South Region

Baylor: The Bears (1), although never being ranked number one overall, certainly could have made a case for it midway through the season. They looked unbeatable until the dreaded covid pause sidelined them for three weeks, and they haven’t really been the same since. With a super shaky win against the worst power five team in the nation, Iowa State, followed by their first loss to Kansas, their balance was shaken. Veteran Jared Butler and the three point shooting team have had one of their best seasons in program history, and this offense is scary. They gave Illinois a loss early in the season and continued to overpower teams, controlling the pace of the game for most of the game. A player to watch on this Bears team is MaCio Teague. He shoots lights out, and has carried this team post-covid pause. He reminds me lots of Carsen Edwards from 2019, and I think they have final four potential. Purdue, Wisconsin, and Ohio State are all Big Ten teams that will prove to be formidable opponents, but I think a week break after making up so many lost games is exactly what Baylor needs, and they will be in tip-top shape for the tournament.

North Carolina vs. Wisconsin: Wisconsin (9) is quite a simple team. They have lost to teams ranked ahead of them and beaten teams ranked below them. They’ve got one of the oldest teams in the nation, and experience has shown the few mistakes they make. UNC (8) rebounds like madmen, and under the expertise of Roy Williams, this should make for one of the tightest games in the First Round. My gut is telling me Wisconsin, and although a nine over an eight is not an upset, nines have won 52% of the matchups.

Villanova vs. Winthrop: I think many people will agree with me that this will be a classic 12 over 5 upset. Five seeds have only won 64% of matchups with twelves, meaning you should almost always take one if not two 12 seeds to win their first game. This Villanova (5) team looked exceptional until their star point guard Collin Gillespie tore his MCL. They’ve dropped multiple games without him, and are struggling to win games. Their other star, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, is a defensive maniac, and has helped keep the team from completely uprooting. However, they will have to face the Winthrop Eagles (12), who, alongside Colgate, have the fewest losses in the NCAA aside from Gonzaga. Winthrop is on absolute fire right now, and I predict they are going to scorch the Nova Wildcats.

Texas Tech: Led by high-school sensation and Georgetown transfer Mac McClung, the do-it-all point guard is hoping to match the Red Raiders (6) final four run of 2019. Head coach Chris Beard has coached them in a very strict way, creating an outstanding defense that historically ranks in the top 10. McClung and gang have a very complete team, but are similar to Wisconsin in which the teams they have been beaten by are all better than them, but have beaten the teams worse than them. I fully expect them to beat Utah State (11) and even to move onto the Sweet Sixteen.

Ohio State: Eight losses is quite a lot to be a 2 seed in the tournament. The Buckeyes (2), after being unranked to begin the season, have proven to be a formidable team capable of beating almost anyone. They went undefeated before conference play, and were able to beat all the top teams in the Big Ten. Their offense is powered by short point guard C.J. Walker, guard Denzel Washington, and forward EJ Liddel. This team is incredibly deep, and has three bench players that consistently play. Kyle Young is a threat on offense as well, but keep in mind he is out with a concussion and his situation is unknown. Ohio State shows potential to make a Final Four run and could give Baylor a serious run for their money.

Other: Purdue (4) made an outstanding run to the elite eight  in 2019, and would have to most likely beat Baylor to do that again. They are a complete team that’s ready to make a run. Arkansas (3) vs. Colgate (14) is similar to the Nova/Winthrop game, but Arkansas should be able to win. They made it to the SEC championship game and have begun to peak at the right team. On the other hand, Colgate only has one loss. Florida (7) should also be able to move on past a deteriorating Virginia Tech (10) team, who showed promise but began to blow games left and right.