March Madness 2017: Six First Round South Region Games

The South Region, like the Midwest, has six of its eight first round games being played today. They start at 1:30 p.m. with #9 Seton Hall at #8 Arkansas. Then #16
Texas Southern is at #1 North Carolina at 4 p.m. Other games to be played on Friday include #15 Northern Kentucky at #2 Kentucky at 9:40 p.m. and #14 Kent State at #3 UCLA at 9:57 p.m. We have all six 2017 March Madness first round South Region picks.

Also on tap are four games in the East Region. We also have those picks too. The second round starts on Saturday and will conclude on Sunday.

#9 Seton Hall at #8 Arkansas

1:30 PM TNT
Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, South Carolina

The Seton Hall Pirates had a good late season run that included beating nationally ranked Creighton and Butler. They did well in the Big East Conference tournament winning two and losing to Villanova 55-53. In the frontcourt, Angel Delgado is grabbing 13.1 RPG and scoring 15.3 PPG. Leading scorer Kahdeen Carrington is averaging 16.9 PPG and Desi Rodriguez 15.9 PPG.

The Arkansas Razorbacks won six of their last seven regular season games. The Razorbacks won two Southeastern Conference tournament games finally losing to #8 Kentucky 82-65. Moses Kingsley controls the paint bringing down 7.8 RPG while scoring 11.8 PPG. Dusty Hannahs leads all scorers averaging 14.6 PPG.

Take the Razorbacks in this game at -1.0 and the over at 147.0.

2017 March Madness First Round South Region Pick: Arkansas at -1.0 and over 147.0

#16 Texas Southern at #1 North Carolina

4:00 PM TNT
Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, South Carolina

In the Southwestern Atlantic Conference, the Texas Southern Tigers ran off nine late-season wins in a row. Guard Zach Lofton leads all scorers with 17.0 PPG. Derrick Griffin is a double-double guy averaging 11.3 PPG and 10.9 RPG.

Chances are this team will be outmatched by North Carolina. The ACC Tar Heels, the top club in the conference, are scoring 85 PPG. Justin Jackson leads all with 18.1 PPG. Kennedy Meeks controls the boards averaging 9.1 RPG and scoring 12.6 PPG.

We like the Tar Hells in this game but not at -26.5. Take the Tigers at +26.5 and the under at 154.5.

2017 March Madness First Round South Region Pick: Texas Southern +26.5 and under 154.5

#10 Wichita State at #7 Dayton

7:10 PM CBS
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana

The Wichita State Shockers finished first in the Missouri Valley Conference. The last time they lost a game was Jan. 14. They’ve won 15 straight, which includes three conference tournament wins. The Shockers use a lot of their squad to score 82 PPG. They’re also averaging 41 RPG and 17 APG.

From the Atlantic 10 Conference, the Dayton Flyers won the regular season title as they went 15-3. The Flyers’ team stats are considerably lower than the Shockers. Charles Cooke and Kendall Pollard average 30 PPG and 10 RPG.

We like the high scoring Shockers at -6.5. The over/under of 144 should be over.

2017 March Madness First Round South Region Pick: Wichita State -6.5 and over 144

#11 Kansas State at #6 Cincinnati

7:27 PM truTV
Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California

The Big 12’s Kansas State Wildcats are a tough and resilient team. They finished sixth in the conference with an 8-10 record. Wesley Iwundu is the team’s top scorer averaging 12.9 PPG while Kamau Stokes is hitting for 11.9 PPG. D.J. Johnson and Barry Brown are each averaging almost 12 PPG. They got to this game by beating Wake Forest 95-88 in the First Four.

The Cincinnati Bearcats of the American Athletic Conference finished second in their league with a mark of 16-2. Guard Jacob Evans and forward Kyle Washington are each averaging 13 PPG. Washington and Gary Clark are taking down 6.9 and 7.9 RPG respectively.

We’re going with Kansas State in this one. They’re ay +3.5. We are also taking the over at 130.5.

2017 March Madness First Round South Region Pick: Kansas State at -3.5 and over 130.5

#15 Northern Kentucky at #2 Kentucky

9:40 PM CBS
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana

The Northern Kentucky Norse of the Horizon Conference having won nine of their last 10, which includes three conference tournament games for that crown. Drew MacDonald leads the Norse with 16.4 PPG and 7.7 RPG. The team is scoring 76 PPG.

The Kentucky Wildcats have won 11 straight. They ran off three Southeastern Conference tournament wins, including beating Arkansas 82-65 for the championship. Guard Malik Monk, who’s putting in 20.4 PPG, is a 40% three-point shooter. De’Aaron Fox, who’s second in scoring with 16.1 PPG, is a fine playmaker and setup man. Edrice Adebayo pounds the boards with authority. The Wildcats are averaging 86 PPG.

Take the under in this one, which is at 152.5. We’re going with the Norse at +19.5

2017 March Madness First Round South Region Pick: Northern Kentucky at +19.5 and under 152.5

#14 Kent State at #3 UCLA

9:57 PM truTV
Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California

Do the Kent State Golden Flashes of the Mid-American East have a shot at beating UCLA? The answer is probably not. Kent State is coming off a three-game run that resuted in them winning the conference tournament championship. Forward Jimmy Hall, who’s averaging 18.9 PPG and 10.5 RPG, will need to have a big game for the Golden Flashes to have a chance.

UCLA finished third in the PAC-12 and lost to Arizona in the conference tournament championship game. The Bruins can score, as they’re averaging 90 PPG. They also have great ball movement. Six players are scoring in double-digits.

Take UCLA at -18.5 and the over at 161.5.

2017 March Madness First Round South Region Pick: UCLA at -18.5 and over 161.5

2017 March Madness First Round South Region Picks

That’s it for our 2017 March Madness first round South Region picks. It’s a very bury day for the South Region. There are some massive point spreads and over/unders in this region.