East Regional

I will start my breakdown of the NCAA Tournament with a look at the East Regional. Tomorrow will have a peek at the West, Wednesday will be a double post with the South and Midwest and then my Final Four-National Champion prediction will come out on Thursday. FIRST ROUND 1. North Carolina over 16. Mount St. Mary's/Coppin State 8. Indiana over 9. Arkansas 5. Notre Dame over 12. George Mason 4. Washington State over 13. Winthrop 11. St. Josephs over 6. Oklahoma 3. Louisville over 14. Boise State 7. Butler over 10. South Alabama 2. Tennessee over 15. American SECOND ROUND 1. North Carolina over 8. Indiana 5. Notre Dame over 4. Washington State 3. Louisville over 11. St. Josephs 2. Tennessee over 7. Butler SWEET SIXTEEN 1. North Carolina over 5. Notre Dame 2. Tennessee over 3. Louisville REGIONAL FINAL 1. North Carolina over 2. Tennessee North Carolina, the overall top seed in the tournament, does not have an easy draw. A few weeks ago, before Kelvin Sampson's career ended, I truly believed Indiana could ride Eric Gordon and DJ White to the Final Four. Notre Dame (or possibly Washington State) is no pushover and both Tennessee and Louisville are capable of advancing to the Final Four. Best Opening Round Game: St. Josephs and Oklahoma Best Player You Haven't Heard of Yet: Ahmad Niviens, St. Josephs and AJ Graves, Butler Best Potential Suit Matchup: Rick Pitino v. Bruce Pearl East Regional MVP: Wayne Ellington, UNC