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Bracket of Doom- South Region First Round (Part 2)

Who wins these South Regional 1st Round matchups?


  • Total voters
    16
  • Poll closed .
Feb 25, 2008
60,244
36,683
113
#6 Michigan Wolverines (19-12, 10-10)

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Big Ten (9th)
Off- 75.0 ppg / Def- 68.3 ppg
NCAA Appearances- 25 (Last: 2019)

Top Scorers:
Isaiah Livers 12.9 ppg
Zavier Simpson 12.9 ppg
Jon Teske 11.6 ppg
Franz Wagner 11.6 ppg
Eli Brooks 10.6 ppg

vs

#11 East Tennessee State Buccaneers (30-4, 16-2)

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Southern (1st)
Conf. tourney champs
Off- 76.3 ppg / Def- 63.1 ppg
NCAA Appearances- 10 (Last: 2017)

Top Scorers:
Tray Boyd III 13.6 ppg
Bo Hodges 12.7 ppg
Daivien Williamson 10.4 ppg
Isaiah Tisdale 9.2 ppg
Jeromy Rodriguez 9.1 ppg

One of the deeper and more talented teams in the field, Michigan brings in 5 players averaging double figures led by junior Forward Isaiah Livers, who returned after battling injury for much of the season to help the Wolverines regain their hopes for a tourney push after a mid-season lull that saw them go 3-6 and raise questions about whether this preseason Final Four contender could even recover to make the Big Dance. Still, though this talented group may not have been the most cohesive Wolverine unit we've seen in recent memory, this is a team that knew how to score and knew how to compete in big-game situations.

Had the NCAA Tournament taken place, the Buccaneers would've certainly been another trendy pick for a high-seed upset. Sporting the highest NET ranking of any low mid-major champion, ETSU was one of those rare talented teams that could both score and defend, ranking 43rd and 26th in the nation in both categories, respectively. Led by the 13.6 ppg of Senior guard Tray Boyd III, in this hypothetical matchup, the Buccaneers would be looking to hand Michigan their first loss in an opening round game since 2012.


#3 Louisville Cardinals (24-7, 15-5)

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ACC (t2nd)
Off- 74.1 ppg / Def- 63.7 ppg
NCAA Appearances- 39 (Last: 2019)

Top Scorers:
Jordan Nwora 18.0 ppg
Steven Enoch 9.5 ppg
Dwayne Sutton 9.1 ppg
Ryan McMahon 8.7 ppg
Malik Williams 8.5 ppg

vs

#14 UC Irvine Anteaters (21-11, 13-3)

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Big West (1st)
Off- 74.0 ppg / Def- 65.2 ppg
NCAA Appearances- 2 (Last: 2019)

Top Scorers:
Collin Welp 13.0 ppg
Evan Leonard 12.4 ppg
Eyassu Worku 12.3 ppg
Tommy Rutherford 10.1 ppg
Brad Greene 9.0 ppg

The Cardinals will have to wait at least another year in real life to make amends for a First Round exit last season against Minnesota, but perhaps the Bracket of Doom can provide their fans a little solace in the meantime. Louisville surged out to a 9-0 start this past season, before falling to last year's National Runner-up Texas Tech. Just twice this season did the Cardinals drop back to back games, and in between that time they reeled off 10 straight wins, including a 79-73 victory at Duke. Louisville enters this hypothetical tournament as the top 3 seed, but can they avoid the temptation of people voting for the wackiness that is UC Irvine's nickname?

The Anteaters made school history last year, when arguably their best team ever stunned 4 seed Kansas State to give them their first-ever tournament win. Now UC Irvine is back with another veteran crew hoping to play spoiler once again. And they could do it too given their ability to score with four players in double figures led by Sophomore Collin Welp (13.0 ppg). This may not be as dynamic a team as last year's, but as K-State found out, never underestimate an Anteater.


