Not all regionals are created equal.<\/p>\n
Every year when the March Madness<\/strong> bracket is released, there is one portion of the bracket that seems more difficult than the others. This year, the South is the most challenging region. Before this past Sunday, traditional powers North Carolina<\/strong>, Kentucky<\/strong>, and UCLA<\/strong> had never been drawn in the same bracket. \u00a0Now, they sit as the top three seeds in the South, leaving us with the potential of some monumental matchups in later rounds.<\/p>\n Aside from the top heavy nature of this bracket, the South also has possibly the tournament\u2019s most under seeded team in Wichita State<\/strong>,\u00a0a ten\u00a0seed.\u00a0 Their first round matchup with Dayton<\/strong> is sure to be a proverbial fist fight for the chance to face Kentucky next.\u00a0 Also popping up in this region are former upset makers Winthrop<\/strong> and Middle Tennessee.\u00a0 <\/strong>The surprise team in this region is the Northern Kentucky Norse<\/strong>, who are making their first ever NCAA Tournament trip in their first year of eligibility.\u00a0 Their prize for this accomplishment is a date with the Kentucky Wildcats.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The first four days of the NCAA Tournament are always filled with excitement, and usually with multiple things that make you go, WOW.\u00a0 The opening rounds of the tournament puts\u00a0the “madness” in March Madness.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Dayton<\/strong> finished second in the Atlantic 10 this season, and is making their fourth\u00a0straight trip to the big dance.\u00a0 Archie Miller<\/strong> is one of the hottest young coaches in the sport, and has built a formidable program in Dayton.\u00a0 The Flyers<\/strong> are led by senior guard Charles Cooke<\/strong> and his 16 points a game.<\/p>\n The Shockers<\/strong> have ascended in similar fashion to the Flyers in recent years.\u00a0 Greg Marshall<\/strong> has led this program to six straight tournament bids, and have won at least a game the last five years. \u00a0The Shockers are a balanced squad, with five players scoring between 9 and 12 points per game.<\/p>\n The 8\/9 pairing is always one that should breed a close game with two evenly matched teams, and the post play in this tilt should be fun to watch. Moses Kingsley<\/strong> is the prototypical big man for Arkansas\u2019<\/strong>,\u00a0\u201c40 minutes of Hell\u201d style of play. Long, athletic and extremely active.\u00a0 He has seven double-doubles this season and is averaging 2.6 blocks per game. Improved perimeter play for his side\u00a0has led to a dip in Kingsley’s\u00a0scoring numbers from last season. However,\u00a0his importance has not diminished as his 1168 points, 757 rebounds, and 171 career blocks shows how he can impact the game from\u00a0both ends of the floor.<\/p>\n Kinglsey\u00a0will need to be at his best to handle 6\u201910\u201d junior Angel Delgado<\/strong> of Seton Hall<\/strong>.\u00a0 The Pirates<\/strong> big man is averaging a double-double this year with 15 points and 13 rebounds per game.\u00a0 He is an extremely skilled low post scorer and a deceptively good passer as well. Each team has solid perimeter scoring to complement their talented big men, so in such an evenly matched game, the winner in the post battle could lead his team to victory.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The 5 vs 12 seed pairing is known for producing upsets, and 12 seed Middle Tennessee is a trendy pick to get past 5 seed Minnesota<\/strong>.\u00a0 The Blue Raiders<\/strong> upset Michigan State last year as a 15 seed, and added transfer JaCorey Williams<\/strong> and his 17 points per this season.\u00a0 Giddy Potts<\/strong> returns to March Madness looking to build on his underdog success.<\/p>\n The 13 seed Winthrop Eagles are one of four programs that have won 10 or more conference tournament titles in the last 20 years.\u00a0 The other three are Gonzaga<\/strong> (15), Duke<\/strong> (11), and Kentucky<\/strong> (10).