Offense abounds:

winning streak at Rupp Arena.

If Kentucky meets UNC in the regional final, it would be a rematch of a wild December game won by the Wildcats 103100, behind 47 points from star freshman Malik Monk.

Here are things to know about the South Region:

There’s the potential for some big totals with five teams from the top 20 nationally in scoring — and it starts with UCLA’s crowd-pleasing flow. With freshman Lonzo Ball leading the way, UCLA leads the country in scoring offense (90.4) and is third in KenPom.com’s adjusted offensive efficiency rankings (122.7 points per 100 possessions) entering its opener against 14th-seeded Kent State.

The turnaround vs. upset vets:

Last year, Minnesota had an 8-23 season that had plenty of people questioning the program’s direction under Richard Pitino. Now the Gophers (24-9) are back in the tournament for the first time since 2013 as the region’s No. 5 seed.

“We believed that we’d let our play do the talking, and we sat there and we took it like you need to do,” Pitino said. “All the doubt that was swirling around, it comes with the territory. But I thought internally, our guys truly believed.”

They’ll face 12-seed Middle Tennessee (30-4), which pulled last year’s opening-round upset of second-seeded Michigan State.

“Every year you see a 12-5 upset,” senior forward Reggie Upshaw said, “and to have that 12 seed, we know the history behind it.”

Upset threats:

Watch out for fourth-seeded Butler (23-8) and No. 9 seed Seton Hall (21-11) in the upper half of the bracket.

The Bulldogs, who face 13-seed Winthrop, handed No. 1 overall tournament seed Villanova two of its three losses. And the Pirates, who face 8-seed Arkansas, upended Villanova last year in the Big East Tournament.

Three years ago, Wichita State earned a 1-seed and with an unbeaten record only to get tripped up by an underseeded Kentucky team in the second round. Could roles be reversed this time?

The Shockers (30-4) earned a 10-seed to face No. 7 seed Dayton for the chance to earn a potential second-round shot at Kentucky. They enter the tournament as KenPom.com’s eighthranked team in, not the region, but the entire field of 68.

Danny Manning earned a permanent place in March Madness lore when he led a sixth-seeded Kansas team to a surprising run to the national title in 1988 — which included a win against instate rival Kansas State in the Elite Eight. He’ll see the Wildcats again as Wake Forest’s head coach in a First Four matchup Tuesday, with the winner facing No. 6 seed Cincinnati.

Shockers lurking: Manning’s rivals: