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MTV's Musical March Madness: Paramore, The Black Keys Slug It Out Down South

We break down all the #MMM's action, and today, it's the Sensational South!

MTV's fifth-annual Musical March Madness tipped off on Monday (March 17), with 64 bands beginning an epic quest for total tournament supremacy ... and one very toned trophy.

Who will take home the title? Well, that's up to you: Vote now for your favorites in all first-round matchups at MMM.MTV.com, and make sure to check back on Monday, March 24 at 2 p.m. ET when the tournament moves on to round two.

Vote Now In All #MMM First-Round Matchups!

And just like the actual NCAA tournament, #MMM is already shaping up to be one for the ages, as we've got plenty of upsets brewing and lots of top-seeded bands going down (hey, just like The Ohio State University!) That's probably because this year's field of 64 is the most competitive in history ... and to help inform your vote, we're breaking down all the matchups, region by region.

We've already taken a look at the bands battling it out in the [article id="1724330"]Midwest,[/article] [article id="1724396"]West[/article] and [article id="1724452"]East[/article], and today, we're turning our attention to the final #MMM region: the Sensational South, home of perennial powerhouses, plenty of new bands looking to make a name for themselves, and, of course, a pair of French robots.

Truly, the South is anyone's for the taking ... so let's take a look at all the action!

For the second-straight year, the #1 seed in the South is Paramore, who always put on a good showing in #MMM -- [article id="1661353"]one trip to the championship game[/article] and two consecutive Elite 8 appearances -- and seemed destined for a repeat performance in 2014, as they're currently pasting #16 American Authors in round one. They'll take on the winners of this year's unofficial #MMM Dance-Off, #8 Daft Punk vs. #9 Disclosure ... and judging by the numbers so far, it'll be the robots from France who will move on.

Elsewhere in the South there are upsets a-brewin', as #5 Cage The Elephant appear to be headed for a first-round exit at the hands of #12 A Day To Remember, and #4 the Black Keys are getting all they can handle from upset-minded #13 Rixton, who have been pulling out all the stops in their quest for a 2014 championship:

If we make it to round 2, we'll release a special video just for you.. http://t.co/tw3QHibdrQ x

— Rixton Official (@RixtonOfficial) March 17, 2014

In the bottom half of the South, #2 Kings Of Leon, a band who in five previous #MMMs, have made it out of the first round only once, seem like a lock to break that streak, as they're blowing out #15 Against Me!. Who will they get in round two? Well, we're still not sure ... because #7 We The Kings and #10 We Are The In Crowd are currently engaged in the tightest first-round battle in this year's tournament, a back-and-forth affair that (right now) as WATIC clinging to a slight lead. Oh, and they're determined to hold on to it:

We're neck in neck! Head over to http://t.co/lWxqgao17n and vote for us in @MTV's Musical March Madness. Lez do this! #MMM

— We Are The In Crowd (@WeAreTheInCrowd) March 20, 2014

The South is rounded out with #3 Foo Fighters vs. # 14 New Politics (currently it's Dave Grohl and the guys maintaining a slim lead) and #6 the Dead Weather vs. #11 Passenger, with Jack White's new/old band looking like they'll manage to defeat 2013 champion [article id="1724017"]Ed Sheeran's personal pick[/article] and advance to round two.

Of course, as history has shown, there are no sure things in #MMM, and there's plenty of time for the totals to change. If your favorite band is up big, you've got to keep them in the lead ... or, if they're losing, well, you've got your work cut out for you. Voting in the first-round continues until Monday, March 24 at noon E.T. ... so hit the polls! Championship dreams hang in the balance!

MTV's Musical March Madness tournament is underway! Vote in all first-round matchups now at MMM.MTV.com, and spread the word on Twitter using the hashtag #MMM

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