In South, first three seeds are ones to watch

While some regionals lurk with danger at every turn - the East comes to mind - the South appears to be a three-horse race.

Top seeds Florida, Kansas and Syracuse look to clearly be a cut above the rest.

Florida may lack a marquee superstar, but the overall No. 1 Gators define the team concept. They are deep, experienced, and haven't lost since Dec. 2.

Casey Prather has evolved into a prime-time scorer, and Patric Young is a true force in the post.

The wild card for Kansas is the health of 7-footer Joel Embiid, the flavor of the week to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. His back injury kept him out of the conference tournament, and his status moving forward is uncertain.

Syracuse, lest we forget, carried an unbeaten record deep into February. Things have cooled off considerably since that 25-0 start, but the Orange still have elite talent. The trio of Tyler Ennis, C.J. Fair and Jerami Grant will give them a chance against everyone they play.

- Tim McManus