The South Region certainly is not an easy one. Headlined by No. 1 Alabama, along with schools such as Arizona, Baylor, and Virginia in the top-four seeds, nothing will come easy in the South Region.
The top of the region is where West Virginia fans should be most concerned. The Mountaineers face Maryland in the first round in the 8/9 matchup. The Terps are under first-year head coach Kevin Willard, and the winner will more than likely earn the right to face No. 1 Alabama in the second round.
Moving on down the bracket, is No. 5 San Diego State vs No. 12 College of Charleston. Charleston is going to be a common upset pick. Charleston finished the season with a 31-3 record, and were ranked inside the AP Top 25 multiple times this season. San Diego State is no stranger to March either, and have a really good defense and they are well-liked by computers.
No. 4 Virginia is a frequent visitor to the tournament. Having won it in 2019, the Cavaliers return as a four-seed after falling to Duke in the ACC Tournament Championship game. They will be facing No. 13 Furman who is making their first trip to the NCAA Tournament in 43 years. They set a program record in wins and will look to put Virginia on upset alert in the first round.
No. 6 Creighton had a good year in the Big East. Creighton is ranked 17th in the NET, and beat San Diego State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament a season ago before losing to Kansas. Creighton lost in the Big East semifinals, but is built on the back of their shooting. Creighton faces No. 11 NC State, who was considered somewhat of a bubble team heading into Selection Sunday. NC State finished 45th in the NET.
No. 3 Baylor who touts talented guard play will go up against No. 14 UC Santa Barbara. UCSB won seven games to end the regular season and set a school-record for wins this season.
No. 7 Missouri has been a force at times in the SEC this season, and fell to Alabama in the SEC Tournament this past weekend. The Tigers are 42nd in the NET, have two wins over Tennessee, as well as a win over Kentucky. No. 10 Utah State will face the Tigers in the first round. Utah State is 25-8 this season and in the top-20 of the NET. They only played seven Quad 1 games and went 2-5 in those games.
No. 2 Arizona, has the firepower to beat anyone in the country. The Wildcats won the Pac-12 Tournament and are 10th in the NET to end the season. Arizona who also has major NCAA Tournament experience will be facing No. 15 Princeton in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Princeton beat Yale in the Ivy League Championship and will try to pull the upset over Arizona.
