NCAA Tournament: Southeast Region Preview

-2011 SOUTHEAST REGION PREVIEW-

(1) Pittsburgh
(16) UNC-Asheville
THURSDAY, 3:10 EST - Washington, D.C. - (truTV)

(8) Butler
(9) Old Dominion
THURSDAY, 12:40 EST - Washington, D.C. - (truTV)

(5) Kansas State
(12) Utah State
THURSDAY, 9:57 EST - Tucson, AZ - (truTV)

(4) Wisconsin
(13) Belmont
THURSDAY, 7:27 EST - Tucson, AZ - (truTV)

(6) St. John's
(11) Gonzaga
THURSDAY, 9:45 EST - Denver, CO - (CBS)

(3) BYU
(14) Wofford
THURSDAY, 7:15 EST - Denver, CO - (CBS)

(7) UCLA
(10) Michigan State
THURSDAY, 9:20 EST - Tampa, FL - (TBS)

(2) Florida
(15) UC-Santa Barbara
THURSDAY, 6:50 EST - Tampa, FL - (TBS)


Top seeds

1. Pittsburgh (27-5) - Is this the year that Pitt finally breaks through and makes the Final Four? Like every year, their regular season performance suggests they will, but historically it doesn't. They've made the dance every year since 2002 and haven't made one Final Four and only one Elite Eight in that span. Doesn't really convince you as a safe pick to go deep, right? Well, the upperclassmen filled Panthers will try and convince you this time around again. Guards Ashton Gibbs and Brad Wanamaker pace the attack while holding down the middle is Gilbert Brown, Nasir Robinson and Gary McGhee (if he can recover from his broken ankles in time). Perhaps no better year to finally break through would be this year, as Pitt plays in presumably the easiest bracket in the tournament, but the key word is presumably. Pitt has made a habit in the past of losing games they should have won, and a potential matchup with Butler in the second round may be that game. Still, head coach Jamie Dixon and the Panthers are having their best season in recent memory and will surely be a tough out like every year.

2. Florida (26-7) - Many argue that the Gators are overseeded this season due to a down year in the SEC, while others would argue that they are flying under the radar heading into this year's tourney. They haven't won a tournament game since their back-to-back national championships in 2006 and 2007, but that will surely change with essentially a home stand in the first two rounds in Tampa. Similar to those national championship seasons, there are several upperclassmen on this team, including forward Chandler Parsons who is a ball-hawker (7.8 rpg) that also demonstrates scoring ability (11.5 ppg) inside and outside (38.1% from three). Junior Erving Walker and sophomore Kenny Boynton lead the scoring charge, and let's not forget about the head coach barking out from the sidelines in Billy Donovan. He knows a thing or two about coaching in the NCAA Tournament and rounds out what could very well possibly be a Final Four forumula for the Gators.

3. Brigham Young (30-4) - Since a decision was made to suspend forward Brandon Davies from the team, BYU has looked nothing like they did earlier in the season. In their first game without Davies, the Cougars dropped an 82-64 decision to New Mexico and more recently lost to San Diego State in the Mountain West Championship. If BYU is going to make a deep run, golden boy Jimmer Fredette will have to play unhuman, but the senior guard who leads the nation in scoring (28.5 ppg) is more than capable of doing just that. The question is, will it be enough? That's the daunting question facing every bracket filler this week.

4. Wisconsin (23-8) - The Badgers have certainly had their fair share of ups and downs this year, perhaps a bit more extreme than most squads. They knocked off No. 1 Ohio State last month to give the Buckeyes their first loss of the year, but a little less than one month later, they lost to Penn State 36-33 in the Big Ten Tournament. And that's not a typo, they scored 33 points in the entire game. The Badgers will look to bounce back, but it won't be easy against a deep Belmont team in the first round. For the Badgers, senior Jon Leur leads the pack with 18.6 points and 7.3 boards per game. The Badgers are a streaky 3-point shooting team, and they may need some hot nights if they have any shot at reaching their first Final Four since 2000.

