It’s March and we all know what that means, the NCAA Tournament is upon us and we will again try to fill out the perfect bracket. Below we will try and put in perspective of who we think will prevail in the first round of the South Region.
2015 NCAA Tournament Preview South Region
Play in Game: No. 16 North Florida Ospreys vs. No. 16 Robert Morris Colonials
Tuesday at 6:40pm on TruTV
The play in game is always a toss up, but North Florida looks like the sexy pick for this one. UNF qualified for their first ever NCAA Tournament a week prior to Selection Sunday, and they have had multiple features and spotlights on them. North Florida highlighted their season with an upset win against Purdue, but that’s not the only reason to pick UNF. Robert Morris started off their season with a 27 point loss to a different 16th seed – Lafayette.
Friday: No. 1 Duke Blue Devils vs. No. 16 North Florida Ospreys/Robert Morris Colonials, 7:10pm (CBS)
Saying that the winner of this play in game and Duke’s opponent on Friday is in for an inevitable loss is an understatement. Until a 16 seed beats a 1 seed, the 1 seed will be the pick. Duke will await the winner of SDSU and St. John’s for Sunday’s second round matchup.
Friday: No. 8 San Diego State Aztecs vs. No. 9 St Johns Red Storm, 9:40pm (CBS)
This game might not appear as an easy one to pick, but when looking at the the schedules it is apparent that SDSU did noticeably better against tournament teams. The Aztecs started their season with wins against Utah and BYU while Saint John’s ended their’s getting whomped by Villanova.
Thursday: No. 5 Utah Utes vs. No. 12 Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks, 7:27pm (TruTV)
The classic 5-12 Seed upset comes into play right here. Stephen F. Austin brings a strong team to the big dance year after year and the 2015 Lumberjacks seem to have a shot at going far. They took another five seed in Northern Iowa to overtime during the NCAA Tipoff Marathon. Utah has also been on a downslope losing four of their last seven games. If there was any time for an upset in the tourney, it would be now.
Thursday: No. 4 Georgetown Hoyas vs. No. 13 Eastern Washington Eagles, 9:27pm (TruTV)
Georgetown snuck into a 4 seed this season which some think, including myself, may be a bit overrated. The Hoyas were horrid on defense this season, and even though they stayed with some top tiered teams, they did not close games very well. This school has made a name for itself of getting upset early in the Tournament, and with the third highest scoring offense in the season, that might happen again.
Thursday: No. 6 SMU Mustangs vs. No. 11 UCLA Bruins, 3:10pm (TruTV)
The South’s 6-11 game looks to be a terrific matchup and also a blowout worthy game. SMU has proved itself in 2015 defeating Michigan, Texas Southern (a team that had upsets over Michigan State and Kansas State this season,) and finished 15-3 in the AAC. However, when put in the spotlight, the Mustangs have been off their game by a bit. UCLA on the other hand was lucky to get into the Tournament. The only thing justifying was a win at home over that struggling Utah team that was talked about. SMU looks like a safe bet to advance to the round of 32.
Thursday: No. 3 Iowa State Cyclones vs. No. 14 UAB Blazers, 12:40pm (TruTV)
Iowa State has shown promise during the 2015 season and it appears as though they could make a run to Indianapolis, but that is a story for another day. UAB does not seem like the team to pull off the upset, but it has happened to Iowa State this year. The Cyclones were downed by Texas Tech when they were ranked 9th in the nation. On cue, the AP Poll ranked the Cyclones 9th on Monday.
Friday: No. 7 Iowa Hawkeyes vs. No. 10 Davidson Wildcats, 7:20pm (TNT)
Here comes the rivalry matchup everyone wants to see, if Iowa makes the Sweet 16, they could meet the Cyclones of Iowa State, and again this is getting ahead of everyone. Iowa must first beat Davidson, a team that has always been a hot pick for an upset. However, if the Hawkeyes play like they are capable of playing, this game is a shoe in for Iowa.
Friday: No. 2 Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. No. 15 NDSU Bison, 9:50pm (TNT)
Finally, we are down to Gonzaga’s game. NDSU lost to an 11th seed – Texas – by 25 to start off the season. It is worth questioning as to how they arrived at a higher seed than 16th. This should be a blowout for Gonzaga.
