Three Man Weave: NCAA Men’s Basketball East Region Preview

Time to review what we learned from the East Region so far in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament and what to look forward to this weekend.

Music to listen to: South Side of the Sky by Yes

 

-Credit has to be given to the two best coaches in the country in working with young talent.  Seeing Ohio State and Kentucky in the Sweet 16 shouldn’t be surprising but the jobs that Thad Matta and John Calipari do isn’t as easy as expected.

They’ve found a way to take advantage of the current system of college players being able to leave after one season for the NBA better than any other programs.

The Buckeyes use the balance of having one elite freshman like Greg Oden and now Jared Sullinger along with top role players such as this year’s squad with Jon Diebler, Aaron Craft, etc.

Calipari has the art of utilizing freshmen point guards down to a science.  Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans, John Wall and now Brandon Knight have all been freshman point guards who have lead Calipari teams to at least the Sweet 16, with Rose making a National Championship game and Wall making the Elite Eight.  How far can Knight take them?

-The Syracuse has to begin questioning if it should be considered an elite program.  Since winning the National Championship in 2003, Syracuse has been to the Sweet 16 only twice and lost both of their first contests in that part of the Tournament, not even making the Elite Eight.

Jim Boeheim is still a very good coach and the face of Syracuse basketball but more should be expected from that top program.

This year, they lost to Marquette in the Round of 32.

-Fan of Georgia should enjoy the good times now.  The Bulldogs received their first at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament since 2002 and proceeded to lose in their first game to Washington.

This offseason will serve as either a highlight to the struggling program or the start of something big.  The reason for this that their three best players, guard Travis Leslie along with forwards Trey Tompkins and Marcus Thornton are all eligible to leave for the NBA Draft.

If all three players leave, the Bulldogs may regress back to a program that usually finishes .500 or worse.  However, if all three come back, than you’re looking at a preseason top-15 program nationally and hopes to win its first regular-season conference title since 1990 may not be far off.

-It was great to see the Long Island Blackbirds on the main stage.  As a Brooklynite, I was proud to see the Blackbirds win the Northeastern Conference Tournament too make their first NCAA Tournament since 1995.  I used to take high school courses on the campus so I’m familiar with the area.  I know that they got destroyed by North Carolina but its nice to see a mid-major team that you followed as a kid do well as an adult.

-Why doesn’t Buzz Williams get more love nationally?  I know that Marquette has lost a lot of close games the past few years that has weakened the national profile but the Golden Eagles have looked excellent so far in the NCAA Tournament by easily handling Xavier and coming from behind to beat Syracuse.  Some were questioning if the Golden Eagles should even make the Tournament and now their two games away from the Final Four.

On to the matchups:

Kentucky vs. Ohio State: This is one of those games where you know you will be seeing at least four or five future NBA players on the court at the same time, so the quality of play should be high.  If Kentucky can push the ball and quicken the pace, than the Wildcats will have an excellent chance to advance.  Knight and Terrance Jones are excellent players but this may be the first time all season where Kentucky not having the services of Enes Kanter will hurt the most.

Pick: Ohio State

North Carolina vs. Marquette: The Golden Eagles have made a good run and will play hard but the talent of the Tar Heels will be too much to handle.  If North Carolina was still using Larry Drew III as point guard, I wouldn’t be hesitant to take a chance with Marquette.  However, since freshman Kendall Marshall has taken over that spot, UNC has been playing like a top-five team nationally.  Expect Harrison Barnes to continue his late season strong play for the Tar Heels as well.

 

Pick: North Carolina

 

Region winner:  North Carolina