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South | Midwest | West
North Carolina will go for its fifth national championship with an itinerary that looks a lot like the one from its third title.
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| Tyler Hansbrough and UNC could go from Raleigh to Charlotte on the way to the Final Four. (US Presswire) |
Of the four top seeds, the Tar Heels have the most geographically pleasing road to the Final Four. In fact, they're the only No. 1 seed who won't have to leave their home state before getting to the Final Four. Kansas goes from Nebraska to Michigan. Memphis goes from Arkansas to Texas. UCLA starts in Anaheim but then goes to Phoenix.
The Tar Heels? They're 25 minutes from Raleigh, then a two-hour bus ride to Charlotte. North Carolina already has played once this season at Raleigh -- beating host North Carolina State in February -- and won four times in four tries at Charlotte, beating Davidson in November and winning the ACC tournament there in recent days.
Three storylines
1. Ty Lawson's ankle: Until Sunday's ACC title game, the UNC sophomore point guard hadn't been the same since spraining his ankle in early February and missing six games. He still isn't shooting as well, and he hasn't been getting into the lane and creating like he once did. Quentin Thomas has emerged as a solid backup, but if Lawson isn't 100 percent now -- or if he tweaks his ankle later -- North Carolina will struggle to get out of this region.
2. Tennessee got screwed: No way, no how, did Tennessee deserve to be placed as the No. 2 seed opposite the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, which North Carolina is. The RPI had the Volunteers as the No. 1 team in the entire country. It's one thing -- one justifiable thing -- for Tennessee to be dropped from a No. 1 to a No. 2 seed after it lost in the SEC tournament. It's something else (something crappy) for the Vols to be dropped to the worst No. 2 slot.
3. NCAA hates Cinderella: Three of the most lovable underdogs of this season and recent seasons of the past -- George Mason, Butler and Saint Joseph's -- were crammed into the same region. The message from the selection committee, which answers to the NCAA leadership, which is run by the biggest schools, seems to be this: We're going to let you into our tournament. But we'll be damned if we'll let more than one of you knuckleheads get to the Final Four.
East Region picks
Who will win: North Carolina, but barely, in a region championship for the ages against Tennessee. There might not be a ton of premium NBA talent on the floor -- I can't think of a single future NBA star on either team -- but what a college game.
Dark-horse pick: Washington State is going to be a brutal matchup for anybody and everybody. I've got the Cougars losing in the Sweet 16 to North Carolina, but I'm not completely comfortable with it. Washington State is that prickly.
Most likely upset: No. 11 Saint Joseph's will beat sixth-seeded Oklahoma in the first round and wonder what all the fuss was about. The Sooners have been beaten by double-digit margins eight times this season, including 30- and 28-point stinkers.
Best mascot: Who else but the Hawk of Saint Joseph's? That thing flaps its wings, or at least one of them, from the opening tap to the closing horn. It's an incredible feat of strength and endurance, which is why the mascot is on scholarship. Seriously.
Best point guard: A healthy Ty Lawson would win this hands down, but I'm not sure he's 100 percent, so I'm not sure he's better right now than Notre Dame's Kyle McAlarney, who can score 30 on his own and is a career 85-percent shooter on foul shots.
Best post player: OK, maybe he's not the best post player in this region (how much can I write about Tyler Hansbrough, anyway?), but Louisville's David Padgett is the most important. When he became healthy enough to play, Louisville took off.
