March Madness: My Picks For The South Region, Florida Gators Advance To Final Four

And now for the South region (for the Midwest, click here / for the East, click here / for the West, click here).

SOUTH

“Round 2″

1 Florida (32-2) vs. 16 Albany (19-14): Projected winner – Florida

The Gators are coming off of a big win over the Kentucky Wildcats for the SEC Championship title and are the No. 1 overall seed in the Big Dance. Albany came out strong against Mount St. Mary’s, but showed they are definitely not in the Gators’ league.

2 Kansas (24-9) vs. 15 Eastern Kentucky (24-9): Projected winner - Kansas

The Kansas Jayhawks are pegged as the No. 2 seed for the South region of the bracket thanks to their near-50 field-goal-percentage and near-80 points-per-game. Their opponents are the Eastern Kentucky Colonels who won the Ohio Valley Conference tournament. The teams have the exact same records at 24-9, but Kansas plays in the talent-rich Big 12. They are led by freshman sensation Andrew Wiggins. He was featured on a segment of ESPN’s SportsScience.

3 Syracuse (27-5) vs. 14 Western Michigan (23-9): Projected winner - Syracuse

The Orange have a great defense this year, as usual, and are looking to beat teams the old-fashioned, hard-nosed way. Western Michigan is an up-start from the Mid-American Conference. They are coming off their title game win against Toledo, but they won’t have the man-power to take the Orange down.

4 UCLA (26-8) vs. 13 Tulsa (21-12): Projected winner - UCLA

UCLA beat Arizona last week for the PAC-12 title. Enough said. They advance against Conference-USA champions, Tulsa. Plus, Kyle Anderson can do it all: 14.9 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 6.6 apg. He can stretch the D with his range and make his team better, a key asset in the tournament. Jordan Adams is the Bruins’ leading scorer this year, but Anderson may be their most important player.

5 VCU (26-8) vs. 12 Stephen F. Austin (31-2): Projected winner - Stephen F. Austin

Okay, I’ve liked VCU ever since they shocked the world in 2011 by advancing into the Final Four as an 11 seed (an 11 seed that had to play one of the First Four games), but I like Stephen F. Austin to upset here. There’s no denying VCU is a formidable team and their defense (their ability to cause turnovers in particular) are a concern for anyone they play, but Stephen F. Austin has lost just twice this year, and that was in the second and third weeks of the season. They ran through the Southland Conference, winning the title and are entering the Big Dance with supreme confidence. I could be wrong here, but I think the Lumberjacks will hold their own against the favorited Rams.

The University of Dayton Arena, home of the Flyers and site of the First Four (“Round 1″) games of the NCAA Tournament (image courtesy of Wikipedia)

6 Ohio State vs. 11 Dayton: Projected winner - Dayton

I love when teams from the same state are matched up within all the Madness. When the Flyers found out they were pitted against the Ohio State Buckeyes during CBS’s Selection Sunday telecast, the players about lost their marbles. They looked so pumped to finally be put on the same floor as THE Ohio State University. Also, as I’ve said in a previous installment of my bracket breakdown, I am inclined to root for schools if I have a good friend who attends there (sup, Chad).

Fact is, Dayton is susceptible on defense, but their one-two punch of Jordan Sibert and Devin Oliver could do great things for the Flyers. What will set them over the top is that they want this more than the Buckeyes do. Win or lose, they’ll leave it all out on the floor. I can’t root against that kind of fire.

7 New Mexico vs. 10 Stanford: Projected winner – New Mexico

The Lobos are my team this year. Mountain West and all, I think they have a chance to turn some heads. The Stanford Cardinal are coming off a huge blowout loss to UCLA, while New Mexico just won their conference championship.

8 Colorado vs. 9 Pittsburgh: Projected winner - Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh is scoring, per game, 10 more points than they are giving up. Colorado’s differential is just three points. Pittsburgh senior forward Lamar Patterson is averaging 17.6 points-per-game. He makes the Panthers better and I don’t see how the Buffaloes can handle him.

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“Round 3″

1 Florida vs. 9 Pittsburgh: Projected winner – Florida

Two of the nation’s best defenses would go at it in this game, but I think Florida’s talent will overcome.

2 Kansas vs. 7 New Mexico: Projected winner - New Mexico

I told you I liked the Lobos. They’re a great rebounding team. They will definitely have their hands full with Wiggins, but I think New Mexico pulls off the upset. These are the picks that separate the men from the boys. A stretch, but one that can happen in my opinion. We shall see.

3 Syracuse vs. 11 Dayton: Projected winner - Syracuse

I’m sorry Flyers, but your Cinderella story strikes midnight here. That Syracuse defense will just be too much to handle down the stretch.

4 UCLA vs. 12 Stephen F. Austin: Projected winner - UCLA

No surprises here. The Bruins have too many weapons to fall to a lesser team.

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“Round 4″

1 Florida vs. 4 UCLA: Projected winner - Florida

The Gators take the Bruins, but it should be a close game. Some analysts even have UCLA taking the Gators down, but I have faith in Scottie Wilbekin and Billy Donovan engineering a W.

7 New Mexico vs. 3 Syracuse: Projected winner - New Mexico

Lobos! Syracuse has a great defense, but you have to score to win.

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Albert and Alberta, the Florida Gators’ mascots (image courtesy of Wikipedia)

1 Florida vs. 7 New Mexico: Projected winner - Florida

They aren’t the No. 1 overall seed for nothing. The Gators have only lost two games all year, and it’s because they find ways to win. Da, da, da da da, Gator Bait!