6. The South Region will make for great theater
CBS and Turner executives have their eyes firmly planted on the South Region, salivating about North Carolina, Kentucky, and UCLA all earning their way to the Memphis regional rounds.
The three blue-blood teams all have their eyes on the national championship and the chance to see them square off in the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 rounds could be spectacular, and huge for ratings. Between the three schools, they have won 24 NCAA Tournaments.
This is March, though — don’t start counting these chickens before they hatch.
Teams like Cincinnati, Seton Hall, and Wichita State will put up a fight to prevent these three top teams from advancing to Memphis.
7. Upsets are out there
Every year the round of 64 features a host of upsets and surprises. This year, a few are already jumping off the bracket.
Middle Tennessee was one of last year’s Cinderellas, with a win over Michigan State. This year they get another crack at a Big Ten power, with a chance to top Minnesota. The Blue Raiders have added Arkansas transfer JaCorey Williams to their team from last season and he’s been a beast.
Elsewhere, a hot Rhode Island squad will look to upend Creighton, playing without starting point guard Mo Watson.
Vermont went undefeated in the America East conference this season. Purdue’s Caleb Swanigan will make for a brutal challenge, but freshman forward Anthony Lamb may be up for the test.
Princeton also ran the table in conference play and will look to continue that hot streak against a Notre Dame team that won’t be able to dominate the Tigers athletically.
Finally, Virginia has had offensive struggles later on this season and could see some real pressure from a feisty UNC Wilmington squad.
8. The bubble makes its way to the First Four
Teams on the fence looking for an at-large bid essentially worked themselves out this week and little drama remained. Despite constant chatter about the quality of this year’s bubble, teams like Kansas State made big wins to earn their spot.
Now the last four teams in the tournament battle Tuesday and Wednesday for a chance to reach the round of 64. Every year since the First Four was created, one of the teams moving on has then won again in the round of 64.
Look for Wake Forest to potentially make waves, behind all ACC player John Collins.
The First Four games will pit Mt. Saint Mary’s against New Orleans; Providence against USC; North Carolina Central against UC Davis; and the aforementioned Wake Forest against Kansas State.
9. Syracuse was snubbed?
Jim Boeheim is likely to belly-ache and complain about how his team was (likely) the last squad left at home, but the Orange’s resume simply wasn’t strong enough to earn a bid.
Yes, Syracuse defeated Duke, Virginia, and Florida State, though all three wins came at home. In fact, the Orange finished the season just 2-11 in games not played in the comfy confines of the Carrier Dome.
The committee has stressed over the years that bids are given based on not just who you have beaten, but where you beat them. The Orange had ample opportunities to win on the road, or even on a neutral court, but simply never did so. They deservedly play in the NIT.
They were among the first four out of the tourney, along with Cal, Illinois State and Iowa.
The first four out are the top seeds in the NIT. Discover the rest of the field on the Selection Show at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU. pic.twitter.com/gdJOYKtzHJ
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 12, 2017
10. Peeking at second round match-ups
With the wild and crazy world of March Madness, it can be a bit greedy to look ahead to future match-ups, though some of this year’s possible games to come look too good to ignore.
Just later this weekend we could see fascinating games like Virginia playing Florida, Wisconsin tackling Villanova, and Iowa State and Purdue squaring off. Teams like Michigan State and Seton Hall could be real threats to their one seeds, Kansas and UNC respectively. SMU and Baylor would be the perfect Texas brawl.
UCLA, with eyes on the Final Four, could see their perfect opposite in the round of 32. UCLA’s offense is high octane, but Cincinnati can flat-out defend. That game could be a clash of styles, resulting in a fascinating showdown.
The first four days of the NCAA Tournament will be as exciting as ever.
Shane McNichol covers college basketball for Larry Brown Sports. He also blogs about college basketball and the NBA at Palestra Back and has contributed to Rush The Court, ESPN.com, and USA Today Sports Weekly. Follow him on Twitter @OnTheShaneTrain.
