The South region is loaded with top-tier schools and is arguably the toughest region in this year’s tournament. Eight of the 16 schools are in the top 22 of KenPom rankings and five in the top 15.
The No. 1 overall seed in the tournament - Alabama - is red hot after cruising to a win at the SEC tournament cementing its place as the top team in the tournament. This region also features a few possible Cinderella schools in Charleston, Furman, and UC Santa Barbara.
This No. 1 overall seed has failed to win the tournament since Louisville achieved the feat in 2013, but five of the last six national champions have been a 1 seed, including the last two years.
March Madness South Region Pick of the Day
Read on for more NCAA Tournament South Region betting tips for 2023 March Madness.
March Madness South Region Schedule 2023
- Round 1: Thursday, March 16 - Friday, March 17 (Birmingham, Ala.; Orlando, Fla.; Denver, Colo.; Sacramento, Calif.)
- Round 2: Saturday, March 18 - Sunday, March 19 (Birmingham, Ala.; Orlando, Fla.; Denver, Colo.; Sacramento, Calif.)
- Sweet 16: Thursday, March 23 - Friday, March 24 (Louisville, Ky.)
- Elite 8: Saturday, March 25 - Sunday, March 26 (Louisville, Ky.)
Track the latest March Madness South Region Odds with our CBB lines comparison:
March Madness South Region Teams Seeded
1. Alabama
2. Arizona
3. Baylor
4. Virginia
5. San Diego State
6. Creighton
7. Missouri
8. Maryland
9. West Virginia
10. Utah State
11. NC State
12. Charleston
13. Furman
14. UC Santa Barbara
15. Princeton
16. Texas A&M CC/ SE Missouri St. (First Four Game)
March Madness South Region Top 4 Seeds
1. Alabama
Nate Oats coached the Alabama Crimson Tide to an SEC regular season title as well as the conference tournament championship. The Crimson Tide play at a very fast pace and are second in the nation in possessions per game, only behind Tulane.
Alabama’s defense makes the Crimson Tide dangerous. They are ranked third in KenPom’s adjusted defensive rankings. Pairing a fast-paced offense with a stout defense is a championship recipe.
2. Arizona
The Wildcats knocked off Pac-12 rivals UCLA in the conference tournament final to cement themselves as a No. 2 seed in the tournament. Led by junior forward Ąžuolas Tubelis, Arizona features a very balanced offense with five players averaging 10-plus points per game this season.
They will be a tough out and a potential meeting against Alabama in the Elite 8 is something to look forward to. Similar to Alabama, this is a fast-paced team averaging more than 70 possessions per game but their defense could be their downfall in the tournament.
- Be sure to fill out your March Madness bracket ahead of the tournament.
3. Baylor
The Bears finished 22-10 on the year playing in arguably the best conference in college basketball this season. They have two marquee non-conference wins over UCLA and Gonzaga with a loss to fellow South Region team Virginia.
They’ve been inconsistent all year and are coming off two straight losses against Iowa State. Despite their defensive struggles, they attempt 26 three-point field goals per game and make 36.77% of their attempts per game.
4. Virginia
The Hoos are primed for an early-round exit and a key factor for that is their free-throw shooting. They play at one of the slowest paces in college basketball, and when they’re not creating enough opportunities to score, they must be precise from the charity stripe.
They rank 241st in the nation in free-throw percentage at 69.96%.
March Madness South Region Cinderella
13 Furman
One of the keys to winning the championship has always been guard play and especially senior guard play. Senior guard Mike Bothwell leads his team in scoring with 18 ppg and shoots 33.8% from beyond the arc.
We have seen guards single-handedly carry their teams to the Sweet 16, and Bothwell has the ability to do just that. Most importantly, he shoots 83% from the free-throw line, which is crucial in late-game situations.
My other favorite South Region Cinderella candidate is Utah State. The Aggies are fourth in the nation in three-point shooting percentage.
If they get hot from beyond the arc, they can go on a run. They are also 18th in KenPom rankings and one of the best free-throw shooting teams in the nation.
- Before placing your bet, check out our full CBB odds.
March Madness South Region First-Round Upset
13 Furman defeats 4 Virginia
This will be a back-and-forth game with seniors from both teams making plays. Furman has the edge offensively and Virginia sports the better defense in this contest.
- See who we have winning the other regions in our NCAA Tournament predictions.
Virginia will not be able to match Furman basket for basket and are not equipped to win from behind. If Furman gets out to a lead, it could get ugly for Virginia.
Also consider picking these South Region Round 1 upsets:
- 12 Charleston over 5 San Diego State
- 10 Utah State over 7 Missouri
March Madness South Region Winner Prediction
Alabama defeats Creighton to win South Region
The bottom of half of the South region bracket will be incredibly hard to predict. The top seeds Arizona, Baylor, and Creighton could be considered as March Madness winner odds favorites this year, but also I could see all three teams losing in the first round.
Give me the better defensive team out of the three, and that’s Creighton by a large margin. They are top 15 in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency rankings.
March Madness South Region Best Bets
Alabama to win the South Region (+190) | DraftKings Sportsbook
WAGER: 1 Unit
This is the chalk pick and my favorite bet for this region. Besides the off-court issues and distractions Alabama dealt with this season, they have been nearly perfect on the court.
Led by star guard Brandon Miller, Alabama is a fun team to watch and a matchup nightmare for any opposing team.
- Can Alabama win it all? Find out the best odds to take the Crimson Tide and where to make all of your NCAA Tournament March Madness betting picks.
Utah State to Make Sweet 16 (+490) | FanDuel Sportsbook
WAGER: .5 Unit
I love Utah State as a potential Cinderella team this season. They excel at all the right metrics to go on a run, especially their stellar three-point shooting.
They are also 13th in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency rating and are under-seeded in my opinion. Missouri has had a great season but unfortunately drew the best No. 10 seed in the tournament.
Creighton to Make Sweet 16 (+168) | FanDuel Sportsbook
WAGER: 1 Unit
Creighton were a preseason top 10 team before having a brutal stretch of losses in December, knocking them down the rankings. They finished the season on a positive note, which included a win against Big East champions UConn.
They have the talent to make a deep run in the tournament and can contend with Baylor if they face them in the Round of 32.
