It’s official. I have a love/hate relationship with this year’s tournament. Last night gave us the best group of games so far, which was the good. However, the results ended my personal bracket, and the “Shooting the Moon Podcast” bracket. I have Xavier to thank for that, who stormed back using a 12-2 run to close the game and upset the heavily favored Arizona Wildcats. Sometimes no matter how much research you do can prepare you for the twists and turns of the tournament. That’s March in a nutshell.

That wasn’t the only great game last night. Gonzaga escaped with a win against a very tough West Virginia team. At that point, it was the best game of the night until the Xavier game. The Mountaineers had three consecutive opportunities to tie the game up, but missed a pair of three-pointers before failing to get a shot up in the final seconds of regulation.

Oregon squeaked by the former tournament darling, Michigan, in a terrific game. Jordan Bell’s double-double put the Ducks in a position to win the game. Tyler Dorsey’s played the hero once again for Oregon, scoring the game-winner. However, it was the defense of the Ducks that secured the victory and a berth in the Elite Eight. Michigan had one final chance at the end of the game, but could not make a bucket to win. Unfortunately the seemingly magic run for the Wolverines is over.

The Jayhawks of Kansas found themselves in a dogfight early against Purdue, but ultimately its high-flying offense prevailed in a big way. Kansas dominated in the second half against the Boilermakers, who made a fatal error in trying to run with the Jayhawks. It’s on to the Elite Eight for Kansas, who now have an average margin of victory of 30+ points in this tournament.

Now let’s take a look at tonight’s games which will set the regional finals in the East and South regions.

South Region: Butler vs. North Carolina (7:09 PM, CBS)

Our first game tonight might be the most predictable on paper, but as we’ve seen in this tournament, that could mean nothing once the game starts. The Tar Heels come off of a tough second round victory to face the Bulldogs of Butler. This does have the makings of a good game if you consider Butler’s big wins over elite competition.

There are a few things that aren’t working in Butler’s favor though. UNC has one of the best offenses in the country, averaging 85.1 points per game. They are one of the few teams left that can find scoring from anyone on the floor. Joel Berry, Justin Jackson, and Kennedy Meeks have been the stars all season for North Carolina. Each can dominate in any given spurt during the game.

The other area where North Carolina has a big edge is on the boards. UNC is the top team in the country in total rebounds and offensive rebounds. That could become a major issue in this game for Butler, which average almost 12 less rebounds per game than the Tar Heels. It will be interesting to see how this area plays out because this will be one of the determining factors in the game tonight.

East Region: South Carolina vs. Baylor (7:29 PM, TBS)

The first regional semi-final in the East could prove to be the most unpredictable game of the night. Baylor is a slight favorite in the game, but South Carolina proved that it could thrive as the underdog. It’s not often that I can’t get a feel for how a game will play out.

A big reason for the unpredictability of this game is because both teams allow more points than they score. Strange right? Both teams average just about the same amount of points per game too. Statistically, Baylor and South Carolina mirror each other.

So when the stats don’t lend any sort of picture to how things will play out, you have to look the talent on the floor. In my opinion, South Carolina has the best player on the floor in Sindarious Thornwell. He has been one of the most under-the-radar players in the country all season and the country finally discovered just how good he is in the Gamecocks’ upset of Duke. Thornwell does it all for South Carolina, leading the team in points, rebounds, and assists.

Truthfully, this is a game that could go either way, which hopefully provides us with a great contest.

South Region: UCLA vs. Kentucky (Approx. 9:39 PM, CBS)

In the main event of the evening, we have a heavyweight clash between UCLA and Kentucky. This is a rematch of a game earlier in the regular season, which remains the best game of the year. Both teams feature a ton of future NBA talent, and could turn into a track meet.

The matchup to watch tonight is the battle between UCLA guard Lonzo Ball and Kentucky guards Malik Monk and De’Aaron Fox. All three will likely be picked in the top-ten in the NBA draft this summer, which will make this all the more sweeter. Ball and Monk are easily two of the best players in the country, while Fox has emerged as a star in the second half of the season.

Despite the fact that UCLA won the first game between these two national title contenders, they do have a fatal flaw that Kentucky could exploit. While the Bruins can seemingly score at will against any team, they are not nearly as strong on the defensive end. At times, UCLA will drop into a zone and almost pray for missed shots. Kentucky is not a team that UCLA can afford to do this with.

Look for this to be a high scoring affair with both teams pushing the score into the 80’s, possibly even the 90’s. This one should not disappoint, and could even provide us with the first buzzer-beater or overtime game of the tournament.

East Region: Wisconsin vs. Florida (Approx. 9:59 PM, TBS)

The final game of the night features a matchup of two teams with one glaring difference, experience. Wisconsin is the most experienced team left in the tournament with the only players that have played in the Final Four (Bronson Koenig and Nigel Hayes). Florida only has one player on its entire roster with prior tournament experience. This could prove to be a major factor if this game is close in the final minutes.

Both teams have overcome negative expectations in this tournament. Wisconsin had lost six out of ten games heading into the tournament, while Florida had lost three out its final four games. Now they will meet for the final spot in the Elite Eight.

Just like the South Carolina-Baylor game, both teams have similar statistics, except for one area that shows an edge for the Gators. Florida averages more points and allows a significantly less amount of points than the Badgers. The Gators are an extremely athletic group and use a deep rotation to avoid foul trouble.

Wisconsin can ill-afford to get into foul trouble of its own. The saving grace in the upset of Villanova was Koenig and Hayes not picked up their fifth fouls. If the Badgers lose either of those players, that will swing momentum to the Gators in a hurry.

That’s it for me today. I’ll be back on Monday to recap the weekend. Episode 3 of the Shooting the Moon Podcast will be a full preview of the Final Four, which will premiere on Wednesday. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.