Here’s a look at the Southern Region of the NCAA Tournament as March Madness gets set to tip off Tuesday:
No. 1 Alabama (29-5)
Conference: SEC
Coach: Nate Oats (4th season)
Post-ing up: Consistently one of the sport’s top teams this season, the Crimson Tide’s accomplishments have been overshadowed since a January shooting resulted in murder charges against Darius Miles, who was dismissed from the team, plus questions about leading-scorer and future lottery pick Brandon Miller’s role in allegedly bringing the gun to the scene.
No. 16 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (23-10)
Conference: Southland
Coach: Steve Lutz (2nd season)
Post-ing up: In two seasons, Lutz, a former Purdue assistant, has led the Islanders to the tournament twice after inheriting a team coming off a 5-19 campaign.
Unlike last season, when they came out of nowhere to win the Southland Conference Tournament, balanced Texas A&M-CC was the best team in the league all year.
Or
No. 16 Southeast Missouri State (19-16)
Conference: Ohio Valley
Coach: Brad Korn (3rd season)
Post-ing up: The Redhawks are what this month is about.
A team that scuffled through so much of the season — including an eight-game losing streak — but got hot at the right time, defeating three of the top four seeds in the Ohio Valley Conference to reach their first NCAA Tournament in 23 years and second in school history.
No. 8 Maryland (21-12)
Conference: Big Ten
Coach: Kevin Willard (1st season)
Post-ing up: Although it has been a bit of a roller-coaster ride, Willard has enjoyed a strong first season in College Park since he left Seton Hall.
The Terrapins’ scoring load is well-balanced, with four players averaging double figures, led by senior guard Jahmir Young, in his first season with the team after transferring from Charlotte.
No. 9 West Virginia (19-14)
Conference: Big 12
Coach: Bob Huggins (16th season)
Post-ing up: Known for his tenacious defenses, Huggins has built one of the best offenses in the country.
The Mountaineers average 76.3 points a game, led by junior guard Erik Stevenson.
Recently inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, Huggins has won 34 NCAA Tournament games, including in his most recent appearance in 2021.
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No. 5 San Diego State (27-6)
Conference: Mountain West
Coach: Brian Dutcher (6th season)
Post-ing up: For the fourth time under Dutcher, the Aztecs have clinched an NCAA Tournament berth.
An efficient defense again served as their strength.
They claimed the conference’s regular-season title and senior Nathan Mensah earned his second consecutive Mountain West defensive player of the year award.
No. 12 Charleston (31-3)
Conference: Colonial
Coach: Pat Kelsey (2nd season)
Post-ing up: It has been a dream season for the Cougars, who already have set a school record with 31 victories — including a current 10-game win streak — and are in the tournament for just the second time since 1999.
Balance is their strength, with six players averaging between 12.3 and 9.0 points per game.
No. 4 Virginia (25-7)
Conference: ACC
Coach: Tony Bennett (14th season)
Post-ing up: There are no surprises from a Bennett-coached Virginia team.
Near the bottom in pace of play, the Cavaliers are again excelling by dragging teams into their slow, grinding philosophy.
Nobody on the team averaged more than 13 points a game in the regular season, but as always, Virginia has one of the best defenses in the nation.
No. 13 Furman (27-7)
Conference: Southern
Coach: Bob Richey (7th season)
Post-ing up: In the tournament for the first time since 1980, Furman has won at least 22 games in six of the last seven seasons.
It is experienced, led by seniors and leading scorers Mike Bothwell and Jalen Slawson, who have spent their entire careers with the Paladins, and the offense ranks among the nation’s best.
No. 6 Creighton (21-12)
Conference: Big East
Coach: Greg McDermott (13th season)
Post-ing up: The veteran Bluejays returned 11 players this season, continuing as one of the top teams in the conference and a threat going into the tournament.
McDermott, in his eighth NCAA Tournament at the school, has a well-balanced offense with five players in double figures, led by junior center Ryan Kalkbrenner.
No. 11 North Carolina State (23-10)
Conference: ACC
Coach: Kevin Keatts (6th season)
Post-ing up: One of the highest-scoring teams in the conference, the Wolfpack are back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017-18.
Second-team All-ACC guard Terquavion Smith led the team in scoring and assists in the regular season, and will likely declare for the draft following the season.
No. 3 Baylor (22-10)
Conference: Big 12
Coach: Scott Drew (16th season)
Post-ing up: Under Drew, the Bears have become a perennial tournament team, winning a national title in 2021, though they were upset in the second round as a No. 1 seed last year.
Baylor is the most threatening from behind the arc, with three sharpshooting guards: freshman Keyonte George, junior LJ Cryer and senior Adam Flagler.
No. 14 UC Santa Barbara (27-7)
Conference: Big West
Coach: Joe Pasternack (6th season)
Post-ing up: The Gauchos have already set a program record with 27 wins and are in their second tournament in three years, after falling by one point to Creighton as a 12-seed in 2021.
They are methodical, preferring to play slow — Santa Barbara is ranked 302nd in tempo — and keep the score in the 60s or low-70s.
No. 7 Missouri (24-9)
Conference: SEC
Coach: Dennis Gates (1st season)
Post-ing up: This has been an unexpected turnaround for the Tigers, who finished above .500 in the SEC for the first time since 2017-18.
They incorporate a well-balanced, efficient offense led by Kobe Brown and a handful of transfers — including from Cleveland State, Milwaukee, Northern Iowa and Clemson.
No. 10 Utah State (26-8)
Conference: Mountain West
Coach: Ryan Odom (2nd season)
Post-ing up: Odom, the former UMBC coach famous for his team’s upset of No. 1-seed Virginia in 2018, has guided Utah State to the postseason for the third time since 2019.
He’ll need his team of sharpshooters, led by junior guard Steven Ashworth, to snap the school’s streak of eight straight first-round defeats.
No. 2 Arizona (28-6)
Conference: Pac-12
Coach: Tommy Lloyd (2nd season)
Post-ing up: Featuring one of the country’s top offenses, the Wildcats won 14 of their first 15 games and peaked at No. 4 in the AP Top 25.
They couldn’t clinch the Pac-12 regular-season title, but Arizona has still earned NCAA Tournament berths in its first two seasons under Lloyd, a former Gonzaga assistant.
No. 15 Princeton (21-8)
Conference: Ivy League
Coach: Mitch Henderson (11th season)
Post-ing up: Senior forward Tosan Evbuomwan, a 6-foot-8 import from New Castle, England, does a little bit of everything for the Tigers.
He’s their leading scorer and distributor, and second-best rebounder.
He was dominant in the Ivy League Tournament, averaging 21 points, 5.5 rebounds and four assists.
