Monday through Thursday this week, The Blue Zone will be breaking down each region in this year's NCAA Tournament. Today we begin with the South.
The No. 1 Seed: Florida (32-2, 18-0 in the SEC). The Gators haven't lost since Dec. 2 to Connecticut, and that was a one-point defeat on the road in which SEC Player of the Year Scottie Wilbekin didn't play for the final three minutes because of an ankle injury. Florida is tenacious defensively, giving up 57.9 points per game, the third fewest in the nation. Wilbekin, small forward Casey Prather and shooting guard Michael Frazier II can all pour in points, but defensive and rebounding studs like center Patric Young, power forward Dorian Finney-Smith and small forward Will Yeguete are the reasons why this team is so difficult to score against. A potential Round of 32 matchup with Pittsburgh, the No. 18 team in the nation according to KenPom.com, will be no cupcake, but there's a reason why the Gators were named the tournament's No. 1 overall seed: They grind out wins.
The other contenders: No. 2 seed Kansas is arguably the most talented team in the country, featuring freshman phenom Andrew Wiggins among many other productive players. But the big question for the Jayhawks will be if they can win without center Joel Embiid, who from all indications will remain sidelined with a nagging back injury. Embiid, also a freshman, is a potential top pick in June's NBA Draft and would give Kansas a huge boost if he can play. No. 3 seed Syracuse has a rough draw below Florida and Kansas, struggling to finish the year well after a 25-0 start. The Orange have lost five of seven since then and need their 2-3 zone to stifle teams the way it did early on. At the four spot, UCLA provides matchup problems for any opponent. Sophomore guard Jordan Adams is an impressive scorer at 17.2 points per game, while 6-foot-9 do-it-all swingman Kyle Anderson can be impossible to guard at times with 14.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game. Also, don't forget about No. 6 seed Ohio State, which cracked the top five this season and has one of the best perimeter defenses in the country.
The potential Cinderella: No. 10 seed Stanford. The Cardinal, coached by former Duke player and assistant coach Johnny Dawkins, earned their first invitation to the Big Dance with this head coaching regime. This is a team that has beaten UCLA, Connecticut and Oregon, among others, and faces No. 7 seed New Mexico in the first round. They have a go-to scorer in Chasson Randle, who averages 18.7 points per game, and three other players who average double figures. They're also tough to match up against as forwards Josh Huestis and Anthony Brown can shoot from the perimeter. They can certainly get past the Lobos, who lost as a No. 3 seed to 14th-seeded Harvard in last year's Round of 64. Beating Kansas may be realistic too if the Jayhawks struggle to perform without Embiid. Bill Self's team has now lost two of its last four since he's been out.
The regional narrative: DE-FENSE. The South is filled with some of the top defensive teams in the nation by any metric. Florida, Syracuse and Ohio State all give up fewer than 60 points per game. No. 5 seed VCU—no longer in the role of a potential Cinderella—forces the most turnovers per game in the country at 18.3. VCU, Ohio State and Florida rank second, fourth and fifth, respectively, in adjusted defense according to KenPom.com. The question: Will anybody score?
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