March Madness Has Begun!

Spring is right around the corner and with it comes the many aspects we're all familiar with. Flowers blooming, snow melting, and Mid-Major's turning into Cinderella stories. If the last piece doesn't ring a bell then this article may not be for you, but if you're still with me then you understand it's that time of the year again. So let's shape up that bracket! Let's go region by region and see the sleepers, the contenders and the upsets that could be all likely.

East Region

Contenders: Ohio State, Kentucky, Washington
Likely to Disappoint: UNC, Syracuse, Xavier, West Virginia
Sleeper: Washington
Upsets to Look Out For:11 Marquette over 6 Xavier, 12 Clemson/UAB over 5 West Virginia
Players to Watch: Jared Sullinger(OSU), Terrence Jones (UK), Harrison Barnes (UNC), Terrell Holloway(XU), Isaiah Thomas(UW)

I think Ohio State should come out of this region unscathed. Not necessarily because of the lack of other talent, but more due to the fact that they provide way too many match-up problems with the teams in this region. Jared Sullinger will really get his chance to prove his NBA worth.


West Region


Contenders: Duke, Arizona
Likely to Disappoint: UConn, San Diego St, Texas
Sleepers: Temple, Missouri
Upsets to Look Out For: 11 Missouri over 6 Cincinnati, 14 Bucknell over 3 UConn, 13 Oakland over 4 Texas.
Players to Watch: Nolan Smith (Duke), Kemba Walker (UConn), Jordan Hamilton (TEX), Derrick Williams (Ariz)
On paper this looks like one of the easier regions to come out of. That could all change depending on what version of Texas and Connecticut we see. UConn is hot right now, but they were just 9-9 in Big East play this season and though it's a tough conference and they did win the tournament, one bad game by Kemba Walker will lead to a loss
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Southwest Region


Contenders: Kansas, Notre Dame
Likely to Disappoint: Louisville, Purdue, Vanderbilt
Sleepers: Texas A&M, Richmond
Upsets to Look Out For: 12 Richmond over 5 Vanderbilt, 13 Morehead St. over 4 Louisville
Players to Watch: Ben Hansbrough (ND), Marcus Morris (KU), Jajuan Johnson (Purd), Kenneth Faried(MSU)

This could be the bracket full of upsets. Kansas and Notre Dame stand higher above all though and should come out of this region to face one another. That being said everyone should be watching Richmond and Texas A&M. The best talent in this region also may be on the team that could pull off the biggest upset. Kenneth Faried out of Morehead St. is NBA-ready and could pose some big problems for the Cardinals.


Southeast Region


Contenders: Pittsburgh, Florida
Likely to Disappoint: Wisconsin, BYU,
Sleepers: Utah St., Michigan State, St. John's
Upsets to Look Out For: 10 Michigan St. Over 7 UCLA, 12 Utah St. Over 5 Kansas St., 11 Gonzaga over 6 St. John's.
Players to Watch: Jimmer Fredette(BYU), Jacob Pullen (KSU), Dwight Hardy(SJU), Ashton Gibbs(PITT),  Kalin Lucas (MSU)

This is the region full of questions. Can BYU win without Brandon Davies? Are Pittsburgh and Florida legitimate title contenders? What kind of St. John's team will we see? Is Utah State for real? I am excited to figure out the answers but as things stand this may be the weakest region of them all. Great players tend to stand out during these tournaments. Will Jimmer become a Carmelo Anthony or an Adam Morrison?

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