2018 NCAA Bracket Picks: South Region Odds, Predictions and Bracketology Projections

2018 NCAA Bracket Picks – South Region Odds, Predictions and Bracketology Projections: Defense is the name of the game at the top of the South Region of the NCAA Tournament Bracket. The top overall seed, Virginia, and the No. 2 seed in the region, Cincinnati, boast the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked defenses in the country, respectively. The South Region also has some heavy hitters lurking among the higher seeds with traditional powers Kentucky and Arizona also in the mix. Check out a complete breakdown of the South Region.

2018 NCAA Bracket Picks: South Region Odds, Predictions and Bracketology Projections

NCAA South Bracket Favorites to Make the Final Four

Virginia: Armed with the stingiest defense in the country, the Cavaliers went 31-2 on their way to the ACC regular season and tournament titles and the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. Few teams are better at controlling the tempo of the game, and Virginia’s balanced scoring attack has more firepower than it is given credit for. The Cavaliers are likely going to face a tough Sweet 16 opponent, but Virginia’s relentless defense allows them to win games when they aren’t clicking on offense.

Tennessee: The Volunteers have shown a high ceiling, beating Purdue out of conference and knocked off Kentucky twice in the regular season, and they are solid across the board. Tennessee is an above average 3-point shooting team, and they have a hot scorer heading into the NCAA Tournament in forward Admiral Schofield. I also think the bottom half of this region is a bit of an easier path to the Elite Eight, and I see the Volunteers fighting for a spot in San Antonio in the Regional Final.

Arizona: Arizona heads into the NCAA Tournament with the Pac-12 regular season and tournament titles to its name, and the Wildcats have plenty of offensive firepower. But the real reason this is a potential Final Four team is Deandre Ayton. He is averaging 20.3 points and 11.5 rebounds per game, and he is the most physically dominant big man to come along in quite some team. With the potential No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft leading the way, the Wildcats could be tough to stop.

NCAA South Bracket Upset Specials

Loyola-Chicago over Miami (FL): Neither of these teams light it up on the offensive end, but the difference is that the Hurricanes are just an inconsistent offensive team while the Ramblers are the model of an efficient, defensive-mined club. Loyola-Chicago ranks fifth in the country in scoring defense, and the Ramblers are shooting better than 50 percent from the field as a team. On the flip side, the Hurricanes are shooting just 46.4 percent. The Ramblers can control the pace and knock off Miami.

Texas over Nevada: This will be a contrast in styles. The Wolf Pack like to push the pace, and they have the dynamic duo of Caleb Martin and Jordan Caroline leading an offense that ranks in the Top 20 in scoring. On the flip side, the Longhorns are horribly inconsistent and inefficient on offense, but they have taken a lot of strong teams to the wire. I think the difference in this game will be center Mohamed Bamba, who can change the game on both ends of the court. Meanwhile, I think Texas’ offensive issues are masked by the pace.

NCAA South Bracket High Seed on Alert

Cincinnati: Yes, this is a 30-win Cincinnati team that took home the AAC regular season and tournaments titles, and yes, the Bearcats have a stingy defense that ranks second in the country in points allowed. However, this is still an average offensive team, and the Bearcats really don’t have any players who can create offense at will or a ton of perimeter firepower. An elite defense can mask a lot of issues, but one hot shooting night from any opponent could but the Bearcats in a bad spot.

NCAA South Bracket PREDICTION: Virginia Cavaliers

You can get expert 2018 NCAA Tournament picks and 2018 NCAA Tournament predictions this month from NSAwins.com’s top handicappers plus a pre-filled downloadable and printable 2018 NCAA Tournament Bracket to help you win your office pool!