What would NCAA tournament Selection Sunday be without controversy?Well, the debate in the South Region starts at the top where Duke received the third overall No.1 seed. Most didn't even have the Blue Devils as a sure-fire No.1 seed despite winning both the ACC regular season and conference tournament titles in what has not been a stellar year for the league.
Was Syracuse more deserving of the third overall No.1 seed or should West Virginia have been a No.1 seed ahead of Duke?
Those are interesting debates, but the reality is Duke is the team to beat in the South and because of that, the South Regional may be the most wide open of the four regionals.
No. 2 Villanova, No. 3 Baylor and No. 5 Texas A&M have all built impressive resume's in the much higher thought of Big East and Big 12 conferences. Purdue would also be part of that conversations had the Boilermakers not lost star forward Robbie Hummel to a season-ending injury.
The Baylor Bears could be the most talented of any of the teams in the South Region with big-time players like point guard Tweety Carter, shooting guard LaceDarius Dunn and power forward Ekpe Udoh, who began his career with the Michigan Wolverines. Scott Drew's group could be helped by its run last season to the NIT championship game.
Regional Breakdowns
South: Is Duke Vulnerable?
Midwest: Kansas Gets Rocked
East: Kentucky Gets No Favors
West: Serious Questions for Syracuse
Texas A&M could make the regional interesting as well if the Aggies can avoid the first-round upset and get hot the rest of the way. Led by senior guard Donald Sloan, the Aggies were as good as any of the second tier teams in the Big 12 that lined up behind No. 1 overall seed Kansas this season.
But it's also hard to discount the Blue Devils. Led by the highest scoring trio in the country, guards Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith and forward Kyle Singler, they have won four straight and 12 of their last 13 games after a tough January.
The Villanova Wildcats, meanwhile, are perhaps the most perplexing of the top teams. They are dangerous as evidenced by their 11-game winning streak earlier in the season that included winning their first nine in Big East play.
But the way they finished the season is far from impressive and may cause some to question how the Wildcats were deserving of a No. 2 seed. Villanova hasn't won more than two straight since early January and got bounced in the opening round of the Big East tournament.
Storyline to WatchPerhaps the most intriguing matchup will come as early as the second round when No. 1 Duke should take on No. 9 seed Louisville.
Mike Krzyzewski vs Rick Petino.
It's hard to imagine it gets any better than that. Both veteran coaches have had better teams which makes the jobs they've done this season even more impressive.
Best First-Round Matchup
Cal vs. Louisville. This matchup perhaps gets overlooked some because the winner takes on Duke in the second round. Both the Bears and Louisville are similar in that they have had lapses this season, but when they're on they're capable of making games exciting.
Most Likely Upset
No. 12 Utah State over No. 5 Texas A&M. You can't overlook the history of the 12-5 upset and giving this one an even better chance is Utah State gets to take on the Aggies in relatively nearby Spokane, Wash.
Darkhorse
While Texas A&M looks like the team that could be upset early, the Aggies are also the team that could make a surprise run. The Aggies are much better than Utah State so a loss would be a major upset, not to mention they haven't lost a first-round game since returning to NCAA tournament action.
If A&M can get past Utah State and Purdue, then it's conceivable that anything can happen when the Aggies get to the friendly confines of Reliant Arena in Houston.
Overrated
The Villanova Wildcats have been far from impressive during the last part of the season and will more than likely fall to Baylor in the Sweet 16. The Bears have too much fire power and size, plus that 2-3 zone will give Villanova fits.
Players to Watch1. Ekpe Udoh, the junior transfer from Michigan, has been a force on the block for the Baylor Bears and is a large reason why they are a No. 3 seed in the tournament.
2. Kyle Singler seems to be finding his comfort level scoring on the perimeter at the right time as a member of Duke's high-scoring trio that includes Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith.
3.Donald Sloan (pictured right), the Texas A&M guard ,may be the best player that most have never heard of but people will be saying his name a lot after watching the senior put the Aggies on his back and carry them to wins in the tournament.
Biggest Question to Answer
On the surface, it looks like Texas A&M was perhaps disrespected some by being sent to Spokane and having to take on geographically favored Utah State in the always dangerous 5-12 first-round game. Can the Aggies avoid falling victim?
