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Like scoring? Check out the South.
Headlined by three of the nation's top 15 offenses, including No. 1 seed North Carolina, the South figures to unleash one of the biggest displays of scoring prowess in the whole tournament.
The Tar Heels are looking to make their return to the championship game after winning the ACC regular season title. They have a cast of valuable returners from last year's Finals run: Justin Jackson, Joel Berry, Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks, all of whom are double-digit scorers.
UNC has five wins over top-25 RPI teams this year — which led to some questions about whether they are truly No. 1 seed material against a team like Duke, which had more. But with seeding settled, UNC arguably has the clearest path of any top seed to reach at least the Elite Eight.
The truly interesting half of the region is the other side, which is loaded with No. 2 Kentucky and No. 3 UCLA. The Bruins beat the Wildcats at Rupp Arena earlier this year. They have two of the best guards in the country between them in Kentucky's Malik Monk and UCLA's Lonzo Ball, and both average better than 89 points per game.
The road to the rematch is no cakewalk —No. 6 seed Cincinnati only lost five games this year playing a tough, physical brand of basketball led by veteran coach Mick Cronin. The Bearcats take care of the ball better than anyone, and will potentially pit themselves against the high-tempo Bruins in the second round. The most interesting sleeper in the whole bracket may be Wichita State, an annual upset favorite which quietly dominated the Missouri Valley Conference once again and has the defense and 3-point prowess reminiscent of classic March underdogs.
UNC will have to sweat a little as well. While 4-seed Butler comes in cold, they're the only team in the country to knock off top-overall seed Villanova not once, but twice this year. No. 5 Minnesota led by Richard Pitino is also feeling a little bit of swagger after surging back in the Big Ten and featuring a very athletic roster.
Another mid-major sleeper? How about Middle Tennessee State, which trashed brackets last year with an upset over Michigan State. Arkansas transfer JaCorey Williams has been a tough-to-stop threat for the Blue Raiders, who are in the upset-prone 5-12 slot.
The Favorite
North Carolina may have gotten a break in the eyes of some analysts, beating out ACC rival Duke for a one-seed. They have one of the best offenses, are a tireless offensive rebounding team, and have experience playing in a lot of big games this year. And don't brush over the fact that the have key players, including Justin Jackson and Joel Barry, back from last year's runner-up finish.
The Sleeper
Here's a shocker: No. 10 Wichita State. The greatest discrepancy between the committee seeding and analytics ranking may be the Shockers, whom KenPom rates as the No. 8 team in the country. They defend (37.8 percent, No. 5 nationally), rebound (plus-8.5, No. 5) and hit 3-pointers (40.8 percent, No. 4) as well as anyone in the field.
The Best Player
There are some great players in the region, but no one does quite as much as Lonzo Ball from UCLA. A likely NBA Draft lottery pick this summer, Ball averages 14.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.7 assists (most in the country) per game along with 1.9 steals. His presence has helped elevate the play of returners like Bryce Alford and Aaron Holiday.
The Big Number
If you surpass 82.1 points per game, you're in the top 20 in NCAA scoring. Five teams in that region average that score or more, including No. 1 UCLA at over 90 points per game.
Twitter: @kylegoon