Before we sit down and dissect the teams with short blurbs - expect that post by tomorrow, and use it wisely! - let's take a look at the entire field of 68 with this printable bracket.
[Click the NCAA Tournament bracket image for PDF version]
St. John's bracket in the south includes Duke (or Robert Morris/ North Florida) as a potential second round game for the Johnnies.
The next pod, however, is packed with four teams that could be difficult challenges in the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen games in Houston. The tall and talented Big East foes Georgetown could be a Sweet Sixteen opponent, if the Hoyas can get by one of the best shooters in the tournament on Eastern Washington in Tyler Harvey.
Or the opponent could the the Utah Utes, one of the best offense and defense combinations in the country - with excellent guard Delon Wright. And as a five-seed, they drew tournament tested and talented small-conference foe Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks, who defeated VCU last season.
Opposite those teams in the South, Gonzaga is the #2 seed, with a field of mostly underwhelming teams. The Zags get the slow-paced North Dakota State, and then either the emergent Davidson, a #10 seed, or an Iowa team that struggled to shoot in the Big Ten conference.
In the Sweet Sixteen, winner of the Gonzaga pod in Seattle faces the winner of the foursome of #6 Southern Methodist/ #11 UCLA and #3 Iowa State/ #14 UAB. Iowa State is a dark horse to come out of the region, with experience, talent, and an excellent coach in Fred Hoiberg; while UCLA is a team that comes to the forefront of the mind when fans mention questionable additions to the 2015 NCAA Tournament field.
What do you think about the South region? If St. John's can get by San Diego State and Duke without Chris Obekpa, do they have a shot at the Final Four?