East Region team-by-team capsules

By Joe Sullivan

1. Purdue

Conference: Big Ten

Record: 29-5 (15-5)

Scouting report: The emergence of Zach Edey as the player of the year changed everything for Purdue. He has been an unstoppable force offensively, averaging 22.1 ppg and hitting 60 percent of his shots. He also grabs 12.8 rebounds per game and many of them are offensive, which get the Boilermakers extra chances, and helps them crush teams on the boards. Edey will be a problem for everyone but the key will probably be the freshmen backcourt of Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer. It’s obvious now, they were undervalued recruits, but there production and poise could not have been predicted. They have to maintain that level if the Boilers are going to win a national championship.

2. Marquette

Conference: Big East

Record: 28-6 (17-3)

Scouting report: Is it possible that coach Shaka Smart is just a better fit at a place like Marquette or VCU instead of Texas? Maybe, considering what an unexpectedly great season the Fightin’ McGuires have had. They’re an excellent shooting team (48.7 percent, 12th in the country) and that is fueled by point guard Tyler Kolek (7.6 apg, second in the country), who finds teammates in the right spots. Then there’s a variety of offense with players like guard Kam Jones (15.0 ppg) and big man Olivier-Maxence Prosper (12.4 ppg). They average nearly 80 points per game but they’re not an outstanding defensive team; mostly they outscore opponents.

3. Kansas State

Conference: Big 12

Record: 23-9 (11-7)

Scouting report: Former Baylor assistant Jerome Tang has done an incredible job taking a team predicted to finish at the bottom of the Big 12 and molded them into a conference title contender. The Wildcats slipped a little in February but that can’t spoil how great season it’s been in Manhattan. The two keys are guard Markquis Nowell and big man Keyontae Johnson. Nowell was just another guy last season and transformed into a force while running the offense. He averages 16.8 ppg and 7.5 assists (third in the country) and is a borderline All-American. He will launch it from anywhere, too. Johnson, once a pre-season SEC player of the year, collapsed on the court at Florida because of a heart condition and missed two years. He’s healthy and nearly the same player he once was, averaging 17.7. One can only hope that the Wildcats decide to wear their lavender, Purple Popguns uniforms during the tournament.

4. Tennessee

Conference: SEC

Record: 23-10 (11-7)

Scouting report: The Volunteers are the best defensive team in the country; they can smother opposing offenses. That has produced a lot of victories … but the problem is offense. Coach Rick Barnes has tried different combinations, often because of injuries, but nothing has worked. Now, he’s without point guard Zakai Ziegler (who has a torn ACL). Still, there’s skilled offensive talent; it just doesn’t work. Some of the Vols’ games, win or lose, are awful to watch. There are too choices: The defense could carry them or the offense could sabotage them. It not hard to imagine a team with enough muscle will score enough points that Tennessee isn’t able to match.

5. Duke

League: ACC

Record: 26-8 (14-6)

Scouting report: It’s been a tough first season for coach Jon Scheyer because the Blue Devils didn’t reach projections based on a top recruiting class that didn’t deliver. … at first. As the season drew to a close, however, the Blue Devils started meshing and won the ACC Tournament impressively. Performance was finally matching talent and it makes them a threat to go far. Freshman forward Kyle Filipowski is a rugged presence inside he leads the Blue Devils in scoring (15.4 ppg) and rebounding (9.0). The key player for the Blue Devils is junior point guard Jeremy Roach. When he gets things organized, the Devils can look good. Mike Krzyzewski may no longer be here but this team still has that defensive commitment. Freshman Derek Lively hasn’t lived up to overall expectations but he is an outstanding shot blocker.

