Nova vs Winthrop and a Preview of the South Region

The 2021 NCAA Tournament Bracket on the side of the JW Marriott in Indianapolis. (Courtesy of Gators Wire/USA Today Sports).

The Wildcats have enough time and experience to prepare for a highly anticipated game in this year's NCAA Tournament.

Article by Dave Nguyen, AKSM Sports

INDIANAPOLIS - The last 14 days have not fared well for the Villanova Wildcats. After clinching the Big East Regular Season title, an MCL injury to senior point guard and team leader Collin Gillespie shocked the Main Line. As a result, the Wildcats have not won a game since Gillespie's injury; a last-second tip-in loss at Providence to close the regular season, and a one-point loss to Georgetown in the Quarterfinal round of the Big East Tournament. As a result, the Wildcats find themselves as a 5-seed with a matchup against the 12-Seed Winthrop, champions of the Big South Conference.

Instant reaction says that the Winthrop Eagles will defeat the Wildcats, as a popular 12-5 upset. The Eagles have only lost one game this year, won its conference for the second straight season, Head Coach Pat Kelsey in his ninth season won Big South Coach of the Year, and senior guard Chandler Vaudrin took home Big South Player of the Year and Tournament MVP honors. Vaudrin is a complete player, scoring double-digit points in all but five contests this season. He averaged 12.2 points, 6.4 assists, and 7.3 boards per game this season while shooting 47.2% from the field. Senior guard Charles Falden, 6'9 Redshirt Sophomore DJ Burns Jr, and Junior guard Adonis Arms all average 10 points a game to provide balanced scoring for the Eagles.

Yet, one needs to remember that Jay Wright, one of the best coaches in all of college basketball, is given a week to prepare his team to play one game. While the offense has been shaky for the Wildcats in its last two games, Co-Big East Player of the Year Jeremiah Robinson-Earl has the ability to step up for Villanova. In the loss to Georgetown, he was an unstoppable force, dropping 26 points while shooting 53.8% from the field. Senior forward Jermaine Samuels has stepped up as well, scoring 21 and 20 points respectively in his last two games. Along with guys like Cole Swider, Brandon Slater, and Caleb Daniels contributing, the Wildcats have enough time and experience to prepare for a highly anticipated game in this year's NCAA Tournament.

In the last 140 previous NCAA Tournament games, the 12 has defeated the five seed 50 times (35.7%). In the 2019 NCAA Tournament three 12 seeds won- Murray State and Ja Morant against Marquette, Oregon over Wisconsin, and Liberty defeating Mississippi State.

In an overview of the South Region, the Baylor Bears are the #1 seed and won the Big 12 Regular season title, the school's first conference title since 1950. Entering the season the Bears were picked second in both polls, and managed to finish second in both polls. They are the odds-on favorite to reach the Final Four in this region. The 8-9 matchup will be interesting between UNC and Wisconscin, but the Tar Heels have four bigs that like to crash the glass in Garrison Brooks, Armando Bacott, potential 1st round pick Day'Ron Sharpe, and Walker Kessler who are each 6'10 or taller. Give the advantage to the Tar Heels against the Badgers as it will try to control the glass to determine the outcome of the contest, and then falling to Baylor in the second round.

The 4-13 matchup between Purdue and North Texas should be interesting, as both teams shoot over 45% from the field, over 33% from beyond the arc, and average 34.5 boards per game. Give the nod to the Boilermakers in this game purely on experience for battling in the Big 10 this season. If Villanova were to advance, Purdue would have a better chance to defeat the Wildcats in the second round.

The 6-11 matchup has Texas Tech against Utah State, with a very good sharp-shooter in Mac McClung. The transfer from Georgetown has made an impact for Head Coach Chris Beard, averaging 15.7 points per game and 42.3% from the field. Look for the Red Raiders to advance. The Third seeded Arkansas Razorbacks, led by Head Coach Eric (the Muss-Buss) Mussleman, will have its handful against 14th seeded Colgate, as both teams have guys who like to score the basketball. Colgate is led by senior guard Jordan Burns who averages 17 points per game and shoots just over 40% from the field, but Arkansas freshman star Moses Moody also averages 17 points and shoots 44% per contest in a very competitive SEC conference. Arkansas can carry its momentum into the Sweet 16 in a scrappy, defensive battle with Texas Tech in the second round, as both head coaches pride their teams on defense. Moody may be the difference maker in that matchup.

Despite falling to Illinois in overtime of the Big Ten Tournament Title game, the Ohio State Buckeyes are the 2 seed in the South Region, and Chris Holtman has a team that can challenge Baylor in the Elite Eight for the right to go to the Final Four. The Buckeyes opening game will be interesting as it takes on 15 seed Oral Roberts. This opening matchup will be closer than people think, as Oral Roberts has the nation's leading scorer in Max Abmas, averaging 24.2 points this season, which is better than Iowa's Luka Garza. If the Buckeyes survive a first round scare, it will take on the 7-10 winner between Florida and Virginia Tech. Head Coach Mike Young is making his first tournament appearance with the Hokies, and has dynamic scorers in forward Keve Aluma, who averages 15.6 points per game, and guard Tyrece Radford, who dropped 20 points in its loss to UNC in the ACC tournament. The Hokies are too much for the Gators, but are not strong enough to beat the Buckeyes in the second round.