Navigating the field: Region-by-region look at the NCAA tournament

Midwest

Teams to beat

No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks

Easily the most complete and experienced team in the nation, No. 1 Kansas spent more time as the top team than any other and never dropped lower than No. 3 in the polls. With seniors Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich leading the way, this group is the favorite to finish standing alone in the middle of everyone’s bracket.

No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes

The argument for the slot as the second-best team on the left side of the bracket has been Kansas State, but the logic for giving them the slip is simple: They don’t have Evan Turner.

The 6-foot-7 Turner can handle, rebound and score in tough situations. He has help from a talented team, as well. The only question plaguing the Buckeyes’ run is depth, seeing as they rarely go more than six deep.

Dangerous team

No. 3 Georgetown Hoyas

If any team in the batch could be characterized as unpredictable, it would be the Hoyas. Georgetown laces up with all the talent necessary, though it has a tendency of failing to show up in games it is supposed to win.

With probable matchups against Tennessee and Ohio State, they shouldn’t have trouble finding motivation early in the tournament.

The right fit

No. 13 Houston Cougars

The Midwest region happens to have some of the country’s best teams sitting side by side. Matchups with Kansas, Kansas State or Tennessee can quickly silence the chatter about upsets.
 
But Houston has the best road of any smaller-scale team. Facing a one-player driven Maryland squad to open, Houston could feasibly have a Sweet 16 showing.

Game-changing players

Sherron Collins, senior guard, Kansas

The fire behind the best team in the tournament, Collins’ toughness and late-scoring ability has maintained the Jayhawks’ position as a group poised for the championship game.

Collins averages 15 points and 4 assists per game. Sometimes turnover prone at times with 2 per game, he must find Aldrich and freshman Xavier Henry for Kansas to play as expected.

Evan Turner, junior guard, Ohio State

No player in this region means more to his team. Turner’s 20 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists per game make up a stat line more likely to be seen on an NCAA video game than in a balanced Big Ten attack.

Hitting from outside of late, there is nothing Turner can’t do on the basketball court. His ability to create his own shot, rebound a miss and start the fast break separates this season’s probable Player of the Year from any other in his region.

Greg Monroe, sophomore center, Georgetown

The 6-foot-11 big man is where the Hoyas gather their identity. He is also part of the reason why they’re unpredictable. He is an obvious talent, but he sometimes coasts through games when unchallenged instead of dominating lesser opponents.

The NBA awaits him on the other side of this tournament. Maybe his draft stock will pose as the ultimate motivator and lead to a spirited showing from Georgetown.

West

Teams to beat

No. 2 Kansas State Wildcats
 
In by far the weakest region after Syracuse’s late-season faltering, Kansas State has one of the simplest roads to the Final Four. It will have to go through a decent Pittsburgh team to get there but should see smooth sailing in any other matchups with strong guard play and tough defenders.

No. 3 Pittsburgh Panthers

Injured and inexperienced early in the season, Pittsburgh lost some games that didn’t match the talent listed on its roster. The Panthers have won nine of their last 11, with Notre Dame having its number for some odd reason.

Wins against West Virginia and Villanova prove Pittsburgh can play with anyone in the tournament.

Dangerous Team

No. 1 Syracuse Orange

Syracuse was once thought to be the country’s best team. The 'Cuse lost a game against Georgetown in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament that would prove costly to its postseason run, as center Arinze Onuaku landed awkwardly and left all to wonder what the Orange would play like without him.

The common thought is that Syracuse will wilt when it faces a tough team. However, they could rally around star Wes Johnson and senior Andy Rautins.

The right fit

No. 12 UTEP Miners

Years ago, Derrick Caracter, along with Greg Oden, was considered the nation’s best young big man.

Since then, Oden has been crippled by injury in the NBA and Caracter has been exiled from Louisville because of weight problems and, in an ironic turn, a lack of character. He has resurfaced at UTEP, refocused with a new energy and could lead his team to a matchup with Syracuse in the Sweet 16.

Game-changing players

Jacob Pullen, junior guard, Kansas State
 
A crafty guard on a team full of them, Pullen is an efficient scorer and capable passer. He averages 19 points per game on a team that shoots freely and runs often. With help from Denis Clemente’s 16 scores per game, Pullen will be called on to close games for the Wildcats. 

Wes Johnson, junior forward, Syracuse

Johnson transferred from Iowa State after two average years at Iowa State. He sat for a year before becoming this season’s early choice for Player of the Year on what was seen as the best team at the time.

His team is now considered down. Johnson's coming performance will determine his draft stock and future in basketball. Whether he goes on to outperform his 16 points and 8 rebounds per game will determine what Syracuse does in the tournament.

Ashton Gibbs, sophomore guard, Pittsburgh

Only a second-year player, he has steadily improved throughout the year. Gibbs averages16 points and grabs 3 rebounds per game. Gibbs has ample tournament experience, playing in four tournament games last season.

He has also proven a smooth and calm player in the final minutes. He has hit late-game shots in Pittsburgh’s 24-8 season and could very well do so in the tournament.

East

Teams to beat

No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats

The only thing ever said to be a possible hindrance for Kentucky is its youth. That’s where junior forward Patrick Patterson comes in.

While the freshmen John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins gain all the glory, he steadies one of this tournament’s favorites. His 15 points and 7 rebounds per game don’t tell the total story. Patterson anchors a team also led by Wall’s 16, Cousins’ 15 and freshman guard Eric Bledsoe's additional 10 points per game.

