NCAA Tournament South Region breakdown: Alabama clearly the favorite but championship pedigree lurks

The South Region is loaded. It begins at the top with the overall highest seed, but if Alabama is to make its first Final Four in program history, it will have to navigate a bracket filled with lots of accomplished programs, including four programs with national championship banners hanging in their home arenas.

Two of the three most recent NCAA champs are here, Baylor and Virginia. Arizona, a powerhouse of the ‘90’s, is back in the title hunt. Then there’s Maryland, which cut down the nets early this century and is hoping to make noise as one of the Big Ten’s numerous representatives in the field.

NCAA TOURNAMENT LIVE UPDATES:Let the bracket busting begin as men's March Madness tips off

Best first-round matchup: Maryland vs. West Virginia

Let’s begin there with the Terrapins and that 8-9 pairing with Mountaineers. Despite sharing a border, there’s relatively little history between these programs who last met in 2015. Overall the Mountaineers lead the series with the Terps 24-14.

But as far as this year’s versions are concerned, it’s a clash of teams with similar philosophies of trying to lock you down on defense. Maryland, statistically at least, has been somewhat more successful at that this year surrendering just 63.3 points a game, but the Mountaineers have had their moments against the type of high-octane offenses featured in the Big 12. Neither was able to go on extended winning streaks in their respective crowded leagues, which is of course why they land here in the middle of the bracket. But this should be a high-intensity battle that will likely come down to the wire.

REGIONAL BREAKDOWNS: East | South | Midwest | West

LEFT OUT:The five biggest tournament snubs led by Oklahoma State

Possible upset:  College of Charleston over San Diego State

With a gaudy 32-3 record, the College of Charleston is a nightmare draw on the 12 seed line. The Cougars are balanced, with four players averaging between 9 and 12.6 points, and deep, with nobody having to play more than 28 minutes a game. That depth allows the Cougars to push the pace to the tune of just over 80 points a game, providing a stiff test for the strong defense of San Diego State.

The Aztecs, however, won’t be easy to topple. They claimed the regular season and tournament titles in the Mountain West, a league that clearly impressed the selection committee with three other teams chosen. This is another first-round matchup that will get a lot of attention.

BRACKET TIPS:How to fill out your tournament projections and win your pool

BRACKETS ARE BACK: The USA TODAY Sports Bracket Challenge is back. $1 MILLION grand prize for a perfect bracket. 

The sleeper: Creighton

Creighton’s semifinal exit from the Big East tournament, a 22-point blowout at the hands of Xavier, wasn’t exactly a confidence booster. But these Bluejays normally shoot better than that, and with big Ryan Kalkbrenner in the middle they could pose a serious challenge for Baylor should both reach the second round.

The winner: Alabama

In the end, though, it’s hard to pick against Alabama. There’ve been a few outings this season in which the Tide looked less than focused (Oklahoma, anyone?), but they enter the Big Dance firing on all cylinders. They’re usual means of generating points is by attacking the rim, but if their three-pointers continue to fall they’re almost impossible to slow down. Could the basketball team actually make a Final Four in a year when the football team didn’t? It could happen.

NCAA Tournament South Region schedule

Tuesday, March 14

In Dayton, Ohio 

No. 16 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (23-10) vs. No. 16 Southeast Missouri State (19-16), 6:40 p.m., truTV

Thursday, March 16

In Birmingham, Ala.

No. 8 Maryland (21-12) vs. No. 9 West Virginia (19-14), 12:15 p.m., CBS

No. 1 Alabama (29-5) vs. No. 16 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi-Southeast Missouri State,  2:45 p.m., CBS

In Orlando, Fla.

No. 4 Virginia (25-7)  vs. No. 13 Furman (27-7), 12:40 p.m., truTV

No. 5 San Diego State (27-6) vs. No. 12 College of Charleston (31-3), 3:10 p.m., truTV

In Sacramento, Calif.

No. 7 Missouri (24-9) vs. No. 10 Utah State (26-8), 1:40 p.m., TNT

No. 2 Arizona (28-6) vs. No. 15 Princeton (21-8), 4:10 p.m., TNT

Friday, March 17

In Denver

No. 3 Baylor (22-10) vs. No. 14 UC Santa Barbara (27-7), 1:30 p.m., TNT

No. 6 Creighton (21-12) vs. No. 11 North Carolina State (23-10), 4 p.m., TNT