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Brian's 2017 college basketball March Madness bracket predictions for the East Region. NCAA Tournament picks, sleepers and busts - teams to target and avoid.
Who will be the beasts of the east? We surprised even ourselves here. Here we'll be taking a look at the East Region, and how we see the bracket happing up. Check out coverage of each region here as well.
I'm here to tell you some teams that I believe in - this should help you make the right tournament bracket decisions. Below I analyze the top four seeds, a potential bust, and a potential final four candidate. Hopefully my college basketball predictions can help you win your March Madness brackets. Now let's get to it.
Editor's Note: Be sure to check out the rest of our NCAA tournament columns and advice. Tournament winners/picks, sleepers, busts and breakdowns of each region.
March Madness Picks for the East Region
No. 1 Villanova, (Big East) vs. No. 16 Mount St. Mary's (NEC)/New Orleans ()
Will it be the Mount or UNO in the first round for the Wildcats? Doesn't matter. 'Nova to the Sweet 16 is a no-brainer, just like Josh Hart (18+ PPG) for your DFS team. 'Novas's Mikal Bridges has been coming on of late (10+ PPG for the season).
No. 8 Wisconsin, (Big Ten) vs. No. 9 Virginia Tech (ACC)
Ethan Happ (14+ PPG, 9+ RPG, 2+ APG, 2+ SPG, 1+ BPG) fills the statsheet for the Badgers. Meanwhile, as the cliche goes, "defense wins," at least in the first round.
No. 5 Virginia, (ACC) vs. No. 12 UNC-Wilmington (Colonial)
Point guard London Perrantes (12+ PPG, 3+ RPG, 3+ APG) is the Hoovs’ best player. Wilmington doesn’t have the pedigree of its in-state neighbors in the ACC, but it’s been to the Dance before and comes out of a competitive league. Guard C.J. Bryce (18.2 PPG, 3.1 APG) scored 18 against Clemson earlier this season. Still, we like the Cavs in this one.
No. 4 Florida, (SEC) vs. No. 13 East Tennessee State
The Gators’ offensive numbers don’t blow you away, but they shoot the ball well as a team. Keep your eyes on Kasey Hill. We like senior point guards in the Big Dance, and Hill is a solid one. East Tennessee won’t win this one, but T.J. Cromer (19.2 PPG) can score.
No. 6 SMU, (AAC) vs. No. 11 Providence (Big East)/USC (Pac-12)
The Mustangs likely won’t be around by Sunday. We see Providence winning the play-in game here, and then knocking off the higher-seeded SMU.
No. 3 Baylor, (Big 12) vs. No. 14 New Mexico State (Mountain West)
No upset here. Baylor. We could take the easy route here and point to Johnathan Motley and Manu Lecomte. Two solid players for sure. But keep an eye out for the Bears’ long, tall forward Jo Lual-Acuil, Jr. He’s good for 10 points, 7 rebounds, and 2-3 blocked shots on any given night. Not bad for a depth player.
No. 7 South Carolina (SEC) vs. No. 10 Marquette (Big East)
We like the Gamecocks. Marquette has never looked all that strong in a weaker Big East, and SC's Sindari Thornwell (21.3 PPG/7.2 RPG) is a hell of a player.
No. 2. Duke, (ACC) vs. No. 15 Troy (Sun Belt)
We’re not sure how deep the Dukies will go this time around, but the Blue Devils, as usual, are loaded with talent, and they'll win here. Five players averaged in double figures for Coach K, even though his regular rotation features only seven players.
Second Round
Villanova over Wisconsin.
Virgina over Florida.
Baylor over Providence.
Duke over South Carolina.
Third Round
Villanova over Virginia.
Duke over Baylor.
Fourth Round
Duke's depth and Coach K's savvy wins the Regional.
Final Four
Duke loses to Arizona.
