2022 March Madness South Region Bracket Breakdown & Preview

We are just days away from the best sports weekend of the year as the 2022 NCAA Tournament is set to begin. The field of 68 will slowly start to get smaller, with the biggest goal for each team to reach the Final Four in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Looking at the entire bracket can make things difficult at first, but it’s much easier when breaking things down to each region. Here is a look at the South Region, which is located on the top right portion of the bracket.

Odds to Win the South Region:

Arizona +110

Villanova +400

Tennessee +500

Houston +800

Illinois +800

Ohio State +1600

Michigan +2500

Loyola Chicago +3000

TCU +3000

Colorado State +4000

Chattanooga +6000

Longwood +10000

Wright State +20000

Bryant +20000

UAB +20000

Delaware +20000

Top Contenders

The Arizona Wildcats are the number two overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and that gave them the top seed in the South Region. Arizona could have had a case for the overall number one seed, and that is going to make the work harder for every other team in this Region. 

It is the Villanova Wildcats and Tennessee Volunteers that are the second and third seeds, respectively in the South. Villanova has had plenty of postseason success in the past decade, and Tennessee might be the hottest team in the country. 

Those top three seeds all have a shot to cut down the nets and get to the Final Four, but you can’t overlook the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Houston Cougars either. Illinois has one of the oldest teams in the country, and Houston was just in the Final Four a season ago. 

Underdog Picks

Looking for potential upsets is always one of the most popular things to do when filling out an NCAA Tournament bracket and there are two teams that feel like good bets in the South Region. Both teams have gone on deep runs in recent seasons, and they will be teams to look out for.

The Michigan Wolverines snuck into the tournament as a number 11 seed, and they face the Colorado State Rams in Round 1. Colorado State had a much better season than Michigan, but the Wolverines are winning this one. 

Loyola Chicago is in the South as a number 10 seed, and they face the Ohio State Buckeyes in the First Round. The Ramblers pulled off a couple of upsets again last season and they just know how to win in March. 

No Surprise in Champion

There are going to be some upsets that occur throughout the first weekend, but the best teams are ultimately going to come out on top. This looks like a bracket that could have the top four seeds all advance to the South Regional in San Antonio, and that should make for some terrific games.

A regional final matchup between Arizona and Villanova appears likely, and that would be a terrific matchup. Arizona has the ability to score points in bunches, but Villanova knows how to get the job done as well.

Regardless of who Arizona plays in the regional final, the Wildcats are going to win the title and advance to the Final Four in NOLA. 

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