East Region Preview

As we approach the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, Mr. T will preview one region each day.

The Favorite: Pittsburgh – The Panthers have been one of my favorite teams to watch all year. They play a consummate team game, they hit the boards hard, and they have three guys (Fields, Young, and Blair) who are reliable when the game is on the line. They lack a genuine outside shooter, but there are plenty of players who have the ability to shoot from outside. Don’t get worried about the loss to West Virginia. I’m convinced they didn’t give 100% because their eyes are on the national tournament title and not the Big East tournament title this year. Their trip to Detroit will only be derailed if the opponent manages to get DeJuan Blair in foul trouble. Villanova was able to do it once before, can they do it again?

The Main Challenger: Villanova – Nova fell flat on their face in the second half of Friday’s contest with Louisville. They shouldn’t feel too bad because that’s happened to everyone Louisville has taken on in the last two months. The Wildcats have the benefit of playing two home games in Philly before a possible matchup with a Duke team that’s known to be a little soft. That’s just how Jay Wright’s team likes em.

The Sleeper: UCLA – The East shapes up as a pretty weak bracket with not too many teams that I’m in favor of. Is it possible to call a team that has made four straight Final Fours a sleeper? The Bruins have tournament experience and as good a coach as there is out there. If they can beat Nova, in what amounts to a semi-road game, and Duke, wouldn’t that matchup between Howland and his former team be quite newsworthy?

First Round Upset: Portland State – Xavier has only won half of its last ten games and Portland State has the resume win of Gonzaga on the road. I’m not sure I’m fully on board, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they pulled it off.