The East Rutherford region is more top-heavy, featuring Saint Joseph’s, Oklahoma State and Pittsburgh, which all have legitimate claims to a No. 1 seed. Wake Forest at No. 4 also has a team poised to make a deep run.
With relatively strong teams at seeds one through four and fewer teams with upset potential at lower seeds, this bracket should get interesting toward the nal rounds.
Almost perfect
Saint Joseph’s (27-1) is a mid-major in disguise, masked by a school and city rich in basketball tradition. The Philadelphia school with an enrollment of 3,400 is far from rich, with facilities and an athletic budgets that makes no one envy coach Phil Martelli. Martelli has the Hawks in position to make the Final Four, which explains why Martelli is National Coach of the Year.
The Hawks will need National Player of the Year Jameer Nelson and guard Delonte West to play big in every game after the rst round if they are to win the tournament, since their front court starters average only half the points of Nelson and West. Nelson will carry Saint Joe’s as far as he can, but the 5-foot-11 senior’s back will not be big enough to shoulder the load of an incomplete team. Do not be surprised if Wake Forest’s physical presence inside is too much for Saint Joe’s in the Sweet 16.
Ride ’em Cowboys
Big 12 regular season and tournament champion Oklahoma State (27-3) is probably the strongest No. 2 seed in the tournament. If the selection committee had made their decision after the Big 12 championship, the Cowboys may have been the No. 1 seed. Oklahoma State will win rst and second round games thanks to its good defenders at the perimeter and post and everyone chipping in on points and rebounds. Guards John Lucas and Tony Allen, who are rst and second on the team in minutes and points, will be the key when the Cowboys play better competition in later rounds. Look for Oklahoma State to win this region.
Peeved Panthers
Pittsburgh (29-4) is probably as angered as a team can be with a No. 3 seed. The Panthers have no worries about their rst round opponents, which they should breeze past with no problems. The Panthers main gripes will be voiced if they lose their second round game to underrated No. 6 Wisconsin in Milwaukee, which essentially will be a road game for the Panthers. While Pittsburgh is big and physical, the Badgers are just as physical, but deeper. In a close game, home team Wisconsin will come out on top.
Dangerous Deacons
Wake Forest (19-9) should have no trouble in the rst round either. Team depth and size will be enough to carry the Demon Deacons through the rst two rounds, but they will fall to an equally physical, more experienced and better coached Oklahoma State in the Elite Eight.
Upsets and toss ups
Florida (20-10) will not be serious contenders, but they will not go down without a ght either. The Gators will be a tough out at No. 5, despite losing Christian Drejer to a European professional league. Kentucky may have brought the Gators down from their emotional high after losing Drejer in the Southeastern Conference tournament, blowing UF out of the building in the championship game. Florida is a true wild card in this region. The Gators could make a deep run, or they could lose to rst-round opponent and MAAC Champion Manhattan (24-5). Expect the latter.
Look for the winner between No. 8 Texas Tech (22-10) and No. 9 UNC Charlotte (21-8) to challenge second-round opponent Saint Joseph’s. Bobby Knight’s Red Raiders feature 20-point scorer Andre Emmitt and a supporting cast of players that can defend. Charlotte will need a huge all-around game from point guard Demon Brown, who is second on the team in scoring and averages 9.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. Brown’s senior leadership should be enough to catapult Charlotte over the Red Raiders.
Wisconsin (24-6) will face No. 11 Richmond (20-12), which probably was rewarded for beating quality opponents, not their overall record of 20-12. Wisconsin should look past Richmond’s record because they faced good opponents, beating Xavier, winning at Kansas and at Colorado. Richmond coach Bo Ryan, who uses 10 players in his regular rotation, is one true power forward short of beating Wisconsin. Expect the Badgers to eventually take control by banging away in the paint against Richmond’s short power forwards.
The matchup between No. 7 Memphis (21-7) and No. 10 South Carolina (23-10) should favor the Gamecocks. Memphis has one of the most improved players in Antonio Burks and arguably one of the best freshman in the country in Sean Banks. But Coach John Calipari faces problems when he needs to make substitutions. Their bench contributes less than nine points per game, and a lack of bench productivity forces three starters to average more than 33 minutes per game. The Tigers will need great games from both Burks and Banks, which is unlikely to happen considering South Carolina’s stingy defense. The Gamecocks were No. 1 in the SEC in all six defensive categories. Expect the Gamecocks to allow fewer points than Memphis in a defensive struggle.
Conference champions Liberty (18-14), East Washington (17-12), Central Florida (25-5) and Virginia Commonwealth (23-7) will unsuccessfully shoot for major first round upsets against Saint Joseph’s, Oklahoma State, Pittsburgh and Wake Forest, respectively.