2010 NCAA Tournament Bracket Breakdown: East Region

Like Kansas, Kentucky got a tough draw. West Virginia is the best two seed, and most believe they should have been a one. Temple and Wisconsin are both teams that could give the Cats trouble. This might be the most balanced of the brackets, as I doubt a Sweet 16 run by Washington or Cornell would surprise anyone.

If the brackets had themes, the theme of the East is team play. Many of the best teams in the teams in this region thrive due to their system as opposed to one or two stars players.

So with that in mind, let's take a look at the East Region:



Final Four Favorite: Kentucky Wildcats

We all know the flaws the Wildcats. They are young. They are inexperienced. They are immature. They can't shoot. But if there a team in the country with more raw talent than Kentucky, than an NBA team is playing in the tournament. When they are playing well, John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins are both unstoppable. Patrick Patterson is an all-american and more than willing to be a glue guy for this team. Eric Bledsoe would probably average 15 and 6 assists if he was playing on any other teams. They have size and athleticism on the bench. Perhaps the best thing I can say about the Wildcats is that they have shown they are able to win a tight game. This team will be an interesting one to watch.


And if they lose?: West Virginia Mountaineers

Is there a team playing with more confidence than the Eers right now? West Virginia is a difficult matchup for pretty much any team. At any given time, they will have four guys on the court that are between 6'7"-6'9" that can shoot, can score in the post, and can get an offensive rebound. They are tough, physical, and aggressive. They are getting much more out of their point guard at this point in the season, and Da'Sean Butler seems destined to be this year's March hero. I'm sure there are going to be quite a few people that pick WVU over Kentucky.


Sweet 16 Sleeper (10 or lower): Cornell Big Red and Washington Huskies

Cornell seems like the obvious choice here. The Big Red didn't play an overly difficult schedule, but they did beat both Alabama and UMass on the road, while also outplaying Kansas for 36 minutes at the Phog. But is it really a good sign when people are saying the reason you have a chance to be an NCAA Tournament cinderella story is a close loss? Cornell runs an efficient offense and execute as well as anyone in the country. They have size inside, a star point guard, and a big time shooter and scorer. But they can't defend and are as athletic as a DIII team.

Washington was a consensus top 25 team in the preseason and many had the Huskies in the top 10. For a myriad of reasons, the Huskies struggled this season -- defensive intensity, poor shot selection, high expectations for Abdul Gaddy. But the bottom line is that U-Dub has two stars in Quincy Pondexter and Isaiah Thomas and is coming into the tournament playing as well as they have all season.


Final Four Sleeper (5 or lower): Marquette Golden Eagles and Texas Longhorns

Like West Virginia, part of what makes Marquette so good is how difficult they are to match-up with. The Golden Eagles run an interesting system, spreading the floor and allowing their talented back court to drive and kick. Lazar Hayward and Jimmy Butler are both incredibly difficult matchups for most teams because they can defend and rebound in the post, but also can hit the three and put the ball on the floor and get to the rim. Marquette is also as tested as any team coming in, having played -- and won -- so many close games, especially late in the season. If Marquette is hitting their threes, watch out.

Texas is an interesting case. They were top five in the country for a long time early in the season, but then the Longhorns collapsed. That said, I think the Longhorns can match up very well with Kentucky. Dexter Pittman has the size and strength to battle Cousins. Avery Bradley is noted for his defense, as his Justin Mason, and matchup as well with John Wall as anyone. Damion James is an all-american. If Texas clicks, why can't they return to their early season form? Then again, haven't we been saying that for months?


Seeded too high: Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Wake struggled mightily down the stretch of the ACC season as they lost five of their last six, culminating in a 20 point beatdown at the hands of Miami. If it wasn't for a couple good wins in the non-conference part of the schedule, this Wake team probably would have been left out of the tournament. On more than one occasion, I've seem Wake called the worst at-large team in the field.


