College basketball teams across the country learned their fate for the 2023 NCAA tournament on Selection Sunday.
In the South region, No. 1 seed Alabama will look to continue its dominant season. After logging a 29–5 record and capturing the SEC tournament title, the Crimson Tide were selected as the No. 1 overall seed in the Big Dance. Now, they'll face off against either Texas A&M-CC or SE Missouri State as both teams look to remain on college basketball’s biggest stage with a victory in the First Four on Tuesday.
As for Pac-12 champions and No. 2 seed Arizona, they’ll face No. 15 Princeton, who finished its season 21–8 and won the Ivy League’s automatic bid. It’ll be up to superstar Azuolas Tubolis and coach Tommy Lloyd to lead the Wildcats into the second round in Sacramento.
Below is the first-round schedule for the South Region:
First Four
Teams: Texas A&M-CC (23-10) vs. SE Missouri State (19-16)
Game Date: Tuesday, March 14, 2023
Game Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
Game Location: UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio
TV: truTV
First Round
Teams: No. 16 Texas A&M-CC (23-10)/SE Missouri State (19-16) vs. No. 1 Alabama (29-5)
Game Date: Thursday, March 16, 2023
Game Time: 2:45 p.m. ET
Game Location: Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala.
TV: CBS
Teams: No. 8 Maryland (21-12) vs. No. 9 West Virginia (19-14)
Game Date: Thursday, March 16, 2023
Game Time: 12:15 p.m. ET
Game Location: Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala.
TV: CBS
Teams: No. 5 San Diego State (27-6) vs. No. 12 Charleston (31-3)
Game Date: Thursday, March 16, 2023
Game Time: 3:10 p.m. ET
Game Location: Amway Center in Orlando, Fla.
TV: truTV
Teams: No. 4 Virginia (25-7) vs. No. 13 Furman (27-7)
Game Date: Thursday, March 16, 2023
Game Time: 12:40 p.m. ET
Game Location: Amway Center in Orlando, Fla.
TV: truTV
Teams: No. 6 Creighton (21-12) vs. No. 11 NC State (23-10)
Game Date: Friday, March 17, 2023
Game Time: 4:00 p.m. ET
Game Location: Ball Arena in Denver, Colo.
TV: TNT
Teams: No. 3 Baylor (22-10) vs. No. 14 UC Santa Barbara (27-7)
Game Date: Friday, March 17, 2023
Game Time: 1:30 p.m. ET
Game Location: Ball Arena in Denver, Colo.
TV: TNT
Teams: No. 7 Missouri (24-9) vs. No. 10 Utah State (26-8)
Game Date: Thursday, March 16, 2023
Game Time: 1:40 p.m. ET
Game Location: Golden Center in Sacramento, Calif.
TV: TNT
Teams: No. 2 Arizona (28-6) vs. No. 15 Princeton (21-8)
Game Date: Thursday, March 16, 2023
Game Time: 4:10 p.m. ET
Game Location: Golden Center in Sacramento, Calif.
TV: TNT
Pat Forde’s Analysis, Predictions
Most intriguing matchup: No. 7 Missouri against No. 10 Utah State: Get out the track spikes for this one. The Tigers are 43rd nationally in offensive tempo and the Aggies 107th, which should lead to an entertaining, full-court game. The Tigers’ athleticism might be too much for Utah State, but the Aggies counter with stellar three-point shooting. The Mountain West went 0–4 last year and has something to prove as a conference, but beware of Utah State coach Ryan Odom—he was the boss at UMBC when it pulled the historic 16-over-1 upset of Virginia in 2018.
Most intriguing matchup: Down the road, it is a potential Alabama-Arizona final. The Crimson Tide bludgeoned opponents in the paint during the SEC tournament, particularly on the defense end. But the Wildcats would present more size than Bama has seen in a while with 7-footers Azuolas Tubelis and Oumar Ballo. That would also be a super-fast-paced matchup of coaches who love to run on offense.
Player to watch: Alabama’s Brandon Miller is both the best and most controversial player in the region. The skilled Miller is a top-five NBA pick who has won SEC Freshman of the Year, Player of the Year and Most Outstanding Player of the league tournament. His role in delivering the alleged murder weapon to a fatal shootout in Tuscaloosa has turned into a firestorm, but he’s still playing at a high level.
