First off, don’t you always feel bad for the play-in game participants? (This year, we’re talking about Winthrop and Arkansas-Pine Bluff.) It’s one thing to lose in the first round to Kentucky. It’s quite another to lose on Tuesday night to Arkansas-Pine Bluff. With all due respect to the Golden Lions, it’s just not the same.
No Connecticut. No UCLA. No North Carolina. No Arizona. Wow.
Midwest
— There is no doubt that this is the most difficult region.
— Kansas is not just the top seed of this region, but they’re the top seed in the entire bracket.
— On a personal note, I am glad that the Patriot League champion, Lehigh, got a 16 seed, as opposed to having to play on Tuesday in the play-in game.
— Ohio State is a great second seed. The team as a whole is far from unbelievable, but Evan Turner is the best player in the country. He is impossible to guard one-on-one.
— Georgetown is a very tough three seed, as well. They have beaten Duke, Villanova and Syracuse this year.
— Michigan State is not dominant this year, but head coach Tom Izzo always has his guys ready to play come tournament time.
— The most talented double-digit seed is Georgia Tech.
— I don’t always understand the seeding. Northern Iowa dominated a tough Missouri Valley Conference during both the regular season and postseason tournament and received a nine seed. Meanwhile, UNLV finished third in the Mountain West during the regular season and did not win the postseason tournament, even though they were playing at home, and received an eight.
— Amazingly, seeds No. 11-14 (San Diego State, New Mexico State, Houston and Ohio) probably all needed to win their conference tournaments to make the field of 65.
East
— Kentucky is the one seed and is a great team. The Wildcats are young but extremely talented. John Wall is fun to watch.
— The 8 vs. 9 games are usually chock full of teams that are not extremely talented, but this region’s squads are different. Both Texas and Wake Forest have a ton of talent, even if neither has played great “team” basketball this season.
— West Virginia seems to be getting hot at the right time, but Bob Huggins-coached teams never seem to play up to their seed come tourney time.
— There are several lower seeds that can shoot the 3 well enough to pull off an upset or two: Cornell, Wofford and Montana.
— Cornell is the best double-digit seed in this region.
— Is New Mexico really good enough to be a three seed? Yes. Darington Hobson is their Evan Turner. Hobson averaged 16.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game.
— Look out for sixth seed Marquette. Not many players in the country will be able to guard Lazar Hayward. Marquette sometimes looks like it’s a team playing out of control, but the Golden Eagles thrive in up-tempo games.
West
— Syracuse made a quick exit out of the Big East tournament, but this seed shows the strength of the conference as a whole. The Cuse zone is sure to give teams trouble. In fact, this region shapes up great for the Orange for one main reason: Pittsburgh is the only other Big East school in the West. That means the Panthers will be the only team with any significant experience against a zone as good as this.
— There is something about Kansas State that does not do it for me. I love the passion of their coach, but I don’t think the Wildcats have the overall talent of a solid two seed.
— I always love the way Murray State plays. As a 13 seed, look out. The Racers will be a very tough out for an up-and-down Vanderbilt squad.
— Keep an eye on 12 seed UTEP, as well, which has Louisville transfer Derrick Caracter roaming the middle.
— I can’t believe Florida received a 10 seed. They got a gift to be seeded here.
— There is a lot to like about third-seeded Pitt. They play a physical style of basketball. When you think of tough Big East teams, you think of coach Jamie Dixon’s Panthers.
— Three Atlantic 10 teams made the field, but none of them got great seeds. In this region, Xavier, which went 14-2 during the A-10 regular season, is the sixth seed. Xavier always has terrific athletes and this team is no different. Among the group is Jordan Crawford (aka the guy who dunked on LeBron James over the summer).
South
— Duke looks like the weakest No. 1 seed. Their second-round game against either California or Louisville will be difficult for them.
— Twelve seed Utah State was a surprise invite, of sorts. They went 14-2 in the WAC, but they didn’t win the conference tournament and played a very weak non-conference schedule. With that said, the Aggies can really shoot the ball. They are the best 3-point shooting team in the country.
— Where’s the beef in this region? Duke is the weakest one seed. The two seed (Villanova) was 2-5 in its final seven games. Baylor is the three, but they have not won an NCAA Tournament game since 1950. Fourth-seeded Purdue is not the same without Robbie Hummel.
— Don’t be surprised if this region is total chaos.
— The South’s best double-digit seed is Old Dominion. The Monarchs won the Colonial regular season and postseason tournament.
— I am looking forward to the 7-10 game between Richmond and Saint Mary’s. The winner of this game could give Villanova real problems.
— Can Notre Dame keep this recent run going? A month ago this team was dead, but the sixth-seeded Irish have played very well of late. It looks like they finally figured out how to play defense.
