Here are the players to watch in the South Region as the Sweet 16 tips off.
The Sweet 16 of the 2019 NCAA Tournament tips off this evening.
Unless you’re a hardcore college hoops junkie, or an alum or fan of the respective teams left standing, you haven’t seen much of Oregon, Purdue, Tennessee or Virginia on a regular basis this year.
Here’s a quick look at the impact players from the remaining schools in the South Region that could etch their names into March Madness lore as they aim to cut down the nets en route to the Final Four.
SOUTH REGION
University of Virginia – De’Andre Hunter, Ty Jerome and Kyle Guy
Oregon will have its hands full in their Sweet 16 matchup against the Cavaliers thanks to Virginia’s three-pronged attack of sharpshooter Kyle Guy, distributor Ty Jerome and De’Andre Hunter in the post.
Jerome, who led the ACC in assists, runs the show and opens up the floor for others. Guy stretches the defense as a marksman from deep and Hunter can go get his own offense going any time he wants. UVA doesn’t run a lot of complicated offensive sets, but they stuff they run is done so at optimal and lethal efficiency.
The Cavaliers play at the slowest pace in the country and Oregon will need to speed them up if they hope to advance.
Oregon – Payton Pritchard
The Ducks start four players listed at 6-feet-9. The other starter is 6-foot-2 Payton Pritchard.
During Oregon’s 10-game winning streak, including wins over Wisconsin and UC Irvine in the NCAA Tournament, he’s averaged 16.3 points on 48.4% shooting with 54 assists.
Purdue – Carsen Edwards
Edwards scored a career high 42 points while banging in nine 3-pointers when Purdue demolished defending national champion Villanova in the second round on Saturday.
One of the most dynamic scorers in America, he’s averaging 34 points through the first two games of the tourney.
Tennessee – Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield
Williams averages 19.0 points on 56.5% shooting and 7.6 rebounds. Schofield puts up 16.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
They are the country’s top 1-2 combo not named Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett.
