2015 NCAA Tournament: South Region Preview
Duke clinched the No. 1 seed in the South Region but by no means do the Blue Devils have an easy road to the Final Four. No. 2 seed Gonzaga and No. 3 seed Iowa State will also be fighting for a chance to get to the Final Four.
Number one Duke opens the tournament against the winner of the play in game between North Florida and Robert Morris. Gonzaga’s first round matchup is North Dakota State. Iowa State plays UAB in the first round.
Other notable first round matchups include No. 5 Utah vs. No. 12 Stephen F. Austin, No. 6 SMU vs. No. 11 UCLA, No. 7 Iowa vs. No. 10 Davidson, and No. 9 St. Johns vs. No. 8 San Diego St.
Stephen F. Austin is a double digit seed to watch in the South Region. The Lumberjacks made it to the second round last year and have pretty much the same team this year. It is very possible that the Lumberjacks make a run at the Sweet 16.
Gonzaga is an interesting team. The Bulldogs have had many years of regular season excellence but fail to live up to the hype in postseason play. Gonzaga has failed to get past the second round in the last five years. The Bulldogs have the talent led by point guard Kevin Pangos but only time will tell if this is the year they make a run at the Final Four.
Duke led by freshman star Jahlil Okafor looks to avenge their first round exit from last year’s tournament. The Blue Devils are loaded with talent but if they have an off night they could fail to reach the Final Four.
The Iowa State Cyclones are hoping to make a lot of noise in the tournament this year. The Cyclones finished second in the Big 12 regular season but they did win the Big 12 tournament by upsetting Kansas in the final. Iowa State made the Sweet Sixteen last year and hope to make an even further run this year as they could potentially face Gonzaga in the Sweet Sixteen and Duke in the Elite Eight.
Written by Charlie Beuttel
Photo credit: rantsports.com; No. 15 Jahlil Okafor looks to lead No. 1 seed Duke out of the South bracket of the NCAA Tournament.