REGIONAL RANKINGS REVIEW--MEN

With the regular season now in the rear view mirror, teams in D-II South Nation can now look ahead to conference tournament action. The teams "on the bubble" have no margin for error if they hope to play beyond this weekend.

Even the teams in the upper echelon of the regional rankings can't relax, as the average underdog stands capable of coming out of nowhere, and pulling off multiple upsets en route to winning many a conference tournament. With outcomes like this, it's no wonder why people call it "March Madness".

Having said that, let's take at how the men's squads stack up.

KEY: Teams in conferences covered by D-II South Sports marked in BOLD type.

Source: NCAA.com

The teams record against all Division II opponents is listed on top, with the in-region record listed below.

SOUTH REGION

1
Tampa
18-7
16-5

2
Florida Southern
21-7
18-6

3
North Alabama
20-7
19-4

4
Benedict
21-4
21-4

5
Eckerd
18-8
18-5

6
Christian Brothers
17-9
16-7

7
Harding
12-9
12-9

8
Ouachita Baptist
16-7
15-6

9
West Georgia
14-11
14-11

10
Rollins
17-8
12-8

Analysis: Despite going into the Gulf South Conference tournament on an eight-game winning streak, the Lions dropped from the #1 to the #3 spot in the final South Region ranikings for the regular season. Instead, the UNA men hope to not only to win the GSC tournament, but also the right to host the South Regional. That is, if either Tampa or Florida Southern, or both stumble in the Sunshine State Conference tournament.

As for other teams in D-II South Nation, Benedict hopes to win out, and take home the SIAC tournament crown this season after being stopped cold in their first game, while GSC bubble teams Christian Brothers, Harding, Ouachita Baptist, and West Georgia hope to improve their at-large chances with impressive showings in the GSC tourney.

SOUTH ATLANTIC REGION

1
South Carolina Aiken
25-2
25-1

2
Augusta State
22-4
22-4

3
Wingate
21-4
19-4

4
Lenoir-Rhyne
20-5
19-5

5
Virginia Union
20-7
18-7

6
Elizabeth City State
17-7
17-7

7
Bowie State
19-8
19-8

8
Johnson C. Smith
19-9
19-9

9
Carson-Newman
17-6
17-6

10
Catawba
16-11
16-10

Analysis: They may be the only two teams from the Peach Belt Conference ranked in the final South Atlantic Region poll of the regular season, but USC Aiken and Augusta State both hold the top two spots going into conference tournament play. The only way a third PBC team (such Armstrong Atlantic State, Georgia College & State University, or even North Georgia) can join that duo in the NCAA tourney is if they win the conference tournament at USC Aiken this weekend. On the other hand, both the CIAA and South Atlantic Conference tournaments are likely to provide some high drama in terms of which teams will punch their tickets to the "mini-big dance".