NCAA East Region 1st Round: Preview and Predictions

The East looks like a Villanova run away, but the Wildcats have been either feast or famine in recent NCAA Tournaments, either making a deep run or checking out quickly. Which will it be this year?

(1) Villanova vs. (16) Radford – Radford plays at a slow deliberate pace. Villanova, on the other hand, is one of the most complete teams in this tournament. Villanova 75  Radford 54

(8) Virginia Tech vs. (9) Alabama – This is a great matchup between two teams that have shown that they can play with anybody in the nation when they are at the top of their games. For Alabama to win, guard Collin Sexton will have to be on top of his game. Virginia Tech has been more of a team effort all season long. Virginia Tech 77 Alabama 69

(5) West Virginia vs. (12) Murray State – The Racers have been on fire as of late winning, 13 consecutive games and handling a very good Belmont team this past weekend. West Virginia as always is one of the best defensive teams in the nation, but the determining factor of a deep West Virginia run will be whether they can be consistent on the offensive end of the floor. Murray State 68  West Virginia 67

(4) Wichita State vs. (13) Marshall – Marshall is a dangerous team with Jon Elmore and C.J.Burks, and they are fully capable of pulling off the upset here. Wichita State wins this game if they can space the floor and let their shooters work. This game is a toss-up to me but I like Marshall to win a buzzer-beater. Marshall 77  Wichita State 76

(6) Florida vs. (11) St. Bonaventure or UCLA – Either the Bonnies or UCLA will be a tough game for Florida. I like the Bonnies over UCLA just because they have consistently been the better team this season. Both teams have the same problem and that lies in their inside games. With that being said, I like Florida in a close one. They are just a more experienced team than the Bonnies. Florida 80  St. Bonaventure 77

(3) Texas Tech vs. Stephen F. Austin – This is a solid matchup and SFA has a real shot at pulling an upset here. When all is said and done, Texas Tech’s ability to play defense helps them win a close one. Texas Tech 69  SFA 66

(7) Arkansas vs. (10) Butler – Both teams struggle inside rebounding the ball so this matchup will be decided by the team’s backcourts. I like Butler because they take care of the ball better than Arkansas, but this will be a tight game. Butler 66  Arkansas 64

(2) Purdue vs. (15) CS-Fullerton – Fullerton doesn’t take good enough care of the ball to beat Purdue. Purdue 77  CSF 61