#7 Illinois Fighting Illini (21-10, 13-7)

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Big Ten (4th)
Off- 72.2 ppg / Def- 65.3 ppg
NCAA Appearances- 30 (Last: 2013)

Top Scorers:
Ayo Dosunmu 16.6 ppg
Kofi Cockburn 13.3 ppg
Andres Feliz 11.0 ppg
Trent Frazier 9.1 ppg
Alan Griffin 8.9 ppg

vs

#10 Arizona State Sun Devils (20-11, 11-7)

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Pac-12 (t3rd)
Off- 73.8 ppg / Def- 70.5 ppg
NCAA Appearances- 15 (Last: 2019)

Top Scorers:
Remy Martin 19.1 ppg
Alonzo Verge Jr. 14.6 ppg
Rob Edwards 11.6 ppg
Romello White 10.2 ppg
Kimani Lawrence 4.9 ppg

One of the more surprising turnaround stories of the 2019-20 season, the Fighting Illini rose up and were poised to make their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2013. This was also their first winning season since 2016-17. Led by a young and talented group, Brad Underwood's squad navigated a fairly challenging schedule into a 4th place finish in the Big Ten. First-Team All-Big Ten selection Ayo Dosunmu (16.6 ppg) and Big Ten Freshmen of the Year Kofi Cockburn (13.3 ppg) comprised a tandem that could've helped Illinois get their first NCAA Tournament win in 7 years. Instead, they'll have to settle for the Bracket of Doom.

A theme with a number of Pac-12 teams, Arizona State broke onto the Bubble scene late in the year. After 3 of 4 losses to ranked Pac-12 foes that saw them sitting at 10-7 on the year, ASU would win 9 of their next 10 and put themselves into at-large tourney consideration. Despite a 1-3 mark to close the season, most prognosticators felt the Sun Devils had done enough to deserve a bid. Though their defense was suspect throughout the season (dead last in the conference), they certainly have a core group of scorers that could've given them a chance come tournament play, led by one of the top scorers in the Pac-12, Remy Martin.


#2 Kentucky Wildcats (25-6, 15-3)

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SEC (1st)
Off- 74.4 ppg / Def- 66.1 ppg
NCAA Appearances- 59 (Last: 2019)

Top Scorers:
Immanuel Quickley 16.6 ppg
Nick Richards 14.0 ppg
Tyrese Maxey 14.0 ppg
Ashton Hagans 11.5 ppg
E.J. Montgomery 6.1 ppg

vs

#15 North Dakota State Bison (25-8, 13-3)

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Summit League (t1st)
Conf. tourney champs
Off- 74.8 ppg / Def- 66.2 ppg
NCAA Appearances- 4 (Last: 2019)

Top Scorers:
Vinnie Shahid 18.4 ppg
Tyson Ward 16.9 ppg
Rocky Kreuser 10.0 ppg
Sam Griesel 6.6 ppg
Cameron Hunter 6.6 ppg

Evansville's stunning victory over then-#1 Kentucky earlier this season served as a reminder to expect the unexpected when it comes to college athletics. Then again, the more things change, the more they stay the same, as Kentucky rode the roller coaster that was the 2019-20 season to their 51st SEC regular season title. John Calipari's squad was led by yet another group of potential NBA Draft picks including SEC Player of the Year Immanuel Quickley who averaged 16.6 ppg as a sophomore after netting just 5.2 ppg a year ago. Though at times, not the dominant all-star team fans would expect from a roster full of highly-sought after recruits and future pro prospects, there is no doubt had Kentucky been given a chance, they would've been a threat once again to punch their ticket to the Final Four.

Already well-known in the football universe, the Bison basketball program is beginning to build their own reputation, aside from their mega-power counterpart. Since becoming a full-time D1 program in 2009, the Bison have qualified for the NCAA Tournament 5 times, picking up wins over Oklahoma and NC Central while also facing a current who's who of college basketball including Kansas, Gonzaga, and Duke. Several bracketologists even pegged NDSU to be the First Round opponent for Kentucky, so it seemed like destiny that they would meet in the Bracket of Doom. Seniors Vinnie Shahid (18.4 ppg) and Tyson Ward (16.9 ppg) steered the ship for Bison head coach David Richman.
 
Gonna be a close one between Michigan and East Tennessee State. Currently, Michigan with a 15-14 lead thanks to this board. All polls for the South on other sites are done.

I got this up late so I'm giving you guys more time.
 
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