KSR's NCAA Tournament East Region Preview

Kentucky is back in the NCAA Tournament and it feels oh so good. The Wildcats are two wins away from taking a trip to Philadelphia. Before they begin their quest for No. 9, let’s break down what the East Region has to offer in the most ridiculous manner possible.

The Bracket

The Schedule

Tuesday

• 9:10 PM | truTV | Dayton: No. 12 Indiana (-4) vs. No. 12 Wyoming

Thursday

• 2:00 PM | TBS | Fort Worth: No. 1 Baylor (-20.5) vs. No. 16 Norfolk State
• 4:30 PM | TBS | Fort Worth: No. 8 North Carolina (-3) vs. No. 9 Marquette
• 7:10 PM | CBS | Indianapolis: No. 2 Kentucky (-17) vs. No. 15 Saint Peter’s
• 7:20 PM | TBS | Portland: No. 5 Saint Mary’s vs. No. 12 Wyoming/Indiana
• 9:40 PM | CBS | Indianapolis: No. 7 Murray State (+1.5) vs. No. 10 San Francisco
• 9:50 PM | TBS | Portland: No. 4 UCLA (-14) vs. No. 13 Akron

Friday

• 2:00 PM | TBS | Milwaukee: No. 3 Purdue (-16.5) vs. No. 14 Yale
• 4:30 PM | TBS | Milwaukee: No. 6 Texas (-1) vs. No. 11 Virginia Tech

The East Region Favorite(s)

According to our friends at DraftKings, Baylor and Kentucky are each +200 to make the Final Four. UCLA and Purdue are not far behind, each at +450 to make it to New Orleans. The odds shake up for the National Championship. Florida (06-07) is the only team to defend a National Title since Duke in the early 90s. That is probably why the Wildcats are currently 8-1 to win the title, while the Bears are 12-1.

Final Four Experience

Kentucky evaded potential matchups with all but one Top 10 KenPom defense, Saint Mary’s. What this region lacks in defense, it makes up for in experience. Two 2021 Final Four teams are in the East, each in the top half of the bracket.

One-seeded Baylor lost its top three scorers from the 2021 National title team, and their depth took a significant hit when Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua suffered a season-ending knee injury in the spring. Adam Flagler, LJ Cryer and Matthew Mayer logged legitimate minutes a year ago and now combine to average just over 37 points per game.

UCLA returned its big three — Tyger Campbell, Jaime Jacquez and Johnny Juzang — from its improbable First Four to Final Four run as an 11-seed. Juzang scored 137 points for the Bruins, the second-most in UCLA NCAA Tournament history, eclipsing 20 points in four games. The trio accounts for 54.3% of UCLA’s points scored this season.

The Worst Defense in the East Region

Purdue has the best offense in the bracket and one of the worst defense’s. Still, No. 100 is not the worst defense in the East Region. Their first round opponent, Yale, is No. 103 in defensive efficiency. Over 142.5 points in this matchup feels like a first round lock.

For those keeping tabs at home, Akron is No. 146 in defensive efficiency, despite only allowing 64.2 points per game, ranking 29th nationally.

Murderer’s Row of Mascots

College basketball mascots are the best. They do not disappoint in the East Region. The Indiana Hoosiers, Akron Zips and San Francisco Dons are one of a kind, yet they can’t crack into the top two. Sorry, Purdue Pete, there’s a new Peacock in town. The Saint Peter’s Peacocks and Peahens have a beautiful, unnamed teal turkey on the sideline.

Saint Peter's unveiled a new Peacock mascot in 2016 with much fanfare. pic.twitter.com/tpeL1KbQPQ

— Nick Roush (@RoushKSR) March 13, 2022

The other saint-school in the East Region, Saint Mary’s, brings an even more awkward mascot to the court, Gael Force One. It’s a sight you can’t unsee.

Blast to the Past

Two obscure double-digit seeds have remarkable NCAA Tournament pasts. The San Francisco Dons are making just their second NCAA Tournament appearance in the last 40 years, joining the Big Dance for the first time since 1998. They won back-to-back National Championships in 1955 and 56 with Bill Russell averaging 20+ points and rebounds per game. His supporting cast returned to the Final Four the year after he departed in 1957.

Norfolk State has punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament in consecutive seasons as back-to-back MEAC champs. Their only other appearance was a memorable one. They played spoiler as a 15-seed in 2012, taking down second-seeded Missouri 86-84 in one of the greatest upsets in NCAA Tournament history. Kyle O’Quinn was the star for the Spartans, finishing with 26 points and 14 rebounds, and scoring a late put-back to give Norfolk State the lead for good. The 6-foot-10 center is featured in plenty of March Madness promos, but his success didn’t end there. He spent eight seasons in the NBA as a backup center until COVID-19 effectively ended his career in 2020.

Potential Upsets

Basketball fans across the Commonwealth are penciling in a Murray State-Kentucky matchup in the second round, but don’t rule out San Francisco. The Dons have a top 50 offense, a top 20 defense and a couple of senior guards that can light up opponents. Jamaree Bouyea averages 16.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game, while Khalil Shabazz is scoring 14 a game. Each player shoots better than 35% from behind the three-point line.

Everybody in your bracket pool will likely pick ACC Tournament Champion Virginia Tech to take down Texas. Even though Indiana is no friend to the BBN, if they make it out of Dayton the Hoosiers could go on a nice little run and challenge UCLA to reach the Sweet 16.

East Region Prediction: Cats by 90

Is there any other choice? Don’t think so.