South Region Preview

Top Dog – Memphis (1)
Coach John Calipari’s squad crushed UT-Arlington 87-63 in the opening round before fighting a winning 77-74 battle against Mississippi State to advance to the Sweet 16. The one-loss Tigers entered the Big Dance with only one obvious flaw — their free-throw shooting. After sinking just 59.6 percent (483-of-811) from the charity stripe during the regular season, Memphis has hit 55.2 percent (37-of-67) in the Tourney, including a 46.9 percent (15-of-32) afternoon that left the window of opportunity open for Mississippi State. Star guards Derrick Rose and Chris Douglas-Roberts combined to hit 56.3 percent (9-of-16) at the line, which was enough to get the job done.

Underdog – Michigan State (5)
The Spartans are the lowest seed standing in the South Region, but will not be sneaking up on anyone. MSU is coached by 2000 NCAA Tournament champion Tom Izzo and led by clutch-shooting senior guard Drew Neitzel — who struggled in a 72-61 win over Temple before catching fire from behind the arc (5-of-8) in a 65-54 victory against Pitt. With veteran leadership and a tough, defensive-minded roster featuring sophomore forward Raymar Morgan and junior center Goran Suton, Michigan State could make March Madness even crazier against Memphis.

Go-To Guy – Brook Lopez, C, Stanford (3)
Brook and brother Robin give the Cardinal a pair of 7-foot “twin towers,” literally. During an 82-81 overtime nail-biter over Marquette in the second round, the Lopez twins combined for 48 points, 13 rebounds and four blocked shots. But it was Brook who took over in the extra period, scoring eight of Stanford’s 11 overtime points — including a leaning baseline jumper to seal the victory with 1.3 seconds to play. The game-winner capped a 30-point effort and bailed out coach Trent Johnson, who had been ejected in the first half. In order to beat Texas in Houston, Brook may need an identical performance.

X-Factor – A.J. Abrams, SG, Texas (2)
The Longhorns’ long-distance sharpshooter has been on the mark during Texas victories over Austin Peay (74-54) and Miami (75-72). Abrams has back-to-back 26-point games with repeat 6-of-10 shooting performances from 3-point range. Along with 60 percent (12-of-20) shooting from downtown, Abrams has connected on 58.6 percent (17-of-29) from the field and is perfect (6-of-6) from the foul line. Horns fans in Houston are hoping Abrams can stay hotter than a pistol from outside against Stanford. Those 7-foot Lopez twins can protect the rim from the paint, but can’t defend the 3-point line.