\u00a0 They face fourth seeded Butler <\/strong>who had their own runs as a Cinderella before joining the Big East<\/strong> a few seasons ago.<\/p>\n Kansas State<\/strong> won its First Four<\/strong> game on Tuesday over Wake Forest<\/strong>, and now moves on to face the 6 seed Cincinnati<\/strong>. \u00a0The Wildcats<\/strong> put up 95 points in Dayton, and since expanding to 68 teams one of the winners from the First Four has usually found a way to win a second game.\u00a0 The Bearcats<\/strong> finished 16-2 in the AAC<\/strong>, right behind SMU<\/strong>.\u00a0 Both programs are known for their tough minded play, but if Kansas State can keep its hot shooting going they could advance.<\/p>\n Justin Jackson (North Carolina) \u2013 <\/strong>The ACC\u2019s player of the Year has exploded this season.\u00a0 After two solid yet underwhelming seasons, Jackson has set career highs in point (18.1) and rebounds (4.6) per game as well as raising his three point percentage to 38%. \u00a0He has a silky smooth offensive game.\u00a0 He can go off at any time, as evident by his sixteen games over 20 points.<\/p>\n DeAaron Fox (Kentucky) –\u00a0<\/strong>Fellow Freshman Malik Monk\u2019s<\/strong> scoring prowess gets most of the press.\u00a0However, it is Fox that is the engine for the Wildcats.\u00a0 He is as skilled a guard as there is in the nation when it comes to driving to the lane.\u00a0 He\u00a0has a wide array of finishes when inside the paint.\u00a0 When he draws the defense his vision and passing opens up shots for his teammates.<\/p>\n T.J. Leaf (UCLA) – <\/strong>The Bruins are most known for their backcourt of star freshman Lonzo Ball<\/strong> and coach\u2019s son Bryce Alford<\/strong>. \u00a0Interestingly enough, it is actually freshman forward T.J. Leaf that leads this team in scoring.\u00a0 He has been efficient all season, with only three games where he didn\u2019t score in double figures.\u00a0 His athleticism and midrange touch have allowed him to become a force inside for UCLA.<\/p>\n Keon Johnson (Winthrop)<\/strong> \u2013 If Keon Johnson stood at\u00a06 feet tall, he\u2019d be playing in a power 5 conference. \u00a0Listed at 5\u20197\u201d, he\u00a0believes and plays like the biggest, baddest dude on the court.\u00a0 The lightning quick guard took the Big South Conference by storm,\u00a0averaging 22.5 points per game.\u00a0\u00a0Guard play\u00a0is critical in March, and Johnson will be the key if Winthrop wants to pull off an upset or two.<\/p>\n Nate Mason (Minnesota) – <\/strong>The Gophers<\/strong> have been most people\u2019s pick to be the 5 seed that gets upset. \u00a0If Nate Mason has anything to say\u00a0about it, that won\u2019t happen. \u00a0The junior guard is averaging 19 points per over his last ten games, and Minnesota<\/strong> is 8-2 in that span.\u00a0 He not only leads the team in scoring, but also dishes out five assists a game.<\/p>\n The firepower amongst the top three seeds in the South\u00a0region makes it hard not to look ahead.\u00a0 Five different teams in this region have been to a Final Four<\/strong> in the past decade. \u00a0There is a possible Wichita State and Kentucky rematch in the 2nd<\/sup> round, as these two team’s last meeting in March was a two point thriller. \u00a0The Wildcats have already faced UCLA and UNC this season, and both those games were track meets resulting in each team\u00a0scoring above 90 points.\u00a0 The potential for either of those rematches would make for must see TV. The possibility of UNC versus UCLA or Kentucky for a trip to the Final Four is what March is all about.<\/p>\n Main Image:<\/p>\nFirst Weekend Madness<\/strong><\/h2>\n
South Region: Best Game \u2013 (7) Dayton Flyers vs (10) Wichita State Shockers<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Best Player Matchup \u2013 Moses Kingsley (Arkansas) vs Angel Delgado (Seton Hall)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Upset City Possibilities<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
South Region: Players to Watch<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Potential Blockbusters <\/strong><\/h2>\n