Really?? Longwood as a 4 seed drew Charleston as a 13 seed? The same Charleston that knocked us out of the Final Four a few seasons back? Nasty opening matchup for us.
Midwest - I like Bellarmine and Slippery Rock to meet in the Elite 8 game. St. Rose is my darkhorse to really surprise some folks. I think my Longwood team has been getting by solely on excellent defense with well-balanced yet mediocre scoring, so we will see how long that lasts.Look for Bellarmine to take it.
East - I think people will discount E. Stroudsburg St. too early, but they are a very talented squad. However, Chico might just roll through this region - they are too good and experienced. Not only did St. Mary's find those 14 wins w/ their tough schedule, they also found a possible 2nd round matchup with high-flying Concord, who will try to outrun them. While I've seen better NJ Tech teams, they can never be counted out with one of the great DII coaches. I like Chico here - they are just too good.
South - look who found their way to a #2 seed! Incarnate word is back, baby! - this is probably the weakest region, though I would NOT want to face a very underrated West NM team as a 7 seed. That potential IW - West NM Matchup in Round 2 will be a doozy. Belmont Abbey is the most talented on paper, but I could see Incarnate Word pulling the upset over Bel. Abbey in the elite 8
West - I'm very impressed with how W. Alabama came out of nowhere and got that #1 seed, the top seed out of the difficult Heartland. That being said, Harding, Limestone, and Goldey-Beacom are VERY tough #2, #3,and #4 seeds seeds, and I think W. Alabama is a season away with all those Juniors (but should be a N. Title favorite next season). For me, this region is a tossup between Harding and Limestone, who is completely on a roll - and I think their sweet 16 matchup might decide the region - I'll go with conference mates Limestone as they're playing great basketball right now. Probably most difficult region to predict, and maybe the toughest from 1 to 4. (note my indecisiveness - I chose Harding in the above poll, and then changed my mind during the writeup - this region could definitely go either way)
So my picks are
Elite 8 - Bellarmine vs. Slippery Rock, Bel Abbey vs. Incarnate Word, Chico vs. E. Stroudsburg St., Limestone vs. Goldey Beacom
Final Four - Bellarmine, Incarnate Word, Chico, Limestone
Title Game (not sure how Final Four lines up w/ matchups, so I'm kind of guessing here) Bellarmine vs. Incarnate Word. Bellarmine wins the title.