6. Kentucky

Conference: SEC

Record: 21-11 (12-6)

Scouting report: What a soap opera it’s been this season for John Calipari and his team. The loyal but hard-to-please Wildcat fans were disgruntled after losses to South Carolina, Missouri and Georgia. This team never really clicked and Oscar Tshiebwe, last season’s national player of the year, hasn’t been as dominant even though he averages a double-double (16.5 ppg, 13.1 rpg). The team seems to have difficulty getting the ball to him and this is just an ordinary outside shooting team. However, as the season finished up, the Wildcats improved and Calipari seems to be finding the right combinations. Guard Antonio Reeves has emerged as an excellent player. It can never be overlooked that this is still a talented group. If it suddenly solved all its chemistry problems, it wouldn’t be stunning. Not sure it’s possible in terms of making a long run in the tournament.

7. Michigan State

Conference: Big Ten

Record: 19-12 (11-8)

Scouting report: OK, maybe it’s an obvious cliché but any team coached by Tom Izzo is dangerous in March. This certainly isn’t one of his best teams, but the Spartans play with the usual toughness and smarts that all Izzo teams do and have survived a demanding schedule. Offensively, they’re carried by two transfers although they didn’t arrive this season. Point guard Tyson Walker (Northeastern) is slight of build but is a great ballhandler who definitely has the clutch gene. Izzo never unlocked the talent Joey Hauser showed in his freshmen season at Marquette but the 6-9 forward has become a key player even though he’s not a star some people thought he could be.

8. Memphis

Conference: American Athletic

Record: 26-8 (13-5)

Scouting report: Just as everyone was about to dismiss Penny Hardaway’s coaching ability, he coaxed this team with fewer big-name recruits into a tournament team. It was an excellent job exceeding expectations. What helped the most was the arrival of SMU transfer Kenric Davis, who is arguably one of the best point guards in the country, averaging 21.8 ppg and 5.6 apg, and would be on the list of most underrated players. He’s complemented by big man DeAndre Williams (17.9 ppg, 7.9 rpg), who’s one of the oldest players in college basketball. He graduated from high school in 2016.

9. Florida Atlantic

Conference: Conference USA

Record: 31-3 (18-2)

Scouting report: It’s been a stunning season in Boca Raton, Fla. And it could very likely lead to a bigger job for coach Dusty May, who once was a student manager for Bob Knight at Indiana. He has an unusual use of personnel as the team’s top two leading scorers, Johnell Davis (13.5 ppg) and Alijah Martin 13.2), both come off the bench. They do lead the team in minutes play, about 25 each, although May uses practically his entire roster which is young by relative standards with only one senior. Vladislav Goldin is a huge (7-1, 240) big man who’s not great rebounder but is an effective inside player. Overall, the Owls rebound very well as a team plus they’re an excellent shooting team (47 percent) led by Davis, who had converted half his shots.

10. Southern Cal

Conference: Pac 12

Record: 23-9 (14-6)

Scouting report: Boogie Ellis, who was supposed to go Duke but ended up in Memphis, has found his place in Los Angeles. It’s easy to miss with the Pac 12 difficult to find on TV but the 6-3 guard has a really good season. He’s a volume scorer (18.1 ppg) but he’s capable of spectacular play and seems to have the clutch gene if the Trojans need a crucial basket. Drew Peterson, a 6-9 swingman, actually leads the team in assists and can be a dangerous shooter. There are some weaknesses; the Trojans are not strong upfront and have been outrebounded this season. They are also careless with the ball at times.

11. Providence

Conference: Big East

Record: 21-11 (13-7)

Scouting report: Ed Cooley has become the master of the transfer portal. With only one key player returning (guard Jared Bynum, who was also a transfer), he reloaded his roster to produce another Big East contender. The best addition was Kentucky transfer Bryce Hopkins, who leads the team in scoring (16.1) and rebounding (8.5). There’s excellent depth, decent size, a defensive mentality and an unselfishness on offense that makes this an excellent team. One downside is ballhandling, the Friars commit a lot more turnovers than they force plus they didn’t finish strong, losing four of their last five.

12.

