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The East Region is absolutely loaded with top-tier coaching. Jon Scheyer, Rick Pitino, Bill Self, Tom Izzo, Mick Cronin, and Dan Hurley. I could see any of these teams making it out of this region. I would say Duke is going to dominate, but without Caleb Foster, I think they are susceptible to an upset. Here are the seeds!

1. Duke
2. UConn
3. Michigan State
4. Kansas
5. St. John’s
6. Louisville
7. UCLA
8. Ohio State
9. TCU
10. UCF
11. South Florida
12. Northern Iowa
13. Cal Baptist
14. North Dakota State
15. Furman
16. Siena

I could see a ton of chaos going on in this region. Honestly, almost any of these teams are capable of winning some games. Here are my official power rankings for the East.

1. Duke: The Blue Devils are the number 1 overall seed in the tournament and are the favorites to win the whole thing. Duke has a high powered offense, averaging 82.3 PPG. This is carried by Cameron Boozer, one of the best freshman in the country, averaging 22.5 PPG. Duke went 32-2 this season and their only losses were a road loss to UNC, and a neutral court loss vs Texas Tech. The Blue Devils have won 11 in a row, this streak includes wins over Michigan, Virginia 2x, Clemson 2x, and UNC. However, they are missing starting guard Caleb Foster, and this could prove costly in the tourney.
2. St. John’s: The Johnnies are another team who are absolutely rolling. They have won 19 of their last 20 and they absolutely ran through the Big East Tournament, destroying UConn in the finals, 72-52. They have Big East Player of the Year Zuby Ejiofor in the frontcourt, who averages 16.3 PPG and 7.1 RPG. They only allow 70 PPG under the masterful coaching of Rick Pitino, who can out coach anyone in this region.
3. UConn: It’s March, so a Dan Hurley coached team will always be considered dangerous. The Huskies have showed that they can compete at the highest level, with wins over Florida, BYU, Kansas, and St. John’s by 32. However, SJU did win the season series 2-1 and they have the most recent win, hence the ranking order. UConn’s starting 5 is deadly, as all of them average at least 10 PPG. Tarris Reed Jr. must be dominant in order for the Huskies to go far, as he leads the team in points, rebound, and blocks per game.
4. Michigan State: The Spartans are led by Tom Izzo, who is a great coach, especially in the month of March. Michigan State has the nation’s leader in assists per game, with Jeremy Fears Jr, who averages 9.2 per game. They also have Jaxon Kohler, who is ranked 34th in nation in rebound, with 9.0 a game. Kohler has also caught his 3 point stroke as of recent. Players like this can completely change the game, and MSU has two of them. State is also an extremely strong rebounding team, as they are ranked 26th in the country with 39.8 a game. If Sparty can dominate the glass, other teams may be in trouble.
5. Kansas: The Jayhawks have flashed some major potential this year, but they have also had some head scratchers. The pure athleticism and talent of these guys is enough of a threat. Darryn Peterson is a huge factor, as he averages nearly 20 PPG, but he has missed significant time due to injury. If Peterson is healthy, watch out. The Jayhawks have wins over Tennessee, Iowa State, BYU, Texas Tech, and Arizona. However, they lost to UC at home and @ Arizona State by double digits. Which Kansas team will we see in March?
6. UCLA: The Bruins have hit their stride at the perfect time, winning 6 of their last 8. During this stretch, they beat Nebraska by 20, Illinois, and Michigan State. Mick Cronin also has experience making a run like this. He took UCLA from the First 4 to the Final 4. They were a Jalen Suggs buzzer beater prayer away from the National Championship. Similar to Kansas, the pure talent and athleticism that UCLA possesses can cause problems by itself.
7. Louisville: The Cardinals are a very talented team, when healthy. The backcourt of Ryan Conwell, Isaac McKneely, J’vonne Hadley, and Mikel Brown Jr is lethal. However, Brown’s health is in question and if they happen to be missing 18 PPG, they are in trouble. However, if that squad can stay out of injury trouble they are dangerous.
8. TCU: The Horned Frogs are rolling, as they have won 9 of their last 11. This run includes wins over Texas Tech, Iowa State, and a HOT UC team. David Punch will have to be on point, as he scored a season high 26 against Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Quarterfinals. Their first round matchup is a coin flip against Ohio State, and the winner could give Duke some real trouble.
9. Ohio State: The Buckeyes are another team who is absolutely rolling as of recent, having won 4 in a row before narrowly falling to Michigan in the Big 10 Quarterfinals. Bruce Thornton, the Buckeye’s all time leading scorer, finally gets a chance to play in the tournament and I know he will leave it all out there. As said above, their matchup with TCU is a toss-up and the winner will give Duke problems.
10. South Florida: The Bulls are extremely dangerous, they are 2nd in the nation in rebounds per game with 42.7. They are also 11th in the nation in steals per game with 8.8. On top of that, they have won 11 games in a row and dominated the American. They can also score the ball with ease, averaging 87.7 PPG. The Bulls have 5 guys averaging double figures and have plenty of depth. Louisville may be in trouble in the first round.
11. UCF: The Knights are STRUGGLING. They limped into the tourney, losing 4 of their last 5. They still have the talent and ability to score the ball and win games, as they score 81 PPG. However, I just really don’t see it for the Knights, unless they can catch a heater and win some games.
12. Cal Baptist: Cal Baptist could prove trouble for Kansas, they have the 5th highest scorer in the nation in Dominique Daniels Jr, who averages 23.2 PPG. They have won 6 in a row. They are also 21st in the country in rebounds per game, with 39.9. They also have a decent amount of height, including a 7 footer in Bradey Henige.
13. Northern Iowa: The Panthers are ranked 363rd in adjusted tempo, so they love to slow down the game. They also allow the least points per game in the entire country, with a whopping 61.3. These guys can defend at a high level and if they can take control of the pace, they are dangerous. However, if they can’t slow down St. John’s, they will be out early.
14. North Dakota State: The Bison love to score the ball, averaging 80.7 points a game. They are decent at limiting turnovers, only putting up 10.8 a game. This puts them at 109th in the nation. I honestly don’t see NDSU doing anything, they shoot nearly 26 threes a game and only make 36.5% of them. They would have to go nuclear from 3 to have a shot at MSU.
15. Furman: The Paladins ran through the SoCon as a 6 seed. They hope to carry this underdog mindset into their matchup with UConn. They are one of the tallest teams in the country, and they can score the ball. They average 76.5 points per game on 47.6% from the field. With all the height, they are obviously a strong rebounding team. UConn can’t look ahead past this matchup, they must handle business.
16. Siena: The Saints won the MAAC. They play ten guys deep and have plenty of fresh legs. They are a solid team who won their way in here, but they play Duke first round. They are outmatched in every category. The Saints unfortunately have little to no chance of advancing.

Sweet 16 Predictions

Here is who I expect to see in the Sweet 16 in DC next weekend.

#1 Duke vs #5 St. John’s

#11 South Florida vs #7 UCLA

Duke and SJU are self-explanatory. For USF, I really like how well they rebound the ball and force turnovers against an Louisville/MSU team who struggles at times. For UCLA, I see them winning due to the fact that they are on a roll, and UConn has looked shaky against some teams they should have beaten handily. Also, the Big East Championship explains itself.