The NCAA Tournament is upon us with Selection Sunday officially in the books. In the buildup to the opening round, theScore is previewing each region to get you prepared to pick your bracket. The South Region gets us started with Alabama holding the tournament's top seed.
Top teams
No. 1 Alabama
Alabama enters March Madness as the No. 1 overall seed after claiming both the SEC regular-season and tournament titles. Nate Oats' outfit is a tenacious defensive unit that's listed third in the nation in KenPom's efficiency ranking. Brandon Miller takes center stage offensively, with the future NBA lottery pick leading the team in scoring at 19.5 points per contest. If you like 3-point shooting, then Alabama is your team. The Crimson Tide rank fourth in the country in 3-point attempts per game at almost 30.
No. 2 Arizona
Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd led the Wildcats to a No. 1 seed in his first season in charge in 2022, but this time around it's a No. 2 slot for the Pac-12 tournament champions. Arizona struggled down the stretch of the regular season but stormed through the conference tournament to the championship. The Wildcats love to push the pace on offense, ranking among the top teams in the country at 73 possessions per game. Arizona's attack runs through star Azuolas Tubelis, with the 6-foot-11 forward averaging 19.8 and 9.3 rebounds per contest.
No. 3 Baylor
The 2021 champion Baylor looks set to make another deep tournament run, this time from the No. 3 slot in the South. If guard play truly is what wins games in March Madness, the Bears are as equipped as anyone in the field. Freshman Keyonte George, senior Adam Flagler, and junior LJ Cryer all average over 14 points per contest. Baylor's issue is that it's playing arguably its worst stretch of basketball all season. Baylor dropped four of its last six games before Selection Sunday.
Bracket-busters
No. 12 Charleston
Everyone always loves the No. 12 over No. 5 upset; Charleston over San Diego State might be the most popular pick in this bracket. The Cougars' offense doesn't come with many complications - they're determined to shoot as many triples as possible. Almost half of their field-goal attempts are from deep, with seven rotation players making over 30% from beyond the arc. If the Cougars get hot from outside, a run past the tournament's first weekend is very plausible.
No. 13 Furman
Furman celebrates its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 43 years with a first-round matchup against No. 4 Virginia. The Paladins are among the country's hottest teams heading into the tournament with 14 wins in their last 15 contests. If they can pull off an upset over the Cavaliers in Round 1, expect Mike Bothwell to play a large role. The Southern Conference's leading scorer at 18 points per contest has upped that average to 22.5 over Furman's last four games.
Players to watch
Brandon Miller, Alabama
It's impossible to mention Miller without bringing up his off-court incident from January. While the freshman wasn't charged with any wrongdoing (former teammate Darius Miles was indicted on capital murder charges), it left a mark on the Crimson Tide's season. On the court, Miller has been a star from the jump, earning SEC Player of the Year honors and averaging over 19 points per game. He comes into March Madness fresh off an impressive 23-point, 12-rebound showing in the SEC Tournament title game.
Keyonte George, Baylor
George is another freshman who's likely an NBA lottery pick whenever he heads to the draft. The 6-foot-4 guard has been a standout performer, leading the team in scoring at just over 15 points per game. Unfortunately for the Bears, George has struggled down the stretch, hitting his scoring average just twice in the last seven games. That'll need to change if Baylor is going to make a deep tournament run.
Azuolas Tubelis, Arizona
Tubelis has shined without last year's star trio of Ben Mathurin, Dalen Terry, and Christian Koloko. The Lithuanian forward averages over 19 points and nine rebounds per game while sitting 20th in the country with 13 double-doubles. The Wildcats love to push the pace on offense; Tubelis' ability to run the floor should be a problem for opponents in the tournament.
