South regional capsules, analysis,
Syracuse stumbling; Florida cruising
Best Round of 64 matchup: Dayton got a bid and a No. 11 seed, despite finishing tied for fifth in the Atlantic 10, because of its rugged early schedule — the Flyers beat then-No. 11 Gonzaga and lost by one to then-No. 18 Baylor. Since then, they’ve been up and down but had won four in a row and 10 of 11 before losing to St. Joseph’s in the A10 tourney. They come in with a balanced attack led by junior guard Jordan Sibert and senior forward Devin Oliver and a feeling they can play with anyone. Ohio State, the No. 6 seed, comes in wondering how to turn on the momentum. The Buckeyes, after a sterling preseason, were 10-8 in the Big Ten and have lost three of their last six games. Like the Flyers, they feature balanced scoring, led by forward LaQuinton Ross (15.4 points a game). This has the look of a last-possession ballgame. Potential upset: Could a team possibly come into the tournament any colder than Syracuse? The Orange were once upon a time 25-0, but that seems like a long time ago. They’ve lost five of their last seven games. How did 25-0 become 27-5 and a No. 1 seed become a No. 3 seed? Mostly, they’ve been betrayed by an offense that is 253rd in the country in points a game (68.2), 236th in assists (11.9) and 206th in shooting (43.7%). How could this team not be ripe for a firstround upset? No. 14 seed Western Michigan hopes to fit the bill. The Broncos, champions of the MidAmerican Conference, are a pedestrian 23-9 but have won 12 of their last 13 games, three of those in overtime. And they have a potential upset hero in senior guard David Brown, who averages 19 points and scored 32 in the MAC title game against Toledo. The sleeper: They’re a 12th seed and their team has a name (Stephen F. Austin) for a name, but they’re about as close to perfect as there is in this tournament. The Lumberjacks were not only the champions of the Southland Conference, they were 18-0. And they’ve won 28 games in a row, two more than No. 1 Florida. So is it such a reach to think they could beat No. 5 seed Virginia Commonwealth and maybe even give a scare to No. 4 UCLA in the third round? To the Lumberjacks, the go-to guy is the open guy (they’re eighth in the nation in assists) and that kind of game translates well when stepping up a level in competition. If you like Cinderellas, don’t be surprised if you find yourself rooting for forward Jacob Parker and guards Desmond Haymon and Thomas Walkup. They’re out to make a name for Stephen F. Austin. The winner: A year after UCLA fired Ben Howland because the program wasn’t winning enough and was seemingly veering off track, the Bruins find themselves on track and definitely — so far, anyway — winning enough. In the first year of new coach Steve Alford, the Bruins stormed through the Pac-12 tournament and upset Arizona in the title game, playing loose on offense and tough on defense. They’re an eight-deep rotation, built around oversized point guard Kyle Anderson, who had 21 points and 15 rebounds against Arizona. The big shot down the stretch was buried by a shooter Alford calls “Money” — 6-5 guard Jordan Adams. They likely face a Sweet 16 matchup against No. 1 seed Florida, which had a perfect Southeastern Conference season and comes into the tournament with a 26-game winning streak. But UCLA owes Florida, having lost to the Gators in 2011 (third round), 2007 (national semifinal) and 2006 (national final).