MIDWEST

Best of the best: Louisville (1-overall)

The Cardinals, who boast experience, depth and defensive prowess, headline what has been dubbed the “Region of Death.” Peyton Silva (10 ppg, 5.9 apg) and Russ Smith (18.1 ppg) may be the best guard duo in the nation.

Best of the rest: Saint Louis (4)

Defense may be the Billikens’ trademark, but its offense is much improved from last season, with a balanced scoring attack led by Dwayne Evans, who is a nightmare matchup for most teams.

Cinderella: Oregon (12)

The Ducks are mad and rightfully so. Despite finishing second in the Pacific-12 Conference, with two wins over UCLA and a win over Arizona, Oregon drew a 12-seed and likely would have been left out of the field had it not won its conference tournament.

Early exit: Oklahoma State (5)

Perhaps it’s a bit of a cop-out, but Okie St. drew the short straw with Oregon in the second round. Plus, all the other matchups are rather lopsided, and the Cowboys have a tendency to lose focus.

Skip class to see: SLU (4) vs. New Mexico State (13)

The game itself probably won’t be too exciting, but NMSU features a 7-foot-5, 355-pound, Indo-Canadian center. Awesome.

Matchup we’d like to see: SLU (4) vs. Mizzou (9)

Since Mizzou won’t play SLU during the regular season, we’ll settle for a Sweet 16 showdown in Indianapolis.

Picking a winner: Louisville (1)

Louisville is trending upwards on offense and defense. Watch out.

SOUTH

Best of the best: Florida (3)

Three Florida starters average at least 12 points per game, including forward Erik Murphy, who averages over 12.5 points per game and shoots .466 from 3-point land.

Best of the rest: Georgetown (2)

Otto Porter (16.4 ppg, 7.4 rpg) is scary good, as is the Hoyas’ defense (third most efficient defense in the nation). That being said, Georgetown could be in trouble if it encounters a squad that likes to speed things up.

Cinderella: Akron (12)

Slim pickings among double-digit seeds down South, but the Zips’ sheer size could create some advantageous matchups in rounds two and three.

Early exit: Kansas (1)

The Beakers have struggled off and on this season due in large part to a perceived lack of toughness and over-confidence. Second and third round games in Kansas City (aka Lawrence, KS-East) may exacerbate the whole arrogance thing.

Skip class to see: Michigan (4) vs. South Dakota State (13)

Not calling an upset here by any means, but the battle of the point guards—Michigan’s Trey Burke (19.2 ppg, 6.7 apg) vs. South Dakota State’s Nate Wolters (22.5 ppg, 5.8 apg, 5.6 rpg)—should be fun to watch.

Matchup we’d like to see: Florida (3) vs. VCU (5)

Expect plenty of end-to-end action as both teams employ an up-tempo, high-pressure style of play that feeds off turnovers and buckets in transition. Not to mention the connection between Florida’s Billy Donovan and VCU’s Shaka Smart—his former assistant.

Picking a winner: Georgetown (2)

Despite its abundance of talent, Florida has struggled away from Gainesville. The Hoyas methodical pace on offense coupled with its suffocating defense gives it the edge down South.

EAST

Best of the best: Indiana (1)

The Hoosiers are an offensive juggernaut with All-Big Ten forward Cody Zeller and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Victor Oladipo surrounded by a talented trio of guards.

Best of the rest: Miami (2)

National Coach of the Year candidate Jim Larranaga has built the Hurricanes to make a run deep into the NCAA Tournament. His squad does not take too many 3-pointers and his meticulous game preparation is well documented.

Cinderella: Davidson (14)

The Wildcats have an experienced battle-tested roster. Jake Cohen (14.8 ppg) and Chris Czerapowicz (.393 3PT%) could become this year’s tournament darlings.

Early exit: Marquette (3)

The Golden Eagles have a tendency to turn the ball over and their perimeter shooting is horrendous (29.9 percent). Force them to the outside and they’ll be an easy out.

Skip class to see: UNLV (5) vs. California (12)

Okay, so you won’t actually have to skip class to watch this one (6:27 p.m. tipoff), but California has the talent to knock off a rather soft UNLV squad.

Matchup we’d like to see: Indiana (1) vs. Syracuse (4)

The winner gets past Miami and into the Final Four.

Picking a winner: Indiana (1)

The Hoosiers overpower Syracuse then cruise past the Canes to become the only 1-seed to reach the Final Four.

WEST

Best of the best: Ohio State (2)

The Buckeyes’ defense allows just 58.7 points per game. DeShaun Thomas (19.5 ppg, 6.2 rpg) and Aaron Craft (9.9 ppg, 4.6 apg, 2.0 spg) are pretty good, too.

Best of the rest: New Mexico (3)

Nothing necessarily stands out about the Lobos; they’re just an all-around solid team. They don’t beat themselves on offense, while their defense works to clog the middle, ranking 14th in 2-point field goal defense.

Cinderella: Mississippi (12)

Marshall Henderson and the Rebels are on a roll. While it’s no small task, if it can dictate the tempo against Wisconsin and (likely) Kansas State, Ole Miss will advance to round three with relative ease.

Early exit: Gonzaga (1)

Watch out for Pittsburgh in round three. The Panthers’ beat ‘em up, drag ‘em out physical brand of basketball is wholly unique from anything the Zags have seen this season.

Skip class to see: Arizona (6) vs. Belmont (11)

Belmont’s 38 shooting percentage from behind the arc should offset Arizona’s size advantage—the Wildcats’ perimeter defense is horrendous. Should be a down-to-the-wire, high-scoring affair.

Matchup we’d like to see: Wisconsin (5) vs. Pittsburgh (8)

Nothing like a good old-fashioned defensive struggle, right?

Picking a winner: Ohio State (2)

Defense wins championships.