March Madness - East Region

Over the next two days I will be previewing the NCAA Tournament's first weekend, region by region. First, the East region led by DeJuan Blair and #1 seed Pittsburgh.

Best Game

#6 UCLA (25-8) vs. #11 VCU (24-9)

This will be a very entertaining game Thursday night in Philadelphia. The guard battle alone would be worth the price of admission, as UCLA's Darren Collison goes against VCU's Eric Maynor. VCU is the popular upset pick but I like UCLA. I think Collison will neutralize Maynor and that will limit VCU's Larry Sanders opportunities to dominate down low.

Player to Watch

Florida State Guard Toney Douglas

Douglas was a major reason for the Seminoles run to the ACC Tournament's championship game. He leads a very dangerous Florida State squad. Douglas is a prolific scorer, averaging 21.3 points a game. If he get's going the Seminoles will be tough to beat.

Lowest Seed to Make It Through the Weekend

#5 Florida State

The lowest seed I see moving on to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament is Florida State. I started taking notice of the Seminoles after they gave Carolina all they could handle in their regular season meeting. In addition to the scoring exploits of Douglas, the Seminoles have weapons in C Solomon Alabi and G Derwin Kitchen. The Seminoles also play very good defense, a key to success in the NCAA Tournament. I like them to beat Wisconsin and Xavier.

Best Potential Game

#6 UCLA vs. #3 Villanova

Another great guard battle would take place if these two teams were to meet in the Second Round. Villanova's Scottie Reynolds versus the Bruins Collison. Playing in Philadelphia it would almost be like a road game for the Bruins.

Predictions

First Round

#1 Pittsburgh over #16 East Tennessee State

#9 Tennessee over #8 Oklahoma State

#5 Florida State over #12 Wisconsin

#4 Xavier over #13 Portland State

#6 UCLA over #11 VCU

#3 Villanova over #14 American

#7 Texas over #10 Minnesota

#2 Duke over #15 Binghamton

Second Round

#1 Pittsburgh over #9 Tennessee

#5 Florida State over #4 Xavier

#3 Villanova over #6 UCLA

#2 Duke over #7 Texas