SOUTH REGION: A breakdown of each team in the South Region

The South region plays host to the country's No. 1 overall seed, Alabama. But the South Region is home to more then just the Crimson Tide, the bottom of this region features some of the best offensive teams in the country.

The bottom half of the region has the potential to produce some of the most fun games of the entire NCAA Tournament with Arizona, Baylor, Creighton, Missouri and Utah State all playing some of the best offense in the country.

A preview of each team in the South Region is below.

The Crimson Tide are one of the nation’s most talented teams, led by star freshman – and potential No. 2 overall pick – Brandon Miller. The Crimson Tide have a dynamic backcourt featuring Mark Sears and Jahvon Quinerly while the frontcourt is anchored by Noah Clowney and Charles Bediako, who excels on the defensive side. Alabama’s defense ranks No. 3 in the country, slightly ahead of their offense at No. 19. The Crimson Tide score over 36.5 percent of their points from beyond the arc and are shooting a quality 33.8 percent from deep, given the volume. Still, Alabama ranks in the top 30 nationally in 2-point field goal percentage too.

A year after being the country’s most popular national championship pick, Arizona is back as a No. 2 seed featuring many of the same players that were on last season’s team. Guards Kerr Kriisa and Courtney Ramey are a bit inconsistent on the offensive end, but big men Azuolas Tubelis and Oumar Ballo help cover up their shortcomings. Pelle Larsson is an important sixth man that comes off of the bench behind Cedric Henderson. Arizona has one of the fourth-best offense in the country, which is led primarily by Tubelis and Ballo running the court and getting quality looks at the rim on the break.

The Bears have arguably the best trio of guards in the country, led by Adam Flagler and stud freshman Keyonte George. LJ Cryer is the third piece of the trio, but he’s just as dangerous from beyond the 3-point line. Baylor takes – and makes – a lot of 3-poiters, but their defense is brutal. Baylor’s defensive efficiency ranks in the 100s and it has only gotten worse with the return of “Every Day Jon” on the inside. This team is susceptible to dribble drive because their guards are slightly undersized. But when Flagler, George and Cryer make shots, the Bears are nearly unbeatable.

At one point this season, Virginia was in strong control of a position in the top 10 in the country. But since the start of February, the Cavs are No. 63 in Bart Torvik’s rankings. Tony Bennett’s team really struggles to score rankings outside of the top 100 in both 3-point and 2-point shooting percentage. Defensively, though, they are strong – ranking in the top 25 nationally, thanks to Reece Beekman’s contribution. Armaan Franklin needs to make shots for Virginia to be a real threat.

San Diego State is one of a couple of teams to make it to the NCAA Tournament from the Mountain West, and they earn the highest seed. San Diego State is a top 15 team in Kenpom, and they have a top 10-ranked defense. They are elite at defending the 3-point line, holding opponents below 30 percent from deep this season.

When Ryan Kalkbrenner has been healthy, the Blue Jays have been really good this year. But point guard Ryan Nembhard and transfer Baylor Scheierman have been major contributors on the offensive side for a group that is top 30 nationally in offensive efficiency. Creighton won eight straight games in the Big East from Jan. 14 to Feb. 11. But they lost three of their last seven regular season games.

Missouri was one of the hardest teams for the NCAA to seed. The Tigers went 24-9 this season, but their metrics aren’t great. They rank 51st in Kenpom, and that’s supported mostly by an explosive 3-point shooting offense that ranks 10th in efficiency. But defensively, the Tigers are terrible. They’re 178th nationally in efficiency rankings. They force a ton of steals, but they allow a ton of open looks from deep and at the rim – and Mizzou is one of the worst teams at defensive rebounding. However, when they make shots, it’s hard to keep up with Mizzou, plus they’re a difficult prep and Kobe Brown is a two-time All-SEC player.

Kevin Willard is in his first season leading Maryland and did a great job --- when playing at home. When the Terps played at home, they only lost one game, a blowout to UCLA. But they greatly struggled away from home this year. Maryland doesn’t turn the ball over very much offensively, and that’s thanks in part to point guard and All-Big Ten selection Jahmir Young. Donta Scott, Julian Reese and Hakim Hart are all good athletes, and they’re skilled, which makes the Terps a tough matchup.

Bob Huggins’ team is loved be metrics, ranking 17th in Kenpom this season, boosted mostly by a strong offense. The Mountaineers run more tempo offense, and have ditched the “Press Virginia” days defensively. West Virginia does struggle on the defensive side, though, ranking outside of the top 50 in defensive efficiency. When hot, Erik Stevenson is one of the most dangerous scorers in the country and he has a solid supporting cast of Joe Toussaint, Tre Mitchell and Kedrian Johnson.

The NET rankings were high on Utah State, ranking them inside the top 20, as did Kenpom. But the Aggies weren’t a lock to make the NCAA Tournament despite playing a pretty strong schedule. Offensively, Utah State is great. They are top 11 in 3-point percentage and are also top 40 nationally in 2-point percentage this season. Steven Ashworth is the team’s best shooter, making a tick under 44 percent of his 3-point attempts this season.

Since February 1, NC State is barely within the top 75 nationally, and their defense is ranked 137th in that same time frame. But offensively, they’re better. The Wolfpack rank in the top 40 nationally in efficiency, and they don’t turn the ball over at all. Guards Terquavion Smith and Jarkel Joiner are a strong duo that can expose drop coverage, but also get to the rim and finish contested shots.

Charleston is tied for the most wins in the country this season (31), and they won the CAA this season. Charleston didn’t have an elite trait offensively or defensively this season, but they did rank in the top 20 in defensive 3-point percentage. Charleston beat Virginia Tech earlier this season and also beat Kent State, another NCAA Tournament team.

Furman is coached by Bob Richey and he’s helped build an offense that is really good at scoring the basketball. Furman’s effective field goal percentage is No. 11 in the country, and the Paladins are No. 1 in the country in 2-point percentage this season. They play at a healthy pace, ranking 124 in tempo this season. Jalen Slawson is a good shooter, making about 39 percent of his 3-point attempts this season.

UCSB has a strong group of guards that thrive at getting dribble penetration and finishing at the rim. The Gauchos are in the top 25 nationally in 2-point percentage this season and that’s largely on the backs of Ajay Mitchell and Josh Pierre-Louis who, who are both shooting at least 55 percent on 2-point attempts.

The Tigers won the Ivy League after going 21-8 this season. They have an offense that ranks just outside of the top 100 in efficiency rating. Princeton is really good on the defensive glass, ranking ninth in the country. Despite playing in the Ivy League, Princeton does have some good size with two players standing at least 6-foot-8, though their first-round matchup, Arizona, has two quality bigs.

Texas A&M CC qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the second-straight season, but they are playing in the Round of 64 for the first time. They’re a good free throw shooting, but have lost some key players, due to injury this season. Opponents are really good at finishing at the rim against the Islanders.