The East Region is loaded with talent and some of the best coaches in all of college basketball. It’s got Jon Scheyer, a rising star in the game, against Rick Pitino, arguably one of the best to ever do it. There is also Tom Izzo, Mr. March himself, vs Dan Hurley, arguably the most dominant coach of the 2020s. This should be a thrilling weekend in DC. Let’s recap the 1st weekend of action.
1st Weekend Action
- Duke beats Siena 71-65: The Blue Devils were down 11 at halftime and rallied all the way back, as Siena only played their starters the whole game and ultimately ran out of gas.
- TCU beats Ohio State 66-64: TCU led by 15 at half and nearly choked the lead, but they held on thanks to some clutch plays.
- St. John’s beats Northern Iowa 79-53: The Johnnies took a 20-3 lead out of the gate and never looked back.
- Kansas beats Cal Baptist 68-60: Cal Baptist was never really in this, despite the score.
- Louisville beats USF 83-79: USF had an awful 30 minutes of play. They tried to come back late and fell just short.
- Michigan State beats NDSU 92-67: Dominant from the start
- UCLA beats UCF 75-71: UCLA led for nearly the entire game, and held on at the end.
- UConn beats Furman 82-71: Furman kept it close early, but UConn took off behind Tarris Reed Jr. putting up 31 points and 27 rebounds.
- 2nd Round
- Duke beats TCU 81-58: TCU kept it close and led multiple times early, but Duke put their foot on the gas late.
- St. John’s beats Kansas 67-65: This was a game of runs. Dylan Darling had a buzzer-beater layup to score his first points of the game, and he won it for SJU
- Michigan State beats Louisville 77-69: Wire-to-wire win for the Spartans. Louisville needed Mikel Brown Jr.
- UConn beats UCLA 73-57: UCLA hung around for most the game, but Alex Karaban put up 27 and killed them late.
Here are the remaining seeds!
- Duke (1)
- UConn (2)
- Michigan State (3)
- St. John’s (5)
The East is the only region where there have been no surprises so far, and there is a real argument that going into the tourney, these were the best 4 squads in the region. Let’s jump into the power rankings and insights.
- Duke: The Blue Devils have looked shaky, but they are still here and are the #1 seed. Duke has now won 13 in a row and they have arguably the best player in Cameron Boozer. Boozer averages 22.4 PPG, 10.3 RPG, and 4.2 APG, leading the team in all 3. He will be the X-Factor for Duke for the rest of the tourney. However, he has his work cut out for him with Big East Player of the Year, Zuby Ejiofor. They will certainly feel the absence of Caleb Foster, as he will not make an appearance for the Blue Devils. These guys also have a high-powered offense, averaging 82.3 PPG, with Boozer leading points, assists, and rebounds in both tourney games.
- St. John’s: The Johnnies are SMOKING hot. They have won 21 of their last 22 games. As mentioned above, Zuby Ejiofor is a monster. He won Big East Player of the Year and is absolutely dominant down low. The Johnnies only allow 69.4 PPG under Rick Pitino’s masterful coaching. There is a serious argument that he is the best coach in all of CBB. However, three coaches in this region could certainly make that argument. St. John’s chances look good, as Zuby and Bryce Hopkins should be able to slow Cam Boozer down. If they can get an Elite 8 matchup with UConn, they have clearly proved they can beat them.
- UConn: Dan Hurley’s Huskies have gotten hot in March, what a surprise. (Not a single person is surprised). Tarris Reed Jr. and Alex Karaban deserve some massive shoutouts for their play in this tourney. In the 1st round, Reed put up 31 points and 27 boards, that is just insanity. Against UCLA in the 2nd round, Karaban put up a career high 27 on 9/16 shooting. As said in the initial preview, Reed must be dominant for the Huskies, and this stays. These guys can play against anyone in the nation, especially with Dan Hurley as their head coach.
- Michigan State: Tom Izzo is Mr. March himself. The man is incredibly efficient and successful in this tournament. He has got his guys rolling, as they have cruised to two easy wins so far. They have the nation’s leader in assists, in Jeremy Fears Jr., who averages 9.4 a game. They also have Jaxon Kohler, who averages 8.9 RPG, which puts him at 36th in the country. They also got Coen Carr, who is a highlight-reel machine. If Carr can get a nasty dunk or block, that could completely shift the game’s momentum. Having guys like this who can make big plays and put up absurd statlines can really make a huge difference in tight games in March.
Predictions
St. John’s upsets Duke: I really like the way Zuby Ejiofor and Bryce Hopkins match up with Cam Boozer. If they can slow him down, Duke is in serious trouble and will need someone like Isaiah Evans to step up and fill those points.
UConn beats Michigan State: The Huskies have really picked up speed since the tourney started, they are so successful in March as a program and I don’t think MSU has the pure talent to pull off the upset.
St. John’s beats UConn: SJU-UConn part 4, DC edition. This would be absolutely ELECTRIC. Both fan bases would be there and be extremely loud. However, I think SJU has UConn’s number as of recent, as shown by the beating they gave in the Big East Tournament Final.
