Breaking down the South Region of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament including potential Cinderella stories and how the Aggies could make a run
March Madness remains one of my favorite times of the year.
The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament is chaos distilled down to its purest form.
Upsets, buzzer beaters, and Cinderella stories. Survive and advance. Lose and go home. Texas A&M made the dance as a #4 seed in the South Region. The Aggies begin their tournament on Thursday against Yale.
Though Texas A&M’s SEC tournament featured a quick exit courtesy of a double-overtime loss to Texas, the Aggies maintain a lot of optimism about a run deep into the tournament. After all, Wade Taylor IV and company do hold a win over the #1 seed in the region – Auburn.
Let’s take a look at the region, including Texas A&M’s path to the Final Four, and some of the most intriguing potential underdogs in the South Region.
Texas A&M’s Path to the Final Four
Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images
First Round
As mentioned above, A&M’s journey begins with #13 Yale.
The good news for Texas A&M?
The Aggies have a real shot at dominating the boards and out-physical the Bulldogs.
The bad news?
Yale excels at three-point shooting – a piece of the defense that has been lacking for Texas A&M. If the offense sputters, Texas A&M could find themselves in a big hole early. The Aggies will need to limit the Yale offense on the perimeter and force the Bulldogs to try to penetrate.
Second Round
If the Aggies can survive Yale, the second round would see Texas A&M face the winner of the game between Michigan and UC San Diego. Michigan comes into the tournament after winning the Big Ten Championship while UCSD won the Big West tournament.
Sweet Sixteen
The Sweet Sixteen would feature a matchup with one of Creighton, Louisville, Alabama State, or one-seed Auburn. That Creighton / Louisville matchup in the first round should be fantastic and don’t sleep on Alabama State against Auburn given the proximity of the two schools that should add a bit of extra oomph to their first-round matchup.
Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images
Elite Eight
The other half of the South Region includes #2 seed Michigan State and #3 seed Iowa State, as well as one of the most controversial entries in the tournament in #11 seed North Carolina. I’ve got a special eye on the first-round matchup between Marquette and New Mexico as I think both teams have the potential to make deep runs as lower seeds.
However, should Texas A&M make it through to the Elite Eight – I believe Texas A&M would face the best Michigan State squad we’ve seen in a while for a chance to go to the Final Four.
Potential Cinderella Stories in the South Region
#13 Seed Yale – +100000 Odds to Win NCAA Tournament on FanDuel
We start the list of potential Cinderella Stories with Texas A&M’s first-round opponent, the Yale Bulldogs. I talked a bit about Yale’s three-point shooting prowess above and that is what makes the Bulldogs such a threat in the tournament.
The Bulldogs shoot 40% from three and have the ability to go on a run against anyone when they get hot. Their lack of size in the interior does limit them a bit but when you shoot the three ball as well as the Bulldogs do, it gives you the ability to get back in the game in a hurry.
#10 New Mexico – +70000 Odds to Win NCAA Tournament on FanDuel
Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images
The Lobos came up short in their quest for Mountain West tournament glory but make no mistake, New Mexico is a threat to make a run in this tournament. The Lobos had wins over multiple tournament teams during the regular season including Colorado State, UCLA, and VCU.
They open the gate against another potentially overlooked squad in Marquette but if UNM can get past that hurdle, I think they have a solid chance to make a run moving forward.
#12 Seed UC San Diego – +60000 Odds to Win NCAA Tournament on FanDuel
The Tritons enter the NCAA tournament at 30-4. The path to a Cinderella run isn’t easy as they open the tournament against the Big Ten Champion Wolverines but the spread in that game is only 2.5 points per FanDuel.
The Big West Champs are absolutely capable of pulling off the upset over Michigan and going on to make a splash in the rest of the tournament.
In addition, FanDuel is offering a Dog of the Day Jackpot:
What is it?
- Bet the lowest seeded team to advance that day and win a share of $1M in bonus bets!
Timing
- 3/20 – 3/23
- This will occur every day of the first weekend of the tournament
- Daily promotion (4x total, 1x each day – Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
- Marketing for this promotion will begin on 3/17 with first occurrence on 3/20
How to Play
- Download or Log In to FanDuel Sportsbook with new or existing account
- Claim your “Sweepstakes” token
- Place a Pre-Live, Straight, Moneyline wager on any qualifying Men’s NCAA Tournament games for the day (utilize token)
- Bet the lowest seeded team (higher number: 16, 15, 14, etc) to advance that day and win a share of $1M in bonus bets!
- Lowest seed = Higher number (16, 15, 14, 13, etc.)
Who are your picks to have a Cinderella Story in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament?