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-Guest Writer Eddie Ittor

This region has the team that will win the NCAA Tournament, the team with the nation’s most valuable player, and the team with two of the best NBA prospects at the forward position in all of college basketball. So, naturally, I’m going to focus on none of those stories. (Just kidding.)

Round 1

1 Kansas over 16 Lehigh

It doesn’t really matter who was going to get the unenviable task of playing Kansas…they weren’t going to win. Lehigh comes in with a great freshman guard in C.J. McCollum, who averaged 18.9 ppg en route to becoming the first player to win the Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year awards in the same season in Patriot League history.

Unfortunately for the Mountain Hawks (22-10, 10-4 Patriot), they simply don’t have enough firepower to slay Goliath, aka the nation’s No.1 Jayhawks. Kansas (32-2, 15-1 Big 12) has a tough senior point guard (Sherron Collins), arguably the best center in the nation (junior Cole Aldrich), twins that are beasts on the glass (sophomores Marcus and Markieff Morris), one of the nation’s best freshmen (Xavier Henry), and…well, you get the picture.

9 Northern Iowa over 8 UNLV

Unlike the game above, this matchup provides a true 50/50 chance for each team. UNLV coach Lon Kruger put together a squad led by a quartet of players who transferred from their first colleges and needed a new home to develop their game. UNLV (25-8, 11-5 MWC) has provided that home, and has reaped the benefits of that decision, as junior guard Tre’Von Willis (transferred from Memphis) leads the Rebels with 17.3 ppg, and sophomore guard-forward Chace Stanback (formerly at UCLA) posts a team best 5.8 rpg.

Northern Iowa (28-4, 15-3 MVC) put together an impressive list of achievements this year: the Panthers started the season 16-1, went undefeated at home, and found themselves ranked for a number of weeks en route to winning the Missouri Valley championship. Senior center Jordan Eglseder – listed at 7’0″, 280 lbs – leads the team with 12.0 ppg and 7.3 rpg. He could be the difference for the Panthers as they try to forget last season’s first round exit from the Big Dance.

5 Michigan State over 12 New Mexico State

New Mexico State (22-11, 11-5 WAC) needed to win the conference tournament to ensure their bid to the Dance, and they did just that, defeating more Aggies (regular season champ Utah State) by a 69-63 margin. Junior guard Jahmar Young and senior guard Jonathan Gibson combine for 38.0 ppg, and junior forward Wendell McKines posted 10.8 ppg and 9.9 rpg (so close to a double-double average), but the trio would need to play some of their best basketball to get past the Spartans.

The No. 13 Spartans (24-8, 14-4 Big Ten) cant help but remember the agony of defeat from last year’s NCAA Tournament, losing to UNC in the finals in Detroit. It would have been a perfect story if they won…but they didn’t, and this season has been a disappointment too, as the team started the season ranked No. 2 in the nation but was dropped off somewhat. Fortunately, they should not fall victim to this 5-12 matchup, as junior guard Kalin Lucas (14.9 ppg) and senior forward Raymar Morgan (6.2 rpg) will power coach Tom Izzo’s squad past the Aggies.

4 Maryland over 13 Houston

Houston (19-15, 7-9 C-USA) improbably won the C-USA tournament to clinch a bid to join the Field of 65, and they have a clear team leader in Aubrey Coleman. The senior guard is the nation’s leading scorer at 25.6 ppg, and also led the Cougars with 7.4 rpg., but Coleman simply wont be enough to get the Cougars past the first round.

The No. 20 Terrapins (23-8, 13-3 ACC) have this one easy. Senior guard Greivis Vasquez, the cocky, 6’6″ ACC Player of the Year, is capable of torching any team and looks to dominate against a smaller Houston squad. ACC Coach of the Year Gary Williams led his team to a share of the ACC regular season title, and will have the Terps chomping at the bit to get to the Sweet 16.

11 San Diego State over 6 Tennessee

Freshman forward Kawhi Leonard leads the Aztecs squad with 12.8 ppg and 9.9 rpg, and pushed his squad into the NCAA Tournament with a 16 point, 21 rebound performance in the MWC championship game win over UNLV. San Diego State (25-8, 11-5 MWC) is one of four teams from the Mountain West to get in the NCAA Tournament, and is riding a hot streak after winning the conference tournament. They employ a bigger lineup than the team they will face in the first round, Tennessee.

