The East Region

This section of the bracket doesn’t feature quite as much firepower with Purdue (3/1)  leading the group as the most vulnerable #1 seed, along with a slumping and overseeded KSU team (12/1) and a banged up Tennessee squad (5.5/1).

With that said, two of the hottest teams in the nation are playing to get to MSG, and coming off conference championships with Duke (6.5/1) and Marquette (3.7/1). In my opinion, these are the two teams with the best chance to make it out of the East region alive.

While Zack Edey has been unstoppable leading the way for Purdue, March is a month of guard play and I don't think Purdue's young guards have enough to get to Houston.

Marquette on the other hand got through the gauntlet of the Big East tournament, and is playing better than just about anyone in the country and is highly deserving of being on the 2 line.

Fifth seeded Duke has been in and out of the rankings all year, and struggled their way through much of ACC play. However, something seemed to have clicked for Jon Scheyer and the Blue Devils, as they have completely turned it on. It started with 5 straight wins to end the regular season, including a season series sweep over their arch rivals, and finished with a demolition through the ACC tournament. That run included wins over two tourney teams in Pitt and Miami. With two 7 footers on the front line, if Duke has to go up against Purdue, they should be able to hold their own, and also have experience in the backcourt led by Jeremy Roach.

After Duke and Marquette, this region could feature some chaos. 7th seeded MSU with Tom Izzo and his deep tournament experience have a shot to make a run, as does 11th seeded Providence and Ed Cooley who found themselves in the Sweet 16 last year. Both teams will be challenged in Round 1, by Andy Enfled and USC along with Kentucky and all of their talent, respectively. Memphis is blazing hot at the 8 seed, but we will see if they can get by 9th seed FAU who are loaded. If they do, I give the Tigers a real chance to upset #1 Purdue.

I love the Golden Eagles of Marquette to reach the Final 4. Shaka Smart has the tournament experience leading the way, and they have as much depth as anyone in this region. The pace they play at also bodes well for a run in March. While Duke has gotten hot, they might be overvalued at this point. Marquette has been consistent all year long, and I’m backing them at 3.7/1 to get to Houston.