2016 March Madness – East region

(1) North Carolina vs (16) FGCU:

It seems as if North Carolina has finally grown into the team many thought they could be in the preseason. Hitting their stride towards the end of the ACC regular season and into the tournament, the Tar Heels are poised for a Final Four run. Dunk City return? The Florida Gulf Coast Eagles are back in the big dance three years after their Sweet 16 run as a 15 seed. Unfortunately, the Eagles are matched up against a Roy Williams squad and will most likely be making travel plans back home at halftime. I see senior forward Brice Johnson having no trouble creating offense and getting his team into the second round. Winner: North Carolina

(8) USC vs (9) Providence:

Providence is led by two star seniors in Kris Dunn and Ben Bentil. Dunn is widely labeled as the best point guard in the nation and forward Ben Benti is averaging over 21 ppg for the Friars. USC is led by former FGCU head coach Andy Enfield (The coach of Dunk City). This year, Enfield’s Trojans are a fast-paced team with every starter averaging double-digit scoring. USC has gone 3-7 in its last 10 games, and even with their 81 ppg, the Friars’ star power and athleticism will take over in Raleigh and propel them into the next round. Winner: Providence

(5) Indiana vs (12) Chattanooga:

After being ousted in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals, the fifth-seeded Hoosiers look to get that sour taste out of their mouths and start their tourney with a win. Indiana is led by dynamic senior guard Yogi Ferrell, a fearless player who shoots the ball at will. Ferrell’s name is already in the history books in many statistical categories as a Hoosier, but this March, he and his team are looking for a deep run. For that to happen, Indiana will have to get past a trendy upset pick in the Chattanooga Mocs. Justin Tuoyo is a player to watch: the SoCon Defensive Player of the Year is a great rim protector and shot blocker who can get to the free throw line and keep his team in striking distance. For this game to be close, Tuoyo and the Mocs will have to contain Ferrell and attack the paint. I expect Indiana to start slow but catch their stride and beat the Mocs in a close one. Winner: Indiana

(4) Kentucky vs (13) Stony Brook:

Perhaps the hottest team right now, the Wildcats, led by John Calipari, are right where they usually are in March: eyeing another Final Four appearance. In the SEC tournament final, 5’8” Kentucky guard Tyler Ulis put on a clinic in all facets of the game, scoring 30 points in an overtime victory against the top-seeded Texas A&M Aggies. After losing seven players to the NBA Draft last year, the Wildcats have reloaded again with tremendous young talent and veteran big man Alex Poythress, who missed last year’s run with a torn ACL. The Wildcats will face off against the Stony Brook Seawolves, who won the American East Conference tournament and earned their first-ever NCAA tournament bid. The Seawolves are led by 6’8” big man Jameel Warney, who tallied 43 points in the AEC title game. Along with Warney’s offensive prowess, the Seawolves boast the nation’s 12th most efficient defense. If Warney can stay hot, I see this game being close early, but Ulis and the Wildcats have too much talent to bow out in the first round. Winner: Kentucky

(6) Notre Dame vs (11) Michigan:

After a memorable Elite Eight run last season and nearly taking down the once-undefeated Kentucky Wildcats, the Fighting Irish are hoping to build off of that. The Irish are coming off of an interesting ACC tournament. In the quarterfinals, trailing 16 points against Duke with a little more than 10 minutes left in the game, veterans Zach Auguste and Demetrius Jackson willed their team to a 84-79 overtime win. The next day, the Irish were absolutely throttled by North Carolina, 78-47. Notre Dame could not hold onto the ball and the Tar Heels were men playing with boys that night. However, this Irish team has always had a bounce back mentality, rarely losing two games in a row. In order to beat Zak Irvin and Michigan, Notre Dame has to find its shooting touch and definitely clean up the turnover issue lately if they don’t want their luck to run out. Michigan barely beat a lousy Tulsa team in the last play-in-game Wednesday. I see the Irish winning a high-scoring game on Friday night. Winner: Notre Dame

(3) West Virginia vs (14) Stephen F. Austin:

