South Regional Picks

Just to let you know, I'll have the West Regional picks after the Florida A&M/Niagara game tomorrow. On to the South!

#1 Ohio State-#16 Central Connecticut State: I'm sure Ohio State is disappointed that they didn't receive the #1 overall seed. Expect Cent. Connecticut State to feel the brunt of their frustration. Ohio State 83 Central Connecticut State 57

#8 BYU-#9 Xavier: Do I go with the Mormons or the Musketeers? All for one and one for all! Xavier 78 BYU 75

#5 Tennessee-#12 Long Beach State: Great news for Long Beach State! They play a very uptempo style and can score in bunches which is not only fun to watch and can be ideal for first-round upsets. Bad news though...Tennessee likes playing uptempo too and has far superior athletes. It'll be cute for awhile, but Tennessee should wear them out by the end of the game. Tennessee 87 Long Beach State 74

#4 Virginia-#13 Albany: Virginia has one of the best guard tandems in the country with Singletary and Reynolds. Their big men are a tad lacking though. This is a pretty high seed and would seem ripe for an upset. But I just don't think Albany is the team to capitalize. They are very turnover prone and don't seem to have the frontcourt that can make UVA pay. So I expect Virginia to advance. Virginia 78 Albany 65

#6 Louisville-#11 Stanford: Stanford was one of the more controversial picks for this year's tournament. They're a pretty good team though. I just think they're a year away from making noise in the tournament. Meanwhile, Louisville completely turned their season around about a month ago and will be a tough out for anyone down the line. Louisville 70 Stanford 64

#3 Texas A&M-#14 Pennsylvania: So you want a braver than usual pick to win it all. You don't want to stick to those boring #1 and #2 seeds? May I suggest (for the thousandth time this year) Texas A&M? I don't need to talk too much about them as I've been lauding them for a year. They should be able to beat a weaker than usual Pennsylvania. They're not very good at rebounding or free throw shooting. Those are important components for an upset. I don't expect it to be close. Texas A&M 80 Pennsylvania 62

#7 Nevada-#10 Creighton: Well if it isn't Nevada, the bane of my existence. You ruined my bracket by beating my Final Four bound Gonzaga several years ago. And then I decided to pick you to the Sweet 16 and you got upset by Montana! Damn you! I refuse to pick you out of anger. I don't care if you do have one of the best players in the country in Nick Fazekas. I'll go with Creighton who has been known for pulling "upsets" in NCAAs past. Creighton 74 Nevada 70

#2 Memphis-#15 North Texas: Memphis was a #1 seed last year and got to the Elite Eight. I think this year's team could be even better. Most of the pundits may think they're still a year away, but I think they said the same of Florida last year. And Arizona in 1997. You get the drift. Memphis definitely has the goods to go far in this tournament. Nice knowing you North Texas. Memphis 84 North Texas 60