2010 NCAA Expert Bracket Picks: South Region

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Last year, both Duke and Villanova ended up in the East region as No. 2 and No. 3 seeds respectively. They met in the Sweet 16 with the Wildcats crushing the Blue Devils by 23 points. This time around, the selection committee has shipped them south, and both teams have improved by one seed to set up a possible Elite 8 matchup with a Final Four berth on the line. Find out if I have the Blue Devils and Wildcats facing off again in this year’s Big Dance. Without any further ado, here’s my bracket picks by round for the South region.

Round One: No. 1 seed Duke gets the winner of the play-in game between Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Winthrop. I think it’s safe to say the Blue Devils will be moving on. No. 8 seed Cal takes on No. 9 seed Louisville in what could be the best first round matchup in this region. I was very impressed by Louisville’s wins over Syracuse this season. Coach Rick Pitino should have his boys ready to go. We’ll send the Cards through. No. 12 seed Utah State figures to give No. 5 Texas A&M a fight, just like it did Marquette last season, but ultimately I think Texas A&M finds a way to win. Some might be jumping on Siena’s upset train here, but I look for Purdue to move on even without the services of Robbie Hummel. The Boilermakers will be out to prove they can still win without him, especially after an embarrassing performance against Minnesota in the Big Ten Tourney. I’ll take No. 6 seed Notre Dame over No. 11 seed Old Dominion, No. 3 seed Baylor over No. 14 seed Sam Houston State and No. 7 seed Richmond over No. 10 seed Saint Mary’s. No. 2 seed Villanova, led by Scottie Reynolds, will move on over No. 15 Robbert Morris.

Round Two: I expect Duke to be very determined this year after exiting far earlier than it would have liked a season ago. The Blue Devils are a much deeper team this season with the emergence of Brian Zoubek and the Plumlee brothers, and I’ll take them through to the Sweet 16 with a win over Louisville. Not having Hummel hurts, but Purdue is on a mission to silence the doubters. The Boilermakers advanced to the Sweet 16 last season and I like them to do it again with a win over Texas A&M. I’ll also take No. 3 seed Baylor over Notre Dame and No. 2 seed Villanova over Richmond.

Sweet 16: This is where it ends for Purdue as Kyle Singler and Jon Scheyer and company get the legendary Mike Krzyzewski one step closer to another Final Four berth. I didn’t like the way Villanova played down the stretch at all, but this is an experienced team which made a Final Four run last year. Plus, guard Scottie Reynolds is a big time clutch performer. He wills the Wildcats past Baylor.

Elite 8: This is the matchup we all want to see between No. 1 seed Duke and No. 2 seed Villanova. Nova rolled the Blue Devils last season and that loss serves as motivation for Duke to return the favor this time around. Look for Coach K to take Duke to the Final Four for the 11th time.

About the Author: Jimmy Boyd is known for his consistency. He's a proven winner in college and pro football, college and pro basketball and pro baseball. He finished as the No. 1 ranked MLB handicapper in 2007 by earning $1,000/game bettors $50,050. He also finished as the No. 1 ranked basketball handicapper in the 2008-09 season, profiting $1,000/game bettors 38,530. His basketball plays have banked $1,000/game bettors nearly $80,000 the last five years. Check out Jimmy's premium picks for tonight!
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