The 2011 NCAA Men’s basketball tournament brackets are now being released we now have a completed Southeast region bracket, based out of New Orleans. The number one seeded Pittsburgh Panthers could face some trouble if they get the Florida Gators in the elite eight. However, other than that this strikes me as a relatively soft region.
I would have had Brigham Young as my darkhorse, but losing Brandon Davies kills them inside. I had a chance to watch them this weekend in the Mountain West conference tournament and San Diego State just destroyed them in the paint. Jimmer Fredette put up 52 points in the semifinals against New Mexico and they needed just about all those points to beat the Lobos. I need to look at their draw a bit more, but even if they made it to the elite eight, Pittsburgh would decimate them.
If I had to pick a darkhorse, I suppose Kansas State could do it. I will say that Pittsburgh does get an interesting matchup in the second round if Butler can advance. Who would have thought Pittsburgh would face the defending national runner up?
1 – Pittsburgh Panthers
16 – UNC Asheville/Arkansas Little-Rock
8 – Butler Bulldogs
9 – Old Dominion Monarchs
4 – Wisconsin Badgers
13 – Belmont Bruins
5 – Kansas State Wildcats
12 – Utah State Aggies
3 – BYU Cougars
14 – Wofford Terriers
6 – St. John’s Red Storm
11 – Gonzaga Bulldogs
7 – Michigan State Spartans
10 – UCLA Bruins
2 – Florida Gators
15 – UC-Santa Barbara Gouchos
Head over to SBNation.com for printable brackets and NCAA tournament updates.