The stage has been set for Monday's regional finals in both the Southeast and South Regions, respectively, and both have a "D-II South Nation" flavor to them. Let's quickly preview both regions.
Southeast (at Hickory, N.C.)
#3 Clayton State (25-6) vs. #4 Francis Marion (27-4)--Monday 7 p.m. EDT
Both teams pulled off upsets over the top two seeds to set up this "all Peach Belt Conference" title game. The third-seeded Lakers downed second-seeded Tusculum, 79-68, while the fourth-seeded Pacers tripped up top-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne, 93-74, to advance to the Sweet 16. It's only fitting that the two best women's basketball teams in the PBC during the regular season (FMU won the regular season title, while Clayton State came in second) are meeting with a trip to the Elite Eight on the line. It's too bad only one of these teams can punch their ticket to San Antonio, Tex., where this year's national tournament will be played.
South (at Cleveland, Miss.)
#1 Delta State (28-6) vs. #7 Ouachita Baptist (23-8)--Monday 7 p.m. CDT
This match-up has a Gulf South Conference West Division flavor to it, as the Lady Statesmen play host to the upstart Lady Tigers. DSU earned its way into the Sweet 16 with wins over No. 8 seed Valdosta State, 58-48, on Friday, followed by an 80-56 rout of fellow GSC West rival Arkansas-Monticello on Saturday. As for OBU, the Lady Tigers have played the "Cinderella" role perfectly so far, as they upset No. 2 seed Fort Valley State, 69-55, and No. 3 seed Tampa, 77-74, to bring themselves to within one win of their first-ever Elite Eight.
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