One Reason to Watch All 68 NCAA Tournament Teams - South & Midwest Regions

Welcome to March Madness! Five months of regular season basketball, followed by Champ Week, has finally culminated with the NCAA Tournament. A field of 68 teams, beginning with “First Four” games taking place in Dayton on Tuesday and Wednesday night, will compete for a national championship.

As always, there are plenty of storylines to follow over the next few weeks. Can Kansas repeat as national champions? Does Kentucky win its first NCAA Tournament game since 2019? Which team will be this year’s Cinderella? Do we get a 15-seed upset for the third straight season? All of that will play out in the coming weeks. However, for true college basketball junkies, there are plenty of reasons to watch EVERY game. Here is one reason to watch all 68 NCAA Tournament teams beginning with the South and Midwest Regions.

South Region

#1 Alabama: Quite simply, because their best is better than anyone else’s best. Superstar freshman Brandon Miller will likely be a Top 3 NBA Draft pick. This Crimson Tide team can absolutely win it all.

#2 Arizona: Who doesn’t love fast-paced, high-efficiency offense? Coach Tommy Lloyd’s Wildcats are Top 10 in tempo and Top 5 in offensive efficiency, per KenPom. Twin towers Azuolas Tubelis and Oumar Ballo are as good as it gets.

#3 Baylor: The trio of Keyonte George, Adam Flagler, and LJ Cryer give the Bears arguably the best backcourt in college basketball. They struggle defensively, but Coach Scott Drew has an offense that can carry them in the month of March.

#4 Virginia: You never know what you are going to get from the Cavaliers this time of year. In 2018, they became the first #1 seed to lose to a #16 seed. Then, in 2019, they won the whole thing. Their style of play lends itself to March upsets which makes them an interesting watch in the NCAA Tournament.

#5 San Diego State: The Aztecs were the best team in the four-bid Mountain West. Does that translate to postseason success or was this mid-major league vastly overrated?

#6 Creighton: Coach Doug McDermott’s team was a trendy national title pick in the preseason. However, a tough non-conference schedule coincided with an injury to Ryan Kalkbrenner causing the Bluejays to lose six straight games in early December. Can they return to their championship contender status?

#7 Missouri: Coach Dennis Gates completed an elite turnaround of the Mizzou program in his first season. Taking over for a 12-win team, Coach Gates got the Tigers to 24 wins after coming over from Cleveland State.

#8 Maryland: Can the Terrapins grind their way to some postseason success? Coach Kevin Willard’s group will play one of the slowest tempos in the NCAA Tournament field.

#9 West Virginia: Coach Bob Huggins is why you watch the Mountaineers. Expectations were low, but here they are in the NCAA Tournament once again.

#10 Utah State: Remember when #16 seed UMBC beat #1 seed Virginia? Coach Ryan Odom was the man on the sidelines for that team and now leads Utah State which features one of the best offenses in the country.

#11 NC State: Guard play wins in March and the Wolfpack have it. Terquavion Smith, Jarkel Joiner, and Casey Morsell are good enough to make some noise in the tournament.

#12 Charleston: 31 regular season wins, a future high-major coach, and an up-tempo offense. What more do you need to know?

#13 Furman: This will be the Paladins’ first NCAA Tournament game in 43 years.

#14 UC Santa Barbara: Coach Joe Pasternack has turned the Gauchos into a consistent contender in the Big West. Can they get over the hump with a postseason first-round upset this time around?

#15 Princeton: The Ivy League champion used the same starting lineup in all 29 games this season. Okay, fine, Jacob O’Connell got the Senior Day nod but the point remains. Can that continuity be what the Tigers need for a massive upset?

#16 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi: 36.9% from 3 (38th nationally) and 80% from the free throw line (2nd nationally) make this Islanders team legitimately fun to watch offensively.

#16 Southeast Missouri State: The Redhawks entered the Ohio Valley Tournament under .500 before rattling off four straight victories to earn the at-large bid.

Midwest Region

#1 Houston: For the third time in five seasons Coach Kelvin Sampson has won 30+ games. Marcus Sasser’s injury concerns notwithstanding, the Cougars are elite on both ends of the floor and enter the tournament as the #1 team per KenPom.

#2 Texas: The Longhorns haven’t skipped a beat since handing the reigns to Coach Rodney Terry. This is a well-balanced team certainly capable of cutting down the nets in early April.

#3 Xavier: Losing Zach Freemantle hurts, but the Musketeers haven’t really missed a beat. This is a Top 10 offense in the country led by some excellent three-point shooting and the inside-outside threat of 7-footer Jack Nunge.

#4 Indiana: Trayce Jackson-Davis is on the very short list for best players in college basketball. Freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino is a potential NBA lottery pick as well. Are the Hoosiers back?

#5 Miami (FL): Isaiah Wong and Nijel Pack make up one of the best backcourts in the country. They alone are worth the price of admission for watching this Hurricanes squad.

#6 Iowa State: If you prefer watching elite defensive teams, then you will want to watch the Cyclones in the NCAA Tournament. They turn opponents over on a quarter of their possessions and consistently hold teams under 60 points.

#7 Texas A&M: Last season, Coach Buzz Williams ranted about not making the NCAA Tournament field and went on to reach the NIT final. This year, the Aggies feel very under-seeded at #7. Will Coach Williams respond in a similar fashion?

#8 Iowa: This one is simple. You watch the Hawkeyes because their offense is going to put up a ton of points. Just bet the over, sit back, and let the madness occur.

#9 Auburn: After starting the season 16-3, the Tigers limped into the NCAA Tournament going just 4-9 down the stretch. Does Coach Bruce Pearl have consistent enough guard play to make some noise in March?

#10 Penn State: The Nittany Lions are one of the best three-point shooting teams in college basketball and nearly won the Big 10 Tournament. Do they have any more Cinderella magic left?

#11 Mississippi State: Some would shield their eyes from a Mississippi State rock fight, but if you enjoy physical play and defense this is the team for you.

#11 Pittsburgh: The Panthers play a fun brand of offense that has produced a Top 25 unit in the country. They shoot a ton of three-pointers and make them at a 36% clip. Coach Capel’s squad could be dangerous if they are hot from beyond the arc.

#12 Drake: Coach Darian DeVries came up working for Coach McDermott at Creighton where Doug McDermott starred for his dad. Now, Tucker DeVries is doing the same for his father at Drake.

#13 Kent State: This 28-win team found its stride offensively down the stretch of the season and features a swarming defense. The Golden Flashes have no size, but this could be a first-round upset team to zero in on.

#14 Kennesaw State: The only team in the field making their NCAA Tournament debut.

#15 Colgate: For the third straight season Colgate is shooting over 40% from three-point range on the season. Their 40.9% mark is the best in the country this year.

#16 Northern Kentucky: Marques Warrick is one of the better players in this NCAA Tournament that you haven’t heard of. He has scored over 1,500 points in his three-year career and is averaging 19.1 points per game this season.