Here’s a look at the South Region of the NCAA Tournament as March Madness gets set to tip off Tuesday:
1. Virginia (29-3)
Conference: ACC
Coach: Tony Bennett (10th season)
Post-ing up: The Cavaliers again possess the nation’s best defense, and a No. 1 seed for the third time in five years. The pain of the historic upset loss to UMBC cไould be minimized if it leads to the school’s first Final Four since 1984, with soon-to-be lottery pick De’Andre Hunter healthy this year.
16. Gardner-Webb (23-11)
Conference: Big South
Coach: Tim Craft (Sixth season)
Post-ing up: Gardner-Webb enters the dance on a fivꦏe-game win streak, and defeated the Big South’s top two seeds on its way to the program’s first Division I NCAA Tournament bid. The Bulldogs can get hot from deep, shooting 39.1 percent from 3-point range.
8. Ole Miss (20-12)
Conference: SEC
Coach: Kermit Davis (First season)
Post-ing up: Davis’ arrival flipped Ole Miss from 12-20 to 20-12 and a sixth-place finish in the SEC. The trio of Breein Tyree, Terence Davis and Devontae Shuler make the Rebels go, averaging a combined 44.1 points per game.
9. Oklahoma (19-13)
Conference: Big 12
Coach: Lon Kruger (Eighth season)
Post-ing up: A strong schedule and just two sub-Quadrant 1 losses was en♒ough for the Sooners to get in the tournam꧋ent. Staying there, however, is another story for a team that has dropped five of its past six games away from home.
5. Wisconsin (23-10)
Conference: Big Ten
Coach: Greg Gard (Fourth season)
Post-ing up: The Badgers used one of the best defenses in the nation to bounce back from their first losing season in 24 years — and the end of their 19-year NCAA Tournament streak — while often being carried by All-Big Ten first team big man Ethan Happ, who leads the team in points, rebo𝄹unds, assists and steals.
12. Oregon (23-12)
Conference: Pac-12
Coach: Dana Altman (ninth season)
Post-ing up: Projected lottery pick Bol Bol was lost for the season in early December and as recently as late February the Ducks were just three games over .500. Then came this stunning run, eight consecutive wins to steal an🐈 unlikely bid to the tou𓄧rnament by winning the Pac-12 postseason crown.
4. Kansas State (25-8)
Conference: Big 12
Coach: Bruce Weber (Seventh season)
Post-ing up: Much like co-Big 12 regular-season champion Texas Tech, Kansas State wins by locking down the opposition — it ranked sixth in adjusted defensive efficiency — and has its entire core back from last March’s Elite Eight run.
13. UC Irvine (30-5)
Conference: Big West
Coach: Russell Turner (Ninth season)
Post-ing up: The Anteaters won their league’s regular-season title for the fourth time in six years, and earned their first NCAA Tournament berth in four years — and second Big Dance ever — on a 15-game winning streak. UC Irvine is deep, big and experienced, and sports the nation’s best defense in♈side the arc.
6. Villanova (25-9)
Conference: Big East
Coach: Jay Wright (18th season)
Post-ing up: The defending national champions took a step back, but only because Villanova has🐷 set the bar so incredibly high. After losing four players to the NBA, the Wildcats still won the Big East regular-season crown for the fifth time in six years.
11. Saint Mary’s (22-11)
Conference: West Coast
Coach: Randy Bennett (18th season)
Post-ing up: The perennial bubble dwellers avoided suspense with a stunning victory over No. 1 Gonzaga in the conference championship. The Gaels’ frustratingly slow tempo works so well because they boast one of the most efficient offenses in the nation.
3. Purdue (23-9)
Conference: Big Ten
Coach: Matt Painter (14th season)
Post-ing up: The Boilermakers lost four starters from a Sweet 16 team, but won a share of their second league crown in three years, thanks to the one who remained, guard Carsen Edwards (23. points)♈, the only Purdue player to average more than 12 points.
14. Old Dominion (26-8)
Conference: Conference USA
Coach: Jeff Jones (sixth season)
Post-ing up: The Monarchs and their seventh-ranked scoring defense wilꦗl take the air out of the ball, preferring to play slow and limit possessions. They will also pound you on the glass with the nation’s 23rd-ranked rebounding team.
7. Cincinnati (28-6)
Conference: American
Coach: Mick Cronin (13th season)
Post-ing up: This may have been Cronin’s best coaching job, getting Cinci💙nnati back to the tournament after losing three of his top four scorers. The one returner, Jarron Cumberland, developed into a star, named the AAC Player of the Year.
10. Iowa (22-11)
Conference: Big Ten
Coach: Fran McCaffery (Ninth season)
Post-ing up: The Hawkeyes ended a two-year drought with one of the most balanced and efficient offenses in the nation, featuring five players averaging at least nine points. Iowa went 5-3 in games decided by five points or fewer,꧑ thanks to the clutch shooting of junior Jordan Bohannon.
2. Tennessee (29-5)
Conference: SEC
Coach: Rick Barnes (Fourth season)
Post-ing up: Tennessee features a balanced offense — five players average double figures — led by SEC Player ofඣ the Year Grant Williams. But the defense has regressed. Guard-heavy teams that canꦓ space the floor give the Volunteers problems.
15. Colgate (24-10)
Conference: Patriot
Coach: Matt Langel (Eighth season)
Post-ing up: Col🦂gate is dancing for the first time in 23 years because of its accurate 3-point shooting (38.3 pe✃rcent) and affinity for moving the ball (15.5 assists). The Raiders are also red-hot, having won 11 straight games.