The East Region is one of, if not the most difficult region in this year’s NCAA Tournament. This region is definitely up for grabs.
There’s always a region that provides us with a handful of teams that have just as good of a chance to make it out as the next team. This year the East Region features teams like Texas Tech, West Virginia, Purdue and Wichita State. The region also includes two teams in West Virginia and Butler that according to the BPI, are actually under-seeded.
This region is going to be a lot of fun. Just about every game on the slate is a can’t miss contest. Here’s what you need to know for this region.
Who’s the No. 1 seed?
Villanova has been granted the No. 1 seed in the East Region. The Wildcats finished the regular season with a record of 30-4 (14-4 Big East). They have the most prolific offense in college basketball scoring 87.1 point per game. Led by Jalen Brunson and possible lottery pick Mikal Bridges the Wildcats aren’t short on star power.
If Villanova does have flaws in their game it comes on the defensive end. They say the best defense is a good offense, and that’s how they operate. They’re 141st in the country in points allowed per game, and 168th in rebounds per game.
They’ll go as far as Bridges and Brunson take them. So long as they don’t run into a team that gets hot from the floor, you should see them in the Sweet 16 and beyond.
Who’s on upset alert?
This is probably going to sound cliché, but if you want to know who’s going to be on upset alert then look no further than a No. 12-seed against a No. 5-seed. Only four times since 1985 has a No. 12 seed failed to beat a No. 5 seed.
In the East Region, West Virginia is the No. 5 seed and they’ll take on Murray State. Press Virginia as they’re nicknamed is going to have their hands full with the Racers who like to let it fly from downtown. They’re among the best in the country at shooting the 3, at 38 percent on the season, but they also defend the 3 very well.
Led by a trio of excellent players in Jonathan Stark, Terrell Miller Jr. and Ja Morant the Racers should be up for this challenge. As long as they don’t turn the ball over they should be there at the end of this game.
West Virginia lost in the first weekend of the tournament three of their last five appearances. They haven’t won their opening game by more than eight points in any of their last five appearances. This game will be close and could see the Mountaineers going home early.
Player to watch
This one is a no-brainer. Alabama point guard Collin Sexton is without a doubt the one guy in this region you’ll want to keep your eye on. Sexton propelled the Crimson Tide into the tournament with his game-winning bucket against Texas A&M in the first round of the SEC Tournament.
Even though Alabama was a bubble team for basically the majority of the season, that didn’t stop Sexton from absolutely dominating the conference. He averaged just under 20 points per game and is a dynamic off-the-dribble creator.
Who could forget the most memorable game of the season when Alabama took on Minnesota with three players? Yes, you read that right. Alabama had to play the last 10 minutes of the game with three players after the rest of their team either fouled out, got hurt or was ejected after a fight broke out.
Sexton almost single-handedly brought the team back with only two teammates to help him. He finished the game with 40 points on 22 shots, and Alabama used a 26-16 run to cut their deficit to three points. During the SEC Tournament he scored at least 21 points in all three of their games, and almost single-handedly outscored Auburn in the second half of their matchup.
If you blink you might miss him.
Team to watch
You should definitely keep your eye on Wichita State, because you can’t take them for granted. That being said the one team you have to watch is Texas Tech.
When their star guard Keenan Evans is healthy they are a top-10 team in the country. Evans suffering from turf toe to end the season ruined their chances of winning the Big 12, and dethroning the Jayhawks. There good news from Lubbock though, is Evans looks to be getting healthy at the right time.
After scoring only six points against Kansas back in February and not playing against West Virginia the following game, Evans has been back to form. He scored 23 points against TCU on March 3, and then 25 against Texas the following week.
With help from Zhaire Smith and Jarrett Culver the Red Raiders are a great defensive team, and has the potential to find themselves in the Elite Eight if they play up to the standard the set in the middle of the season.
Predicted Winner
Even with guys like Collin Sexton or teams like Wichita State and Texas Tech, I still like the Villanova Wildcats to come out of this region.
That being said Villanova has only made it out of the first weekend once in their past six appearances in the tournament. The one time they made it out though was in 2016 when they beat North Carolina in the National Championship.
Next: NCAA Tournament: 5 biggest snubs
Their prone to losing when they shouldn’t, and that includes last season when they lost to Wisconsin in the second round last year. Hopefully they’ve learned from their past failures, and can put together another run in the tournament this season.
This is March Madness though, anything can happen.