March Madness is back. We will have 4 regions of 16 teams, culminating in 4 winners. Those 4 winners will be known as the Final 4. From there we play 3 games. After the 3rd game? We will crown a CHAMPION. There’s a lot to digest, so let me help. To start, I’m going to give you the preview of the East region.
Favorite
In the East region, the 1 seed, Michigan, has the 4th best odds to win the National Championship at +650. Those odds are going to be tough to achieve with the status of All-Big 10 guard Isaiah Livers out with a foot injury. However, this region does feel pretty open to just about anyone.
Teams to Watch
Texas
The Longhorns are the 3 seed and boast a quiet, but solid resume. Senior leadership from Matt Coleman and Jericho Sims is what the Longhorns will need to rely on.
Occasionally, there are storylines that might hold weight to some people and Texas has two that will loom large. First, this will be the 10 year anniversary of Shaka Smart taking his VCU team to the Final Four. Second, the leading scorer for the Longhorns, Andrew Jones, is now about 2 years removed from a bout with Leukemia that he absolutely dunked on. There will be no shortage of “poster board material” for Texas in the tournament.
Florida State
The Seminoles have length. Only a few rostered players are under 6 foot 5 inches. What makes that even more dangerous for opponents is having 7 players average 19 minutes a game and 2 more with at least 14 minutes a contest.
Leonard Hamilton has built a culture in Tallahassee that is finally culminating into a lot of success. A win percentage of 63% in his 19 seasons at Florida State, Hamilton signed a contract extension less than 3 weeks ago, he and his team have something to prove.
Sleeper Teams
UConn
After an injury slowed him down during the season, UConn’s 6 foot 5 inch guard, James Bouknight has played 14 games including the conference tournament. He’s dropped 20+ in half his games. UCOnn was a 7 seed when they won their last national championship in 2014. I don’t believe they’ll contend for a a championship, but they have a chance to make some noise due to their length and a healthy Bouknight. They matchup well with 2 seed Alabama who they could face to go to the Sweet 16.
LSU
Potent offense. Not only are they efficient, but they’re fast paced. A very new age offense is being run in Baton Rouge. They’re the 8th best offense in the country and can just about outscore anybody. A heartbreaking SEC championship game loss to Alabama is going to have the Tigers motivated. With All-Big 10 guard, Isaiah Livers, tournament in question, the Eye of the Tiger will be on the second weekend of the tournament.
Players to Watch
McKinley Wright, Colorado
The small statured guard will be playing his 130th game on Saturday afternoon. As a 4 year started for Colorado, he’s a career 46% shooter and is currently 6th on Colorado’s all-time scoring list. Coming off an All-American Honorable Mention, Wright will be looking to solidify himself among the Colorado Buffalo greats with a possible deep run into March.
Osun Osunniyi, St. Bonaventure
With arms almost 6 inches longer than back-to-back NBA MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Osun is intimidating. Despite his stick-like figure, Osun has every intangible you could want. Couple that with a playing style that would make Dennis Rodman proud and you have a diamond in the rough. The Bonnies only run 6 players deep so playing a fast paced LSU could be an issue, but regardless you’ll see Osun, shine.
First Round Upset
Michigan State was able to sneak into a play-in game against UCLA. I’d take either team to beat BYU, but something about Tom Izzo in March is calling. A team led by Aaron Henry and Joshua Langford could easily turn their play in game to a couple more games. Marquette transfer Joey Hauser and Rocket Watts add to a team that was the victim of the strength of the Big 10 this season.
Winner
This region is as open as Taco Bell for fourth meal. However, Florida State is not only the strongest, but could benefit from any chaos that we may see in the region. Six of the last eight National Champions did NOT win their conference tournament. With a heartbreaking loss on Saturday night to Georgia Tech, their depth, and Leonard Hamilton at the helm, the Seminoles will be dancing into the first weekend in April.