Collegiate Times

The South region houses more championship contenders than any other. The top eight seeds in the South each have the talent and ability to make a Final Four run.

San Diego State, Minnesota, UCLA and even North Carolina have all been relatively under the radar this year. All of them have a tough first matchup, but don’t be surprised to see some of the lower seeds make it to the Sweet 16.

VCU and Michigan will likely stand in each other’s way, and the Rams and Wolverines make for a very unique matchup. Both can easily get hot from a three-point range and have fantastic guard play. Michigan has more talent on paper, but it turns the ball over often, and that plays into VCU’s hands, as it leads the nation in steals.

Florida and Georgetown are also likely to see each other. Florida won the SEC regular season title but stumbled in the tournament. Georgetown did the same in the Big East, but its loss in the tournament might be more discouraging considering they lost to rival Syracuse, who they’d already handily beaten twice.

The Gators are a completely different team on the road, but wise bracketeers don’t bet against Billy Donovan in March. Georgetown coach John Thompson III is also no stranger to the Final Four. Whoever comes out of the bottom half of the South will have certainly earned the right to play for a Final Four spot.

The Kansas Jayhawks will likely meet whatever team that is. Kansas stumbled into a three-game losing streak in early February, but it's since won 10 of their last 11, including a convincing win over Kansas State in the Big 12 Championship.

The Jayhawks are probably the most complete team in the field. Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Jeff Withey leads Kansas’ defense, and when its defense is off its game, scorers like Ben McLemore and Elijah Johnson can force teams to keep up. 

A version of this article appeared in the Mar 21 issue of the Collegiate Times.