The No. 15 Volunteers (25-8, 11-5 SEC) have famously defeated Kansas and Kentucky this year, behind senior forward/center Wayne Chism, who led the team in points and rebounding with 12.5 ppg and 7.1 rpg. But, the guard-heavy Vols were crushed in their last game by the same Kentucky squad in the SEC Tournament, falling 74-45. The demoralizing loss should motivate Bruce Pearl’s squad, but I see the team coming out flat and getting bounced by the bigger underdogs.

3 Georgetown over 14 Ohio

Ohio (21-14, 7-9 MAC) miraculously won the MAC Tournament as the 9-seed, knocking off top seeded Kent State in their first game and beating second seeded Akron in overtime for the conference’s lone invitation to the Big Dance. The team’s top two scorers, backcourt duo of junior Armon Bassett (16.9 ppg) and freshman D.J. Cooper (13.1 ppg), combined for 48 points in the MAC Championship game. More amazingly, both played all 45 minutes of the contest, along with senior center Kenneth van Kempen,

Unfortunately for the Bobcats, their opponents – the Hoyas – match up very well against them, and are simply more talented. Georgetown (23-10, 10-8 Big East) lost a thrilling conference final to West Virginia, but the No. 14 Hoyas will bounce back and make a big run in the NCAA Tounrament. Led by sophomore center Greg Monroe (16.1 ppg, 9.5 rpg) and junior guards Austin Freeman and Chris Wright (31.5 ppg combined), the Hoyas are a seriously talented team that showed their potential to be dominant when they dismantled Duke 89-77 earlier this season.

10 Georgia Tech over 7 Oklahoma State

I’m a huge fan of Georgia Tech (22-12, 7-9 ACC) to pull this upset, even though they had a few head-scratching losses this season (see: UVA and Miami). The Yellow Jackets frontcourt, with 6’9″ stud junior Gani Lawal (13.1 ppg, 8.7 rpg), and 6’10″ superfrosh Derrick Favors (12.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg), have shown the potential to dominate games from the interior, something that poses matchup problems for many teams – including their first round opponent.

Oklahoma State (22-10, 9-7 Big 12) was a bubble team that, in this writer’s opinion, is overseeded as a 7-seed. The Cowboys are led by junior guard James Anderson, who posted 22.6 ppg using an arsenal of short-, mid-, and long- range shots. He is one of the most dynamic offensive players in the nation, and did not see much attention this season due to the dominance of conference foe Kansas, even though his squad defeated the Jayhawks (and Kansas State as well) this season. But, some inconsistency during the season has analysts (including this one) doubting their ability to get past the (equally inconsistent, yet deeper) Yellow Jackets.

2 Ohio State over 15 UC Santa Barbara

The No. 5 Buckeyes ( 27-7, 14-4 Big Ten) finished in a three-way tie for the Big Ten regular season crown, but established themselves as the conference’s best team by crushing Minnesota 90-61 in the tournament finals. Junior guard/forward Evan Turner is a 6’7″ menace who led Ohio State in scoring (20.3 ppg), rebounding (9.2 rpg), and assists (5.9 apg). With his sheer talent, versatility, and value to his team, he is the previously mentioned best player in the nation, and should take that honor over Kentucky superfrosh John Wall.

The Gauchos (20-9, 12-4 Big West) have no chance against Turner and the Buckeyes. They were the best team in the Big West all year, ending the season by winning the conference tournament, but they haven’t played anyone nearly as good as Ohio State. Similar to their opponent, Santa Barbara is led by a guard/forward (sophomore Orlando Johnson, at 17.9 ppg), but the similarities really end there.

Rest of the Bracket

From there out, I see Kansas cruising past Northern Iowa, Maryland taking a close game from Michigan State, Georgetown defeating San Diego State by a dozen points, and Georgia Tech upsetting Ohio State. Kansas will beat Maryland in the Sweet Sixteen by double digits, and Georgetown will narrowly beat Georgia Tech, but then the Kansas Jayhawks will defeat the Hoyas and advance to the Final Four.