be a top three pick in this year’s upcoming NBA draft, Miller has the most talent in this bracket. As a Freshman he’s averaging 19.6 points, and 8.3 rebounds per game while leading the team from beyond the arc at 40.1% and shoots 85.6% from the free throw line. The stat line is ridiculous. Honorable mentions go to Azuolas Tubelis at Arizona who puts up 19.8 points and 9.3 rebounds and predicted lottery pick Keyonte George at Baylor bringing in 15.8 points and shooting 34.9% from deep.
Brandon Miller, Brandon Miller, and Brandon Miller. Slotted to be a top three pick in this year’s upcoming NBA draft, Miller has the most talent in this bracket. As a Freshman he’s averaging 19.6 points, and 8.3 rebounds per game while leading the team from beyond the arc at 40.1% and shoots 85.6% from the free throw line. The stat line is ridiculous. Honorable mentions go to Azuolas Tubelis at Arizona who puts up 19.8 points and 9.3 rebounds and predicted lottery pick Keyonte George at Baylor bringing in 15.8 points and shooting 34.9% from deep.
Which System is Tough to Prepare For?
I’m going with the most knowledge of a team in this portion and saying Missouri. Dennis Gates plays an insane style of basketball, pressing almost the entire game and it’s been working all year. This team ranks #4 in the country in turnovers forced per game at 17.2 and when they turn you over they aren’t going to be afraid to pull up from three on the fast break. They rank #75 in the country in three point percentage at 36.1% and 25th in three point attempts per game at 26. All in all, this team plays a hectic style of basketball on both ends of the court and is tough for any team to prepare for on short notice.
