It’s that time of year again—March Madness! The play-in games are on Tuesday and Wednesday but the NCAA Tournament truly begins on Thursday. The East Regional has the biggest names in college basketball and is the most stacked region.
No. 1 overall seed Ohio State (31-2) is the top seed in the East. The Buckeyes are the region favorites but face some serious competition with Kentucky (25-8), North Carolina (26-7) and Syracuse (26-7) behind them in the odds. The East will include two play-in winners.
Ohio State won the Big Ten regular season and postseason title (over Penn State). The Buckeyes have been to 10 Final Fours in school history, the latest being 2007. Kentucky is the No. 4 seed and won the SEC Tournament title over Florida. The Wildcats have been to 13 Final Fours in school history, but the last of which came back in 1998.
North Carolina is the No. 2 seed and won the ACC regular season title but lost to Duke in the ACC Tournament championship game. The Tar Heels have reached 18 Final Fours in school history, the last coming in 2009. Syracuse finished tied for third in a talented Big East that sent 11 teams to the NCAA Tournament. In fact, the region includes four Big East teams. The Orange have four Final Four appearances, the latest being 2003 when they won the national title.
NCAA Tournament East Regional Second Round Match Odds (provided by Titan Bet)
No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 16 Texas-San Antonio/Alabama State play-in winner
Alabama State: 9/5
Texas-San Antonio: 9/20
Point Spread: Texas-San Antonio -5
Over/Under: 129.5
No. 8 George Mason vs. No. 9 Villanova
Villanova: 1/1
George Mason: 4/5
Point Spread: George Mason -1.5
Over/Under: 135
No. 5 West Virginia vs. No. 12 Alabama-Birmingham/Clemson play-in winner
Alabama-Birmingham: 17/10
Clemson: 9/20
Point Spread: Clemson -5
Over/Under: 120.5
Clemson should win this play-in game and is my upset pick to beat West Virginia. Clemson has quality guards that don’t turn the ball over and West Virginia relies too much on its three-point shooting with not much of a low-post threat.
No. 4 Kentucky vs. No. 13 Princeton
Princeton: 89/10
Kentucky: 1/20
Point Spread: Kentucky -14
Over/Under: 131
No. 6 Xavier vs. No. 11 Marquette
Marquette: 1/1
Xavier: 4/5
Point Spread: Xavier -1.5
Over/Under: 140.5
No. 3 Syracuse vs. No. 14 Indiana State
Indiana State: 31/5
Syracuse: 1/10
Point Spread: Syracuse -11.5
Over/Under: 129
No. 7 Washington vs. No. 10 Georgia
Georgia: 2/1
Washington: 7/20
Point Spread: Washington -5
Over/Under: 138.5
No. 2 North Carolina vs. No. 15 Long Island
Long Island: 88/5
North Carolina: 0/1
Point Spread: North Carolina -18
Over/Under: 158