No. 2 West Virginia Mountaineers

Perhaps the only obstacle in Kentucky’s march to the Final Four, West Virginia has a coach who has much at his disposal.

Sophomore forward Devin Ebanks scores 12 and rebounds 8 per game, sophomore guard Kevin Jones adds 13 points and barreling Brooklyn guard Darryl Bryant scores 9 points to match 3 assists.

But senior forward Da’Sean Butler is the team’s leader and late-game scorer. He has hit big shots all season and is sure to continue that streak into the tournament.

Dangerous Team

No. 4 Wisconsin Badgers

They are steady, they are strong and they are schooled. The seniors and juniors that make up the Badgers’ lineup have made it to a Sweet 16 in the 2007-08 season. They could make it back there this season, where a matchup with a young Kentucky team would await.

Senior guards Trevon Hughes and Jason Bohannon both score in double figures to pace the Badgers from outside, while junior Jon Leuer puts in 14 points from the inside. The inside-outside balance will make Wisconsin the only danger to Kentucky’s Elite Eight appearance.     

The right fit

No. 5 Temple Owls

For the first time since Jameer Nelson was in college at St. Joseph’s, the Atlantic 10 is a formidable conference. At the head of that charge is Temple. Senior point guard Ryan Brooks leads a team that beat Virginia Tech and Villanova in going 29-5 with 14 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists per game.

Game-changing players

John Wall, freshman guard, Kentucky

Another player in John Calipari’s line of one-and-dones, Wall is a dynamic guard with NBA speed and an ability to finish in the lane. He has proven more than a freshman in several games with clutch shots.

He scores 17 points, grabs 4 rebounds and dishes 6 assists per game. The only backlash of his swift and flashy game is four turnovers. He has to ensure that no costly mishaps happen on his watch at guard for Kentucky to continue its dominance.  

DeMarcus Cousins, freshman center, Kentucky

It took him a while to get going with Wall taking the lead, but Cousins has entered himself in the pool of players considered worthy of the NBA’s first draft pick.

Maintaining averages of 15 points and 10 rebounds per game, Cousins’ fire on the court is his biggest asset. He is relentless on the boards and sniffs out fear in his opponents before exploiting them on the block.

Da’Sean Butler, senior forward, West Virginia

A seasoned and savvy forward, Da’Sean Butler can create his own shot in a crowd and win games with his superior driving ability. Butler is an 17 points-per-game scorer whose ability in the clutch has kept West Virginia among the nation’s top teams all season.

With solid players surrounding him, Butler’s play will be the difference between a Final Four appearance and an early exit.

South

Teams to beat

No. 1 Duke Blue Devils

Everyone has talked about Duke getting the easiest road to the Final Four, mostly because it’s true. The injury of Purdue forward Robbie Hummel immediately downgraded the Boilermakers’ tournament chances, but it also diminished the South region's strength.

A Jekyll-Hyde Louisville team and Villanova pose as the Dukies' only threat. The Blue Devils posses the best 3-point shooting defense in the country, and that might slow down point guard Scottie Reynolds and the outside-oriented Wildcats.

No. 2 Villanova Wildcats

The Wildcats are powered by three guards. Reynolds, Corey Fisher and Corey Stokes score 40 of Villanova’s 82-point average. Their guards can put buckets in, but Antonio Pena is the only viable inside option at 10 points and 7 rebounds per game.

A lack of depth on the inside is the only thing that might hold this team back in one of the weaker regions of this year’s tournament.

Dangerous Team

No. 9 Louisville Cardinals

The Cardinals played in the nation’s best conference, sometimes looking like the best team it had to offer and at other times looking like a team unworthy of playing in the tournament all together.

They have beaten Syracuse twice, yet they’ve been defeated by St. John’s and UNLV. For the most part, Lousiville’s play matches that of Edgar Sosa’s, its senior guard. Once a star, he has gone in and out of Rick Pitino’s lineup during his stay in Louisville.  

The right fit
 
Sienna Saints

This choice is less about Sienna than it is about the depletion of Purdue. The Saints were supposed to be the team to challenge Villanova and Duke, but Hummel's absence has reduced the Boilermakers’ stature after going to the Sweet 16 last season.

Game-changing players

Scottie Reynolds, senior guard, Villanova

One of the all-time clutch players, Reynolds hit a shot to send his team to last year’s Final Four. He has that ability and can run the length of the floor in five seconds, just like he did against Pittsburgh last season.

His 18 points and 3 assists per game have come with big plays to propel the Wildcats to a 24-7 record and a No. 2 seed.

Jon Scheyer, senior guard, Duke

Scheyer is the best shooter on a team that hits 38 percent from 3-point range. The majority of his 18 points per game come from outside makes, and he embraced the point guard position for a team that struggled with direction last season.

He now averages 5 assists per game. It’ll be put on his shoulders to find teammates when the shots stop falling, something that has slowed Duke in previous years.

Tweety Carter, senior guard, Baylor

He runs a team that scores more than 77 points per game, many of them coming from his hands. As his team’s second-leading scorer and one of the nation’s foremost assists men, Carter can propel his team deep in the tournament with matchups against a Notre Dame group that barely made the tournament but ended up with a No. 6 seed.

A probable date with Villanova could lead Baylor to a showdown with Duke in the Elite Eight.