TEAM TO BEAT: Wisconsin. The Badgers are a complete team that has done this before. They have some familiar foes in this bracket and the probable Player Of the Year. They felt they let a title slip away last year and are back to finish the job.
TEAM THAT WILL WIN THE REGION: Arizona. I've been on Arizona all year long. Their three losses are a bit weird (none made the tournament) yet they are 18-0 against the RPI Top 100. Those three losses were by a combined nine points. They got size and are athletic and have been just spanking teams of late.
TEAM TO WATCH FOR (LESS THAN A NO. 3 SEED): North Carolina. The story of UNC this season is that they have the talent to beat anyone but they don't always have the drive. They showed toughness against Virginia in the ACC tournament but then got shaken by a Notre Dame run the next night. They have size, depth and can pound the boards which would make a matchup with either Wisconsin or Arizona a must-see.
YOUR CINDERELLA: BYU. From "First Four" to "Final Four"? Not quite. But BYU could do some damage in this bracket. They won at Gonzaga which means they are dangerous. They can beat Ole Miss, Xavier and Baylor and sneak into the Sweet 16.
WORST SEEDING ERROR: Ohio State. Honestly, I cannot find any real gripes with the seeding in this region. Maybe the Buckeyes could have gotten a #9 seed instead of Oklahoma State?
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: Arizona. Really, no one has that great of an advantage, but Arizona gets to head to Portland and then Los Angeles. If they get Wisconsin in the region final, they'll definitely have the edge in home court.
MUST WATCH GAME: VCU vs Ohio State. VCU's trapping defense against the OSU backcourt of D'Angelo Russell and Shannon Scott. This should be a fun game to watch.
MUST WATCH (POTENTIAL) SECOND ROUND GAME: North Carolina vs Arkansas. Both teams want to run, run, run. North Carolina's offensive rebounding ability is outstanding but the Hogs can force some turnovers. This would be a track meet.
See also:
South Region preview
East Region preview
West Region preview
Midwest Region preview
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