Seeded too low: Temple Owls

The committee really held the A-10 in low regard. Temple won the league's regular season and the conference tournament, beat Villanova -- as well Siena and Virginia Tech -- and lost to Georgetown by one, and was ranked 9th in the RPI. And they ended up a five seed? The Owls are as good as anyone in the country on the defensive end, have a couple of talented scorers, and a solid big man. This is a very good basketball team.


Player to Watch (8 and up): Darington Hobson, New Mexico

With all due respect to Trevor Booker, Trevon Hughes, and Darius Johnson-Odom/Lazar Hayward, the guy you want to keep an eye on in this region is Hobson. Hobson is not the most athletic player, but he is incredibly talented. At 6'7", he is a small forward than can get to the rim, rebound the ball, and is as good as anyone at his size at finding assists. The Lobos have a lot of talent on their roster -- Roman Martinez has hit as many big shots as anyone, Dairese Gary does not get enough respect as a point guard on the national level, AJ Hardeman is an excellent offensive rebounder -- and have won a lot of games against quality competition, beating the likes of Cal, Texas A&M, and BYU (twice). Hobson is the biggest reason why.


Player to Watch (9 and lower): Noah Dahlman, Wofford, and Anthony Johnson, Montana

Wofford is a good basketball team. They beat Georgia on the road and South Carolina at home. They lost to Pitt by three on the road. They lost by twelve at Michigan State. They can defend and rebound the ball. Offensively is where they struggle, which is not a good thing against a like Wisconsin. Noah Dahlman, a 6'6" forward that averages almost 17 ppg, is really the only guy on this team that can score. Dahlman, whose brother Isiah plays for Michigan State, does most of his damage in and around the rim. Wofford will need a big game out of him is they are to pull of an upset.

If you don't know the story of Anthony Johnson, you are missing out. The long and short of it -- Johnson was going nowhere. His girlfriend had a scholarship to a JuCo, and made it a requirement Johnson went as well. He tore it up for two years, and got a scholarship offer to Montana, where he made the same demand about his now-wife. And now? Johnson has turned into one of the best pound-for-pound scorers in the country, averaging almost 20 ppg as a slasher for the Grizzlies. And if you haven't seen or heard about his performance in the Big West final, when he scored 34 second half points -- including the final 21 -- to lead Montana to a 20 point comeback, then you missed out.


Best Matchup -- 1st Round: #7 Clemson vs. #10 Missouri

You like action? You like fast paced basketball? You like dunks, threes, and a helter skelter style? Than this is the game for you. Both Missouri and Clemson have athletes up and down their roster, and utilize that athleticism by pressing for 40 minutes. This will probably be one of the tougher games for me to pick, and may be the one I am looking forward too the most in the first round.


Best Potential Matchup: #4 Wisconsin vs. #5 Temple

The opposite of Clemson-Mizzou, this game would be for basketball purists. Both teams are very good defensively. Both teams are well-coached and execute offensively. Temple has a pair of good guards and a talented big man. Ditto for Wisconsin. If you like well-played basketball, you will love Temple-Wisconsin.


Upset Alert!!!: Cornell, Washington, Marquette

Cornell has received enough exposure this season that they will be one of the most popular upset picks in this year's tournament. Hell, Jay Bilas had the Big Red in the Elite 8! I don't know if I agree with that, but I do think this Cornell team could make run to the Sweet 16. We've talking about Washington being an upset possibility, but what about the team they play in the first round? I've said before -- I think Marquette is a Sweet 16 team. If they make it that far and play West Virginia, keep in mind that they had West Virginia beaten in Morgantown until Da'Sean Butler his an 18 foot turnaround for the win.


Anything Else?:

• While it may be true on a national level as well, this bracket doesn't seem to have one person with near the size of DeMarcus Cousins if Kentucky can get past their second round matchup. Look at seeds 2-7. Who is going to be able to slow down Cousins?


• It seems like it happens every year. Two of the under-the-radar teams that I think can make a run end up playing each other in the first round. This year, it is Marquette and New Mexico. Whoever wins that game is going to give WVU (assuming chalk holds) a problem in the Sweet 16.


• Is there a more disappointing matchup than Texas-Wake Forest? Talk about collapses.