NCAA Eye for the NBA Guy: South Regional, Day 1

As the March Madness 2010 begins, FanHouse's NBA team looks at the top prospects in each regional.

Two branches of the South regional kick off just after noon Eastern on Thursday. The New Orleans subregional features a strong Baylor team, along with Sam Houston (that's a college, not a prospect, though I bet he'd be a great shooter), Notre Dame and Old Dominion. Up in Rhode Island, Villanova starts in the Providence pod, which also features Richmond, St. Mary's and Robert Morris (also not a prospect). Let's take a look at the players you might see in the NBA in years to come.

Ekpe Udoh, PF, Baylor
22 years old, 6'10, 240 lbs., Junior
Udoh looks like a lottery pick as we enter the tournament, and a great Baylor run can only help that. The versatile but defense-minded big man blocked 11 percent of opponent field goal attempts while on the court this season, good for 11th in the nation and second in the Big 12 (behind only Kansas's Cole Aldrich). The Michigan transfer might not be an NBA scorer, but his superb defensive skills and attitude should buoy him no matter what happens to Baylor in the South regional. -- T.Z.

Luke Harangody, PF, Notre Dame
22 years old, 6'8, 251 lbs., Senior
His game isn't pretty or exciting, but it is effective. Seemingly fully recovered from a knee injury that kept him out five games, "Gody" and the Irish are playing their best basketball of the season. Look for Harangody to hurt Old Dominion from the outside, but especially to assert his will in the post off of slips and pick-and-rolls. The combination of point guard Tory Jackson and Harangody will prove lethal in the half-court set. -- Jordan Schultz

Scottie Reynolds, PG, Villanova
22 years old, 6'2, 195 lbs., Senior
Reynolds, the eternal draft prospect, has no choice but to end his college career this spring. Leading an elite Nova team to a No. 2 seed, the high-scoring guard has seen his NBA stock slip from first-round possibility to undrafted free agent possibility over the past two seasons. Still, continued collegiate excellence and the unadulterated NBA success of fellow four-year collegian Darren Collison (not to mention the relative success of Reynolds's stylistic cousin Eric Maynor) leaves the Wildcat in decent position heading into June and July. Watch his range against Robert Morris -- he'll need it to make it in the Bigs. -- T.Z.

Omar Samhan, C, St. Mary's
21 years old, 6'11, 265 lbs., Senior
Samhan got more residual attention from Patrick Mills's NIT showcase last season than he likely will in the NCAAs this year. But the fact that the Gaels improved once the Aussie point guard departed for the NBA says something about Samhan, a big boy who efficiently dominates the St. Mary's offense and anchors the defense with one of the best block rates in the nation. Assuming he doesn't sprint to Europe, Samhan should get a sure Summer League invite if he doesn't get picked at the back end of the second round. -- T.Z.

Gerald Lee, C, Old Dominion
22 years old, 6'10, 250 lbs, Senior
Lee's play underneath against Harangody will be crucial to the Monarchs' upset bid. Lee is absolute beast at 6'10, 250 lb., a senior who will not be pushed around by anybody. If he can match the will of Harangody and get him in foul trouble early, Old Dominion has a chance against Notre Dame. -- J.S.

And Five More ...

Ben Hansbrough, SG, Notre Dame -- Tyler's brother ... that's it. -- J.S.

Kevin Anderson, PG, Richmond -- The junior guard from Atlanta is the pace-setter for a talented Spiders team very capable of advancing to the second weekend. In a recent win over Xavier, Anderson put up 27. He is only 6-0 tall (maybe), but this kid can really go. -- J.S.

Mouphtaou Yarou, PF, Villanova -- Jay Wright hid his 19-year-old prize during his freshman campaign, but pay attention when Yarou hits the court for 10-12 minutes, because the young forward figures to be a bigger factor next season, and remains a potential first-round pick in 2011 or 2012. -- T.Z.

Maalik Wayns, PG, Villanova -- Reynolds's understudy was one of the top high school prospects at the lead guard position coming out of high school, and should get spot duty during Nova's tournament run. A pass-first point, Wayns is prototype college player who has a shot at making the NBA someday. Not next year, but someday. -- T.Z.

Corey Allmond, SG, Sam Houston State -- Any time you set a record at Rupp Arena your name should be mentioned. In a surprisingly close game earlier this season at Kentucky, Allmond went haywire against the Wildcats, hitting 10 three-pointers en route to 37 points. If he can replicate that performance against Baylor, it could be upset city. Watch out for 6'6 forward Gilberto Clavell as well, who is a bit undersized but is an effective player who could give Baylor fits up front. -- J.S.