How It Plays Out
It's still mind boggling that Duke ends up the third overall No.1 and that the Blue Devils find themselves among a tough but far from daunting South Regional field. Duke is the best team, but could face challenges from Texas A&M and then Villanova. The most likely regional final pits the Blue Devils against Villanova in Houston, but don't be surprised if the final pits Big 12 foes Texas A&M and Baylor for a third time this season.
The Pick
Duke advances to Indianapolis.
Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Terrance, WHAT ARE YOU TALK`N ABOUT !!???
GO DEVILS, GO. IT'S TIME TO PROVE A LOT OF NON-BELIEVERS WRONG!!!!!!!
Hey Duke just raped a pole dancer. Fire the coach and all the kids! Hell no, you don't need to investigate that allegation. You know that they are guilty because of the nature of the accusation and because they are all rich Duke players. Hurry fire them before the first game starts.
DUKE WILL BE OUT IN THE SWEET 16, you're an idiot if you really believe they'll make it past there
duke is one of the best and most beautiful schools in the counrty and it has great sports too.
your the arrogant douche bag who probably went to a jc
The Dukies usually get a free pass in the early rounds by being allowed to play on their home turf - if not in their own gym. They'll find the going harder without that advantage. Now we'll see what they're really made of.
No matter where Duke would have been seeded, Haters will be haters!!!!
Go Duke! In honor of Dr. Chaz Matthews, School of Ed, College of William and Mary (and former Blue Devil and Ph.D. Duke grad). RIP.
Duke students and alumni are a bunch of arrogant douche-bags who can't accept the fact they couldn't get in to an Ivy League school.
How many Ivy schools are in the tournament??
Yea all the douche bag Ivy league grads are in Government.
this article is a pyramid of cliches and speculation signifying nothing
as a UNC fan, i am against Duke and yet this article gives me no basis for thinking Duke might lose early, despite its misleading title.
work harder on your craft or people will think you are in 6th grade and you will be out of work. jmho.
What a pile of manure. The seeds don't mean squat. As Bob Knight (who has
forgotten more basketbhall than this sportswriter will ever know) said, "Look. It's a single elimination tournament and any team can have an off night."
This is the worst No.1 seed in the history of tournament.W.Virginia,Geogretown,or any top 10 teams should have been No 1 .Duke will get beat in second round.I wonder how much Jay Bilas pulled some punches for Duke.Duke Sucks.What a joke.
Duke had a harder schedule than WV and also won the tourney outright. Does it really matter who is #1 or #2 in the seedings? They both play much lesser teams. Quit quibbling. If you want to talk about a BS #1 seed, look at Syracuse. Lost at the end of the season and didn't make it out of the first round in their tourney.
Duke won the ACC Championship, so they're not a COMPLETE joke. BUT DUKE WILL BE OUT IN THE SWEET 16, you're an idiot if you really believe they'll make it past there. And come on, Cuse would kill them, with or without Onuaku. Be serious.
Janice - What schedule have you been looking at. West Virginia's strreength of schedule was a 3, Duke was a 8. Just in case you can't count that 5 behind WVU. The ACC in sending 5 teams to the tournament, the Big East 8, again that's three more teams just in case you didn't figure that out. The only reason Duke got the 1 seed is the favoritism shown to Duke through all tthe years. It will play out and everyone will see they are truly overrated. It's a shame there still is politics in college sports.
Ummm......janice. Syracuse played in bar far the toughest conference in America and only lost 1 road game all year (10-1). Duke on the other hand was 5-5 on the road in a super weak ACC conference. Also Syracuse beat Georgetown 2 out of 3 times and just barely lost the third. Beating a team 3 times in a row and I wouldn't exactly say losing to the Hoya's in the Big East tourny was grounds for dropping them down a spot. On any given night Georgetown is good enough to beat any team in the country. Oh yeah! I nearly forgot, they beat Duke by 30. Total up all the points in Syracuse's for loses and it doesn't add up to 30 points. What a joke!
C'mom Janice!Duke had a tougher schedule than WV? Are you for real? The ACC was pathic this year. WV won the Big East Tourney,the toughest conference in the Country.C'mom Janice,dont go homer on me.Duke will get beat in the second round by Louisville,who WV beats 3 times.I have to admit Coach K called his tourney selection buudies and tolded them that they owe him one.That the only reason I can think why Duke is a No 1 seed.Whata Joke!!!
West Virginia should have been a #1 pick and there were more deserving teams to be included overall.