March Madness: East Region Preview
After two years of waiting, March Madness is back. Buckle up, because this bracket has several intriguing first round matchups.
Let’s take a look at the East, which very well may be the most competitive region.
This region is up for anyone to take since No. 1 Michigan will most likely be without their star guard Isaiah Livers. Michigan should win in the first round, but the Wolverines could see some difficulties having to play either LSU or St. Bonaventure in order to reach the Sweet 16.
LSU lost by just one point in the SEC championship to Alabama and caught another tough break here against the Atlantic Ten champions.
The Bonnies have Osun Osunniyi, the A-10 tournament MVP. He is one of the best forwards in this year’s tournament. Saint Bonaventure has some solid guard play and good defense, but their discipline is questionable. They also have problems taking care of the ball.
Georgetown is a popular favorite to be one of the No. 12 versus No. 5 seed upsets. The Hoyas are on a four-game winning streak, steam rolling through the Big East playoffs with a huge win over Creighton in the conference championship.
They take on Colorado, an underrated team from the Pac-12. The Buffaloes ended their season on a six-game winning streak until losing a close game by two points to Oregon State. McKinley Wright IV is one of the best players in the Pac-12, averaging 15.5 points per game this season.
Florida State has been questionable recently, only winning three of its last six games. Leonard Hamilton finally gets a chance here to prove his coaching efforts after leading his team to the ACC championship in the previous season.
Freshman guard Scottie Barnes is a projected lottery pick in the NBA draft and Raiquan Gray is a beast in the paint, averaging 12 points per game. UNC Greensboro will struggle to keep up with Florida State’s elite defense and athleticism.
During the West Coast Conference title game, BYU gave Gonzaga a run for its money. The Cougars are led by 7-foot-3 center Matt Haarms and this close loss to arguably the best team in the nation shows what they are capable of in the tournament.
Whether it is UCLA or Michigan State, both teams have solid wins during conference play. Both Tom Izzo and Mick Cronin are solid coaches and could make some noise. The winner of this matchup in the play in game could carry the momentum into the game against BYU.
Texas, the Big 12 conference champions, has one of the best backcourts in the nation with Courtney Ramey, Andrew Jones and Matt Coleman III. They are way too talented to lose in the first round and this team has the roster to take home the title.
UConn vs. Maryland may be the most entertaining No. 7 vs. No. 10 matchup this year. James Bouknight is a talented player for the Huskies averaging 19 points per game. If he can avoid injury and can come prepared to play, UConn should have no trouble beating Maryland.
Nate Oats vs. Rick Pitino. Talk about an entertaining coaching battle.
Alabama is rolling right now. Roll Tide? The biggest question for them is the competition in the SEC. Can their conference be considered elite alongside the Big 10 and Big 12?
Alabama is a fun team to watch with SEC player of the year Herbert Jones. They also have some talented guards in John Petty, Jaden Shackelford and Jahvon Quinerly.
This East region will probably bust the most brackets with solid teams all across the board.
Austin Groft is a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email him at atg5271@psu.edu.
