NCAA Tournament: Virginia, Tennessee headline South Region primer

South Pod D – Columbus, OH

(7) Cincinnati vs. (10) Iowa 

This will be a battle of two contrasting styles. With regards to the favorite, Cincinnati plays a deliberate style that uses drawn-out possessions to create the best possible look on one end or to force a tough shot on the other. Iowa, on the other hand, likes to move the ball up and down the court. They shoot a ton of threes and have a high-powered offense that can really fill the basket up in a hurry. With regards to recent trends, Cincinnati is playing much better basketball right now as they just won the AAC Tournament while Iowa has stumbled down the stretch of the season. Prediction: Cincinnati.

(2) Tennessee vs. (15) Colgate

Tennessee should have no trouble in this matchup. In my opinion, the Volunteers are one of the least likely top-seeds to fall early due to their incredible amount of experience. For Colgate, their biggest issue in this game will be slowing down the high-powered Tennessee offense. The Volunteers are ranked third in the entire nation in adjusted offensive efficiency whereas the Raiders are outside of the top-200 in the defensive version of the stat. That does not bode well for Colgate as Tennessee could put up 100 points. Prediction: Tennessee.

That concludes this breakdown of the South Region in the NCAA Tournament. I hope that you enjoyed and that your favorite team was picked to go far. The NCAA Tournament is always enjoyable and I can’t wait to see what upsets await.