Oral Roberts

Conference: Summit League

Record: 30-4 (18-0)

Scouting report: The Titans advanced to the Sweet 16 two seasons ago; it’s not far-fetched to think it could happen again as they entered the tournament on a 17-game winning streak. They are led by the amazing Max Abmas, a 6-0 senior guard who led the nation in scoring two seasons ago, and this season has compiled 22.2 ppg, 3.9 apg, a 91.8 free-throw percentage and even contributes 4.4 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, his major is biomedical chemistry. As a team, the Titans play fast, averaging 84.2 (third in the country) and they’ll be gunning up a bunch of threes. It’s not bad on the defensive end either where 7-5 Conor Vanover, a transfer from Arkansas, is second in the country with 107 blocked shots.

13. Louisiana

Conference: Sun Belt

Record: 26-7 (13-5)

Scouting report: Jordan Brown, a 6-11 center, was a McDonald’s All-American who originally went to Nevada and was the Mountain West freshman of the year. Rare to see that type of resume in Lafayette, La. and he’s delivered, leading the Ragin’ Cajuns in scoring (19.4) and rebounding (8.7). He connects on 57 percent of his shots. The Cajuns top outside threat is guard Greg Williams who started his career at St. John’s. Two things to consider, the Cajuns were 14-0 at home and the one time they stepped up in class, they got crushed at Texas 100-72.

14. Montana State

Conference: Big Sky

Record: 25-9 (15-3)

Scouting report: Eastern Washington totally dominated the Big Sky this season but got upset on a buzzer beater in the conference tournament. Undeserving. However, Montana State also had an excellent season and survived a poorly played semifinal. The Bobcats are led by high-flying guard RaeQuan Battle, a transfer from Washington who averages 17.4 ppg. Big man Jubrile Belo is an interesting playing who averages 13.0 ppg and 6.1 rpg but sometimes can exceed that. He’s also a rarity, a Division 1 player from England.

15. Vermont

Conference: America East

Record: 23-10 (14-2)

Scouting report: Fans who’ve filled out brackets in the past should be familiar with the Catamounts – this is the school’s ninth NCAA appearance. Sometimes the Catamounts are dangerous, but this is not that good a team. They did play a formidable non-conference schedule including a West Coast road trip that resulted in three straight losses to Saint Mary’s, Fullerton State and Southern Cal. Then they dominated America East led by the conference player of the year, Finn Sullivan (11.9). Leading scorer Dylan Penn (13.5 ppg) transferred to Vermont with hopes of playing in the NCAAs. He played for Bellarmine last season; his team won the ASUN but weren’t eligible for the NCAAs because they were still in the Division 1 transitional period.

16. Texas Southern

Conference: Southwestern Athletic

Record: 14-20 (7-11)

Scouting report: The Tigers have been in the NCAA Tournament seven of the last 10 years; it’s just no one was expecting it to happen this season after they lost their final three regular-season games and entered the SWAC Tournament as the eighth seed. It turns out they just needed three days in March to play well enough. It’ll most likely be a short stay; this team has trouble on offense, hitting only 42 percent of its shots overall, and 28 percent on threes. It’s a good defensive team and they produce points by hitting the offensive boards. One good thing they have on their resume is a victory over Arizona State early in the season.

16. FDU

Conference: Northeast

Record: 19-14 (10-6)

Scouting report: With a higher-profile program Tobin Anderson might be a contender for national coach of the year. After a successful nine-year run (209-62) at St. Thomas Aquinas, a division 2 school just north of New York City, he took over a program that went 4-22 last season. And now the Knights are in the tournament. He did by convincing his two best players at Thomas to come with him. They form a tiny backcourt, 5-8 Demetre Roberts and 5-9 Grant Singleton but they are quick and it fuels an upset tempo attack. Roberts averages 16.7, Singleton 14.4. Keep in mind the Knights are not the best team in the NEC, that would be Merrimack who won the regular season and the conference tournament but is in its final year of Division 1 transition and ineligible for the NCAAs.

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