NCAA Tournament - Southwest Region Breakdown
- Tuesday, March 15, 2011 4:41 PM
- Written By: AccuScore
SOUTHWEST REGION (San Antonio)
Top seed: Kansas
Rock chalk Jayhawk: Kansas is the tournament favorite at 10.15 percent to win it all, the only team in double-digit percentage-wise. KU is also the most likely team to reach each successive round. Last year’s loss to Northern Illinois proved that being the pre-tournament favorite means little, but it would take another massive upset for this team to not reach at least the regional final. And if talented freshman Josh Selby can find his misplaced offense, this team would be all the more dangerous.
Team to avoid: Vanderbilt
Vandy finished with seven losses in the SEC and enter the tournament having lost four of its last seven games. The Commodores are the least likely 5-seed to even win a game and advance to each successive round. They are projected as underdogs to Richmond with the Spiders winning 58 percent of simulations.
Underseeded: Georgetown
While the Hoyas didn’t actually deserve a higher seed after losing four games in a row, they are capable of much more. Point guard Chris Wright got hurt early in the 2nd half against Cincinnati, the first loss in this current slide. Without Wright, Georgetown’s offense ground to a complete halt. But now Wright is back and if he is healthy his team can present problems for both Purdue and Notre Dame. Georgetown should be wary however of a potential game vs. 11-seed USC which first must beat VCU to enter the tournament proper.
Mighty mid-major: Richmond
While Richmond is the 12-seed, you wouldn’t know it by looking at its second round simulation. The Spiders are the favorite against Vanderbilt and by a sizable margin as well winning 58 percent of the time. They were thought to be a lock for an at-large, but the fact they were seeded 12th showed that they did have to win the A-10 tournament. Unluckily for Vandy, the Spiders are much better than their seed indicates.
