Overview
You can make a valid case that you've got the top ACC, SEC and maybe even Big
East team in this region. No. 1 seed North Carolina doesn't have an easy road by
any means with Tennessee on the other side — and also Louisville, one of the
hottest teams over the past month, as the No. 3 seed.
Indiana slipped about as much as anyone — and it'll be interesting to see
if all of the drama involving the Hoosiers' former coach, Kelvin Sampson, took
too much out of guys like D.J. White and Eric Gordon.
Talk about an advantage. South Alabama coach Ronnie Arrow will play No. 7
Butler in nearby Birmingham, and if the Jaguars win that one, they'd get No. 2
Tennessee near home.
Best first-round matchup
No. 8 Indiana
vs. No. 9 Arkansas
— The Hoosiers, in the aftermath of the mess involving Sampson, will go up
against a Razorbacks team that advanced to the SEC title game.
Best potential matchup
No. 1 North
Carolina vs. No.
2 Tennessee — This could be a track meet if it goes down. Both teams
love to play as fast as possible.
Upset special
No. 12 George
Mason over No.
5 Notre Dame — I'm fairly certain that the Patriots have a little bit
of tournament experience after their magical Final Four run two years ago. The
Irish can score with anyone, but they'll need to defend.
Cinderella?
Saint
Joseph's — Phil Martelli is a heck of a coach and he's got a talented
big man in Ahmad Nivins and a versatile forward in Pat Calathes. The Hawks
played well enough down the stretch to secure an at-large bid.
My pick
North
Carolina — Now that Ty Lawson is healthy, the Tar Heels are back. They
struggled in the ACC tournament, but Roy Williams still has a core of Lawson,
Tyler Hansbrough and Wayne Ellington.
Storylines
Indiana interim coach Dan Dakich and whether he can take the Hoosiers far
enough to keep the job on a permanent basis. The Tar Heels' health. Ty Lawson is
still getting back from an ankle injury, Marcus Ginyard is banged up and so is
Deon Thompson. Can George Mason have another magical run?
Five players to watch
Jeff Goodman is a senior college basketball writer for FOXSports.com. He can
be reached at GoodmanonFOX@aol.com
or check out his blog, Good
'N Plenty.