Buckeyes Lock in the Number One Overall Seed: A look at the East Bracket

Like expected, the Ohio State Buckeyes landed the number one overall seed in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday night. Landing in the east region, the Buckeyes will pair up against the winner of one of the sixteen seed play-in games between Alabama State and University of Texas San Antonio.

Locking up the second seed was ACC tournament runner-up North Carolina. The Tar heels will face Long Island in the first round. Big East for Syracuse landed the third seed in the East Region. If matched up with the Orange in the regional finals, the Buckeyes will be right in the back yard of the third seed.

Fellow Ohio school Xavier landed a sixth seed in the East region. They will take on Marquette on Friday.

In one of the most intriguing match-ups in the East Region, the Kentucky Wildcats will take on the Ivy League Champion Princeton Tigers. The thirteenth seeded Princeton squad could be one of the upset teams in this bracket. They are riding a high after a thrilling play-off game between rival Harvard on Saturday.

The fifth seeded West Virginia Mountaineers will open up play on Friday against the winner of the 12th seed play-in game between UAB and Clemson. These two teams have been some of the most scrutinized clubs to make the field of 68 by NCAA analysts. Many would of favored the likes of Alabama, Colorado and Virginia Tech.

Finally in what is supposed to be the closest game of the second round, the Colonial Athletic Association champion George Mason Patriots will take on the Villanova Wildcats. The Big East conference Wildcats have lost 10 of their last 15 ballgames.

The Favorites:

Though the Buckeyes were considered to be the number one seed overall, the East Region is not the easiest road to the final four. Kentucky, who has continued to roll at the end of the season has a favorable draw if they can get past their first round. They will take on the winner of West Virginia and Clemson/UAB in the semi-finals. They’ll have to take on Ohio State to get to the championship, but the road to it should be a breeze.

The Syracuse Orange might have gotten the greatest gift of any three seed in the tournament. They will take on the winner of Xavier/Marquette if they can get past Indiana State. An expected semi-final match-up between the lackluster North Carolina Tar Heels and Syracuse could be a game that favors either team.

The Ex Factors:

The George Mason Patriots are the team that can give any team fits. If they can get past Villanova, they have the talent and tempo that could really scare the Buckeyes in the second round. It has nothing to do with their March Madness past, just the fact they they play solid defense and have a couple play makers that can take over ballgames. Cam Long and Ryan Pearson are two players to watch down the stretch.

On the other side of the bracket, the winner of the second round match-up between Georgia and Washington could cause fits for top seeds North Carolina and Syracuse. If inspired enough, the Huskies of Washington could cause a lot of problems right away against North Carolina. Both Georgia and Washington have the legs to get North Carolina out of the game early.

The Road to the Final Four:

If Ohio State was to clear the East Region on their way to a national championship, they surely will have a tougher time than some other number one seeds in the tournament. After their first round game over the 16th seed winner, The Buckeyes will have to take on a tough 8/9 Villanova or George Mason. From there they will have to take on the winner of West Virginia/12th seed play-in and Kentucky/Princeton. The Semi-finals draw against Kentucky could be the toughest competition the Buckeyes have seen all season. If the Wildcats play up to potential, we could be talking about a nail biter that is down to the wire.

Big Ten Teams in the Tourney:

1 in the East – Ohio State vs. 16 Ala St./UTSA

3 in the South West – Purdue vs. 14 St. Peter’s

4 in the South East – Wisconsin vs. 13 Belmont

8 in West – Michigan vs. 9 Tennessee

9 in the South West – Illinois vs. 8 UNLV

10 in South East -Michigan State vs. 7 UCLA

10 in the West – Penn State vs. 7 Temple