Jay Bilas reacts to major upsets in the East Region of the NCAA Tournament

The NCAA Tournament is as unpredictable as any way that any sport determines its champion. However, regardless of how you may have filled out your bracket this season, Jay Bilas thinks it would have been pretty difficult to guess how things have actually played out in this year’s East Region.

In Bilas’ mind, though, the region’s No. 3 and No. 4 seeds, and, to some degree, its No. 7 and No. 9 seeds, can thank their No. 1 seed Purdue and their No. 2 seed Marquette for their opportunities. Considering how badly the Boilermakers flamed out from a historical standpoint and how Michigan State eliminated the Golden Eagles, he thinks it has given Kansas State and Tennessee a genuinely great shot at making a Final Four.

“The East region is upside down, primarily, because Purdue inexplicably lost to a 16-seed,” Bilas said on SportsCenter on Monday. “(It’s) only the second time in history that has happened. One seeds against 16s are 150-2 since 1985 when the tournament expanded to 64 teams. So that opened up the entire bracket.”

“And then Marquette, as the 2-seed, losing in the second round? Now we’ve got a chance where Tennessee has to feel really good about its chances to make a Final Four. They’re more physical than Florida Atlantic. And I think they should be heavily favored in that game,” said Bilas. “And then I think it really opens it up for Kansas State. The three and the four seeds? They have, I think, a great path to a Final Four that was opened up by both Marquette and Purdue losing.”

Kansas State earned its spot in the Sweet 16 with an opening-round win over Montana State. Then they put on a big-time performance against Kentucky to make it to Madison Square Garden. Now, they are the highest seed remaining and have the chance to make their first Final Four since 1964.

Tennessee, a program that has never made a Final Four, first escaped Louisiana in the Round of 64. After that, they made a major statement against Duke in the Round of 32. Many counted them out as a No. 4 seed following the injury to Zakai Zeigler late in the season. Even so, this might now be Rick Barnes’ best chance of making it to a national semifinal in Knoxville.

Still, if this region has taught us anything so far? Don’t count out the underdogs. Michigan State and FAU have just as good of a chance as the Wildcats or Vols to advance past the Sweet 16 or Elite 8 to leave New York with a Final Four bid. In hindsight, though, Bilas made sure to emphasize how this also does come back to the fact that Purdue and Marquette, and, to a lesser degree, blue bloods in Duke and Kentucky, didn’t capitalize on their opportunities to earn a spot in Houston.