Most Intriguing Matchup

(6) St. John's v. (11) Gonzaga

If a No. 11 seed seems a bit low for Gonzaga to you, you're probably right. The Bulldogs are riding a 9-game winning streak and a West Coast Championship into the Tournament and sort of have some inside information heading into their tilt with the Red Storm. The Bulldogs are watching game film this week of a loss they suffered back in 2009 to Arizona. Why? Because then-Wildcats assistant coach Mike Dunlap orchestrated a zone defense that defeated the Bulldogs, and now, as an assistant to Steve Lavin at St. John's, has been ushered consent to use that same zone defense that 'Zaga saw in 2009. With that knowledge, the Bulldogs will be primed and ready for their matchup, but that's not to discredit St. John's. Led by senior Dwight Hardy, the Red Storm are back in the big dance for the first time since 2002, and history rests on Lavin's side, as he sits comfortably at a career 12-1 record in first and second round games. This game could really go either way, and should make for a classic in Denver.

Best Player

Jimmer Fredette, guard, BYU

The ultimate game-changer, we don't see a talent like Jimmer very often in college basketball. Averaging an obscene 28.5 points per game, he has revived college hoops at BYU and is one of the top two or three players in the country right now. Can he lead the Cougars to a Final Four solely on his back? If it wasn't tough before, it definitely is now, as teammate Brandon Davies was recently suspended for the rest of the season. If anyone can do it save maybe Kemba Walker (who has a bit more help), Jimmer can, and he has proven time and time again that he can this season with amazing performance after amazing performance. Everyone will certainly have their eyes on him this weekend.

Best Coach

Billy Donovan, Florida

The man who single-handedly brought Providence to the Final Four in 1987 is almost doing the same thing with his Florida Gators as a coach. He's definitely been getting help from his players though, who he recruits with the best in the country. Four years ago, he waved off stars Joakim Noah and Al Horford into the sunset with back-to-back national championships. Four years later, he's built up a new class of players, who may not be as good as those championship teams, but have another legitimate chance at a deep run again. Billy the Kid has done it again, and his Gators are back with a vengeance this year.

Upset Alert

(13) Belmont over (4) Wisconsin

Let's face it: Wisconsin looks like garbage right now. I mean 33 points, really? Belmont is back in the tournament for the first time since 2008, when you may remember them almost upsetting No. 2 seeded Duke before Gerald Henderson saved the day on a game-winning lineup. The Bruins are back, and are ready to claim back what they thought was theirs three years ago, and may in fact be better than that team. There are countless reasons why Belmont is more than capable of winning this game, and most of them can be outlined in this ESPN article, but their depth speaks for itself. Running 11 deep, the Bruins can come at you in multiple ways and seemingly always have fresh legs on the floor. Almost anyone can score for this team, and they average about 10 3-point makes per ballgame. Not convinced yet? Maybe you should be. The Bruins are for real.

Search for Cinderella

(8) Butler

The defending national runner-ups are entering the dance under the radar again, and are more than capable of making another run in the weak Southeast bracket. Minus Gordan Heyward, most of last year's core is back, including top scorers Matt Howard and Shelvin Mack who know a thing or two about playing in March. If they can beat Old Dominion in a difficult first-round matchup, No. 1 Pitt, a team prone to upsets, may suit their fancy in the second round. From there, it's questionable who they would play in a bracket loaded with parity and the possibility for another cinderella story.

The darkhorse

(5) Kansas State

Most of America has caught the fever of Utah State's "I Believe" chant and penciled them in as this year's popular upset pick over K-State, but the Wildcats are no slouch. They have won six out of their last seven heading into the tourney - including wins over No. 1 Kansas, No. 21 Missouri and No. 8 Texas - and despite a loss to Colorado in the Big 12 Tournament, are hot on all cylinders. Jacob Pullen has had a remarkable season (19.5 ppg, 37% 3-pt shooting) who has some experience in March. You may remember that they made the Elite Eight one year ago, only to lose to eventual runner-up Butler. Don't sleep on the Wildcats.


-PREDICTIONS-

(1) Pittsburgh over (16) UNC-Asheville
(8) Butler over (9) Old Dominion
(5) Kansas State over (12) Utah State
(13) Belmont over (4) Wisconsin
(11) Gonzaga over (6) St. John's
(3) BYU over (14) Wofford
(10) Michigan State over (7) UCLA
(2) Florida over (15) UC-Santa Barbara

(8) Butler over (1) Pittsburgh
(5) Kansas State over (13) Belmont)
(11) Gonzaga over (3) BYU
(2) Florida over (10) Michigan State

(5) Kansas State over (8) Butler
(2) Florida over (11) Gonzaga

(5) Kansas State over (2) Florida


-FINAL FOUR SELECTIONS-

(1) Duke over (3) Syracuse
(1) Kansas over (5) Kansas State

(1) Duke 73, (1) Kansas 64