The Southeast region of the 2011 NCAA Tournament bracket is the only region without its No. 1 seed after the first weekend of games. The Pittsburgh Panthers were the first No. 1 to fall victim to an upset, losing to Butler after a wild, controversial finish. The rest of the seeds held true to form as Wisconsin, BYU and Florida all made it through to the Sweet Sixteen.
With time to reset and reevaluate, let’s take another look at the Southeast region, making predictions along the way. Grab your own printable bracket and get to work making your own predictions ahead of Thursday’s Sweet Sixteen matchups.
Southeast Region
No. 4 Wisconsin over No. 8 Butler, 63-60. If there’s one thing we should’ve learned by now, it’s to never count the Bulldogs out. After a dream run to the NCAA Tournament championship game last year, Butler is back again, looking to recapture some of the magic. Would I be surprised to see Butler advance to the Elite Eight? Not at all. But I’ll take Wisconsin to squeak by this time around.
No. 3 BYU over No. 2 Florida, 76-75.The Jimmer Fredette show has been impressive in the NCAA Tournament, but so have the Gators. I could see this game going either way as it comes down to the last possession. So, again, who would you rather have in crunch time? For my money, it’s Fredette.
Southeast Region Finals
No. 4 Wisconsin over No. 3 BYU, 62-59. The Badgers are known for their slow-down pace that can sometimes drag on opponents and audiences alike. But Wisconsin is deadly efficient on the offensive end, posting a 125 offensive efficiency on the year, the second-best mark in the country. With Jon Leuer inside and Jordan Taylor outside, I like Wisconsin’s chances to stop Fredette and the Cougars in the Elite Eight.
Stay with our Sweet Sixteen predictions StoryStream as we update the bracket throughout the day.. To get caught up with the happenings from March Madness, check out our NCAA Tournament results StoryStream.