Known as “Press Virginia” due to their constant backcourt pressure, the Mountaineers have great depth and tremendous guard play. Point guard Jaysean Paige and forward Devin Williams have led this team through a rugged Big 12 schedule and a near tournament championship. West Virginia has, in my opinion, the toughest first-round matchup a three seed can have in the Southland champion S.F Austin Lumberjacks. The Lumberjacks are on a 20-game winning streak and no matter what league you play in, that should scare Bob Huggins’s club. SFA is led by senior forward Thomas Walkup, who averages nearly 18 ppg. The ‘Jacks are a very efficient team who many think were underseeded. As much as I would love to see this team stage a run, I see them running into a WVU team that will show them a speed they haven’t seen in the Southland Conference. Winner: West Virginia

(7) Wisconsin vs (10) Pittsburgh:

Senior forward Nigel Hayes has emerged as one of the premiere players in the Big 10 this year, averaging 16.3 points a game. Alongside Hayes is Bronson Koenig, a steady shooter who has stepped up this year as an upperclassman. The Pittsburgh Panthers are a team that battled their way into the field of 68 with a hard-nosed mentality. In the ACC tournament, the Panthers got by Syracuse and sealed their ticket to the dance. I was impressed by the play of Pitt’s frontcourt in that game, headlined by 6’9” junior Michael Young and 6’7” Jamel Artis. Pitt plays very tough defense and Wisconsin has been suspect to poor shooting at times. If the Panthers can get enough offense, I believe they’ll knock off the Badgers, a team who just lost to Nebraska. Winner: Pittsburgh

(2) Xavier vs (15) Weber State:

Xavier has been a recent staple in the NCAA tournament, but they haven’t been able to get over the Sweet 16 hump and advance as far into the tourney as many expect of them. This No. 2 seed is the highest in Xavier history. Xavier’s lineup is extremely deep, as six players average over 9 points per game. The Big Sky champion Weber State Wildcats come in as one of the nation’s best two-point shooting teams, at 55 percent. The Wildcats also know how to get to the free-throw line, as they rank fourth in the country in that category. I see Xavier coming out on top in this one, however, because of their depth and tournament experience. Winner: Xavier

Team that will disappoint: Notre Dame

Although it pains me to say this, being a die-hard Irish fan, I just don’t see this team replicating last year’s performance. For one, Jerian Grant and Pat Connaughton have departed and are now in the NBA. Those two players were the reason why Notre Dame even made it to the Elite Eight. The Irish still have surging big man Zach Auguste and quicksilver guard Demetrius Jackson, but Jackson’s play as of late has not given much room for optimism in this tough East Region. Normally a tremendous protector of the ball, Jackson’s recent turnover struggles have killed his team. Notre Dame is one of the most offensively efficient teams in the nation when they are spreading the floor and finding open shooters. In the first 25 games of the season, Notre Dame averaged nine turnovers per game. But in the last seven contests, the Irish have turned it over an average of 12 times per game, most recently with 18 against Duke and 17 against North Carolina. Yikes. If the Irish have any hopes of advancing past the first weekend, they need to cut down on the turnovers and play free.

Sleeper team: Stephen F. Austin

Winning is contagious, and the Lumberjacks have done nothing but that for the past two years. Since 2014, the Jacks are 59-1 in conference play. Even with the poor competition in the Southland Conference, the Lumberjacks have what it takes to ruin the Mountaineers’ night. On defense, the Jacks are known for forcing turnovers and often times switching up their defensive scheme to fluster opponents. The “big man” on this team is 6’4”, 195-pound senior Thomas Walkup. Walkup is a matchup nightmare because of his speed and unique variety of post moves. Shooting 64 percent from inside the arc, Walkup is efficient in scoring as well as getting to the charity stripe. West Virginia is the second-best team in the nation in creating turnovers. The first? That’s right, the Lumberjacks. SFA will be ready for the full-court press, as they often run it themselves. If the Jacks can get enough firepower from Walkup, then I believe they can pull off the upset. Although I picked WVU to win, this is a team that can keep to their winning ways and pull off a few upsets.

East region champion: North Carolina

Yes, I know, I’m going with the one seed; how boring of me, right? However, I can tell you why the Tar Heels are my favorite to come out of the East Region and make the Final Four. First of all, Roy Williams will have his guys playing at an elite level. Fresh off of ACC regular season and tournament championships, North Carolina is ready for a deep run. With senior guard Marcus Paige regaining his shooting stroke and Brice Johnson creating offense whenever he sees the ball, the Heels are the team to be feared in the East. When Paige is on, this team is virtually unstoppable (see the ACC tournament) and when he’s off, North Carolina is still more than capable of reaching the Final Four.