2012 NCAA Tournament East Region
Thursday, March 15-Saturday, March 24, 2012
All odds courtesy of Bovada
The East region isn’t quite as deep as the West, but there is still a lot of talented teams trying to get to the East Regionals in Boston with a trip to the final four on the line.
Here is a look at the odds to win the region courtesy of Bovada. I will also look at some of the best games in the second round, and teams that need to be careful to avoid being upset. I will also try to predict how the bracket will go.
Teams
Ohio St 8/5, Syracuse 9/5, Florida St 15/2, Vanderbilt 9/1, Wisconsin 9/1, Cincinnati 20/1, Kansas St 20/1, Gonzaga 30/1, Texas 30/1, West Virginia 30/1, Harvard 60/1, Southern Miss 60/1, Montana 100/1, St. Bonaventure 150/1, Loyola Maryland 200/1, UNC-Asheville 200/1
Best Second Round Match-Ups
#8 Kansas St will take on #9 Southern Miss in Pittsburgh. Kansas St finished 5th in the Big 12 with a 21-10 record. Southern Miss finished second in Conference USA with a 25-8 record.
#5 Vanderbilt will take on #12 Harvard in the second round. Instead of basketball these two schools could compete in average SAT scores or have a debate. Vanderbilt won the SEC tournament beating Kentucky in the final. Harvard is playing in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1946.
#6 Cincinnati will take on #11 Texas in Nashville. Texas is 20-13 and barely qualified for the tournament. Cincinnati is 24-10 and tied for 4th in the Big east with Notre Dame and South Florida. The Bearcats lost in the Big East Championship game to Louisville.
#7 Gonzaga will take on #10 West Virginia in Pittsburgh. It might as well be a home game for the Mountaineers. West Virginia is 19-13 this season, and Gonzaga is 25-6.
Upset Alert
#4 Wisconsin plays great defense but sometimes struggles to score. They play a dangerous Montana team that has won 14 games in a row and 20 of the last 21. The Badgers should be careful as they could lose in the second round.
Predictions
Syracuse should beat UNC-Asheville but could struggle in the third round against Kansas St. The Orange struggle in rebounding, and Kansas St is one of the best rebounding teams in the nation.I will take the Wildcats to upset Syracuse.
Vanderbilt has too much size and length for Harvard to handle. If Wisconsin survives against Montana, that could set up a great game between Vandy and Wisconsin. I like Vanderbilt in that game.
I think Texas could upset Cincinnati, and Florida St should handle St. Bonaventure with ease. I like Florida St to go to the regional semifinals.
West Virginia should pull off the mild upset against Gonzaga, and Ohio St should do well against Loyola-MD. Ohio St will pull out a close win over West Virginia.
Vanderbilt will beat Kansas St in the sweet 16, and I like Florida St to upset Ohio St. That would set up Vanderbilt and Florida St in the regional final. I like the Seminoles to go to the Final Four.
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