2008 NCAA TOURNAMENT PREDICTIONS
EAST REGION - Charlotte, NC
1 North Carolina
16 Play-in Winner
8 Indiana
9 Arkansas
5 Notre Dame
12 Geo Mason
4 Washington St
13 Winthrop
3 Louisville
14 Boise St
6 Oklahoma
11 St Joseph's
7 Butler
10 South Alabama
2 Tennessee
15 American
North Carolina
Notre Dame
Regional Champ
North Carolina
GENERAL THOUGHTS ON THE EAST REGION
- North Carolina is the team to beat--hard to pick against the Tar Heels in Raleigh and Charlotte & despite being placed against potential #1 seed Tennessee, their path to the Elite Eight should be fairly smooth.
- Indiana has underachieved down the stretch, but my personal "rule" for the first two rounds is to go with the team that feels more under-seeded, and that's Indiana in this game. Eric Gordon and DJ White can take the game over; I'm not sure Arkansas has a player who can do the same.
- Washington State is a very tough out, but Notre Dame is a tough matchup for Tony Bennett's team. 'Gody needs to protect the paint against Kyle Weaver's drives, but McAlarney and Jackson on the wings are going to be tough for Rochestie and Low to contain.
- Butler is perhaps my biggest first-round "lock." And their style matches up very, very well against Tennessee. But I think the Vols are going to be playing with a little bit of a chip on their collective shoulder, and I think they've gotten less respect than they've deserved all year.
- Louisville should be safe to reach the Sweet 16, but they've got an awfully tough path to the Final Four, where I might have taken them prior to the announcement of the field...