March Madness: East Preview

East Region

Top Seeds
(1) Villanova
(2) Virginia
(3) Oklahoma
(4) Louisville

Elephant in the room

Can Justin Anderson return to form and lead Virginia to the Final Four?

Through the first half of the season, outside of those guys from Lexington, there was perhaps no better team than Virginia. A big part of that success was junior G/F Justin Anderson, whose diverse skill-set presents an absolute matchup nightmare for opposing teams.

Unfortunately for Anderson and his team, the talented swingman has been plagued by injuries of late, which has limited his ability to help on either end of the floor, especially on the offensive side. While there is still plenty of time for Tony Bennett and his staff to get their star player back in game shape during their opening round bouts, the worries in Virginia are very real.

Although they remain far from a one-trick pony; the Cavs led the nation in defense, allowing a suffocating 50.8 ppg. For an offense that at times leaves much to be desired, not having its 2nd leading scorer (just under 47% from 3) 100% healthy could be all it takes to send the Cavaliers home early.

Dark horses to ride

I've watched Villanova all year long and I feel that they are much better than they sometimes let on. I also disagree with a lot of pundits pointing to Nova as the unquestioned first 1-seed out of the tournament. HOWEVER, when looking for a dark horse in this bracket, (unless you want this whole breakdown to be about the Panthers of Northern Iowa) there is one team that intrigues me and could completely destroy the top of the bracket for the majority of us. That team is the LSU Tigers.

Sporting the nation's 37th best scoring offense (73.7 ppg) and 12th best rebounding (39.2 rpg), the Tigers are an intriguing team that could surprise a lot of folks in March. Overshadowed by the conference's darling Kentucky, the SEC has had a strong 2014-15 despite a down season from perennial tournament team Florida. The Gators loss has been a major gain for the likes of Arkansas and LSU who now, given their potential are looking to cash in.

As seen in its 71-69 loss to Kentucky last month, LSU can play with the best teams in the nation. Unfortunately for them, they've also been known for playing down to the competition and suffering some serious head-scratching losses. Regardless, if the young frontcourt of Jordan Mickey & Jarell Martin can play to their strengths (hit the glass, dominate the low block) and hold off a deeper NC State team, the Tigers (and Wolfpack) are very capable of knocking off Nova and going on a bit of a run.

Player you've likely never heard of...
6'8 F Seth Tuttle, Northern Iowa Panthers

Players that average 15.3 ppg on 62% shooting are welcome on any team but add to that 6.7 rpg & 3.3 apg, and you have yourself one of the more impressive players in the country. The Panthers are a veteran team that has not looked undeserving of its Top-10 billing over the latter part of the season and Seth Tuttle is a major part of that. If the Panthers can string together a deep run in March, expect to see a heavy dose of this big man.


Cinderellas to "Swipe Right" On

Outside of the South bracket, there is no other region capable of seeing more upsets than the East. With top teams struggling of late (Louisville, Virginia) and other perennial tournament contenders lacking their typical abundance of talent (Michigan State), there is a real good chance we could see a couple lesser known schools make a deep run in the region.

Although not the same team as last year, Dayton could be an interesting Cinderella option in the East but their lack of size (no player over 6'6) will limit their opportunity to become a real threat. This makes my Cinderella pick in the East the Panthers of Northern Iowa.

A team with a record of 30-3 is far from your typical Cinderella story, especially when they've spent the last few weeks hovering around the Top-10. Led by senior F Seth Tuttle (see above) and a 5th ranked defense, the Panthers are a real threat to Villanova's high-powered offense. If Northern Iowa can avoid an extended dry-spell on the offensive end, their defense should carry them deep in the East bracket.

Elite Eight Prediction

#2 Virginia vs #5 Northern Iowa

If offense sells tickets and defense wins championships; this game could end up a slugfest being fought in front of a half empty building. 

While both teams are better known for their defense, the Panthers and the Cavs are also efficient scoring teams (UNI ranks 13th nationally from 3). The biggest concern for the Cavaliers is the status of Justin Anderson and its sometimes anemic offense. If they go into a scoring drought late in games, the Cavs could be sent packing long before this game.

All things considered, with the nation's best defense and a group of guys that have been knocking on the door for the past two seasons, I expect Tony Bennett's team to be here and to get the better of the Panthers on its way to the program's first Final Four since 1984.

Virginia 58
Northern Iowa 51

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