The South has been the region of chaos so far, with the first 9 over 1 upset since 2018, a hail mary buzzer beater that literally went in the hoop and still didn’t fall, a 19 point comeback that helped Hubert Davis lose his job. It’s been insane to watch. Before the Sweet 16 is previewed, let’s recap the 1st weekend.
1st Weekend Recap
- Florida beats Prairie View A&M 114-55: No explanation needed
- Iowa beats Clemson 67-61: Hawkeyes outrebounded Tigers 40-27
- Vanderbilt beats McNeese 78-68: McNeese played them close early, but Vandy was just better.
- Nebraska beats Troy 76-47: Pure domination here, Troy stood no chance.
- Illinois beats Penn 105-70: Same as above
- VCU beats UNC 82-78 in OT; VCU rallied from a 19 deficit to win in OT. They helped make the calls that got Hubert Davis fired.
- Texas A&M beats Saint Mary’s 63-50: Saint Mary’s had NO offense at all.
- Houston beats Idaho 78-47: Domination
2nd Round
- Iowa beats Florida 73-72: Hawkeyes shocked the world, even with a poor performance by Stirtz.
- Nebraska beats Vanderbilt 74-72: Vandy shot a half-court game-winner that went in the rim, and it somehow didn’t go in. This game was NUTS.
- Illinois beats VCU 76-55: VCU got it close early, but Illinois went on an insane run and never looked back.
- Houston beats Texas A&M 88-57: Domination again
Here are the seeds remaining!
- Houston (2)
- Illinois (3)
- Nebraska (4)
- Iowa (9)
Despite all the chaos, there is a lot of talent remaining, and this region is intense. Houston is the region’s location, so they will have a LOUD group of supporters. The region also consists of a long standing rivalry in Nebraska-Iowa, and the players/fans will be extremely hostile. Let’s dive into the power rankings
- Houston: The Cougars are absolutely rolling, now having won 7 of their last 8 and beating their first two opponents by a combined 62 points. Their level of defense has elevated in the tournament, allowing an average of 52 PPG through two games. They also turn the ball over at the lowest rate in the entire nation, with only 8.4 a game. The region location is Houston, so they didn’t have to travel at all. Meanwhile, Illinois is relatively far away. The crowd will definitely be in favor of the Cougars. Houston has outrebounded their two opponents 86-56. They have looked absolutely dominant so far and Kelvin Sampson looks determined to get his guys back to the National Champ game. The Cougars are the heavy favorite of the region and it would be disappointing if they can’t handle this region.
- Illinois: The Illini have looked equally as dominant as the Cougars. They beat their two opponents by a combined 56 points. They have a high-powered offense led by freshman Keaton Wagler. David Mirkovic had 29 points and 17 boards in just 28 minutes against Penn. He looks dominant so far. One thing that stands out is the rebounding differences when these top top tier teams play. Illinois outrebounded their opponents 86-47. In our South Region initial preview, we said they needed to pick up some momentum early in the tournament, and they have done exactly that. The Illini are smoking hot and their game with Houston should be a must-watch battle.
- Nebraska: The Cornhuskers have already had a historic postseason, picking up their 1st and 2nd ever NCAA Tournament wins. They destroyed Troy, as the top two did with their first round opponents, and barely snuck by a very talented Vanderbilt team. As said with Illinois, they needed some momentum early in the tourney and they came out on fire. Pryce Sandfort set the tone right out of the gate and they have been rolling with that since. The key for them is to move the ball for open shots. The Huskers are ranked 12th in the country with 18 assists per game. They have knocked down 23 threes in two games at an extremely efficient rate, and they need to keep hitting them to win this region.
- Iowa: The Hawkeyes are arguably this year’s “Cinderella” under first-year coach Ben McCollum. They took down the South’s 1-seed Florida in a thrilling game that came down to a clutch-time 3, which ended up being the game winner. They pulled off that game with their star, Bennett Stirtz, only scoring 13 while going 5-16 from the field. If he gets going, other teams are in real trouble. They can shoot the ball extremely well, averaging 48.9% from the field. No one saw the Hawkeyes to the Sweet 16. Everyone assumed Florida would have an easy win, but here we are. Iowa can ride this momentum and try to take down their fellow B10 member Nebraska,
Predictions
Nebraska beats Iowa: This game could get heated, these two programs have a strong dislike for each other and they split the season series. Both home teams won their game. Nebraska fans travel extremely well and I don’t think Iowa can slow down Nebraska on the perimeter.
Houston beats Illinois: The Cougars will have an overwhelming home crowd, and I think their defense will be too much for this Illinois team. Houston is on a crash course to the Final 4.
E8-Houston beats Nebraska: The winner of Houston-Illinois should win this game, no matter the matchup. Houston is just a better team overall and their defense will once again win them the game.
