Monday through Thursday this week, The Blue Zone will be breaking down each region in this year's NCAA tournament. Today we conclude with the East.
The No. 1 Seed: Villanova (32-2, 16-2 in the Big East): Without much fanfare, the Wildcats enter the NCAA tournament on a 15-game win streak and with one of their deepest squads in recent memory. Led by Big East Player of the Year Ryan Arcidiacono, the Big East regular season and tournament champions have an offense that is scoring in a multitude of ways. The Wildcats hit an average of nine 3-pointers per contest with guards Josh Hart and Darrun Hilliard II leading the way at 46.8-percent and 37.8-percent from beyond the arc, respectively.
In the post, senior JayVaughn Pinkston is capable of attacking the basket and hitting midrange jumpers if left open. The biggest knocks on Villanova heading into the tournament are the team’s weak conference schedule and the team’s recent tournament history. After losing as a No. 2 seed in the first weekend last season, the Wildcats will look to make a deep run with their experienced squad this time around.
The other contenders: No. 2 seed Virginia is as good team as any team in the country when healthy. The problem for the Cavaliers remains the health of Justin Anderson—who struggled to shake off the rust in the ACC tournament. If the junior can get back to full strength for the NCAA tournament, Virginia can get enough offense to go with their top-ranked defense and become a serious Final Four threat. Led by Big 12 Player of the Year Buddy Hield, No. 3 seed Oklahoma has flown under the radar all season. The balanced Sooners have been tested all season and have enough size down low to dominate the boards. No. 5 seed Northern Iowa finished the season 30-3 and is led by versatile big man Seth Tuttle. The Panthers have one of the best defenses in the country, but have not been tested to the same extent as some of the other teams in the region
Cinderella: No. 7 seed Michigan State. After suffering a non-conference loss to Texas Southern, many left the Spartans for dead in the water. But Michigan State appears to be slightly under-seeded and enters the tournament coming off of a near-upset of No. 1 seed Wisconsin. Led by head coach Tom Izzo, the Spartans have historically performed well in March and appear to have the team to do so once again.
Seniors Branden Dawson and Travis Trice form a devastating inside-out combo with Dawson capable of being a beast on the boards and Trice capable of heating up from beyond the arc. Junior Denzel Valentine is similarly a player to watch and has a flair for the big moment as evident in his game-winning shot against Ohio State earlier this season. With an experienced squad and legendary coach, Michigan State has what it takes to knock off the Cavaliers en route to the Final Four.
Regional narrative: Question marks. If there’s one region that will cause fans heartache when tracking their brackets, the East could is it. It remains to be seen how Villanova will handle non Big-East opponents and whether the added pressure of March will get to the Wildcats once again. A potential second-round matchup with guard-oriented N.C. State could be make things tough for Villanova. With and without Justin Anderson, Virginia’s offense can be anemic at times, which is generally not the recipe for a deep tournament run. No. 6 seed Providence is led by the dynamic combo of Kris Dunn and LaDontae Henton and will be a tough out, as will 11-seed Dayton, which is coming off a run to the Elite Eight a year ago. Look for the East region to provide a surprise or two during the first two weeks of the tournament.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.