NCAA Bracket 2012: Complete Guide to East Region

The East Region of the 2012 NCAA tournament is shaping up to be a bruising, 16-team battle on the way to the TD Garden in Boston, and later to the Superdome in New Orleans for the Final Four. Second-ranked Syracuse snagged the No. 1 seed in this section of the bracket, though the Orange will find the path to the Big Easy to be anything but that.

Ohio State could give Jim Boeheim's boys a run for their money, as might Kansas State (in the second round), Vanderbilt (which beat Kentucky on Sunday) and Cincinnati (which topped the 'Cuse in the Big East tournament).

Opening Round Schedule

Thursday, March 15th

(in Pittsburgh)

No. 1 Syracuse vs. No. 16 North Carolina-Asheville

No. 8 Kansas State vs. No. 9 Southern Mississippi

No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 15 Loyola (MD)

No. 7 Gonzaga vs. No. 10 West Virginia

(in Albuquerque, NM)

No. 5 Vanderbilt vs. No. 12 Harvard

No. 4 Wisconsin vs. No. 13 Montana

Friday, March 16th

(in Nashville)

No. 6 Cincinnati vs. No. 11 Texas

No. 3 Florida State vs. No. 14 St. Bonaventure

Best Matchup in Round of 64

Cincinnati vs. Texas

The East Region features only one matchup between teams from power conferences in the round of 64, and it just so happens to be a dandy. Cincinnati came close to clipping Louisville for the Big East tournament title on Saturday and sports the sort of inside-out scoring and overall toughness to beat just about anyone—including Syracuse Orangemen, whom the Bearcats beat on Friday.

Texas is no slouch either, though. The Longhorns have some fantastic guards of their own to trot out, including junior J'Covan Brown and freshmen Myck Kabongo and Sheldon McClellan.

Expect these two to compete to the very end on Friday in Nashville, with the Bearcats coming out on top.

Four Stars to Watch

Jared Sullinger

It wouldn't exactly be fair to say that Jared Sullinger was a disappointment during his sophomore season, not after averaging 17.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. Then again, most of Sullinger's stats of interest were either similar or slightly worse than those he posted as a freshman.

Still, there's no doubting Sullinger's star power in the post for Ohio State. The Columbus native has expanded his game to the perimeter this season, but will ultimately need to do the heavy lifting down low if the Buckeyes are to make a deep run in the Big Dance.

Kris Joseph

This season's Syracuse squad is as star-studded as any Jim Boeheim has had during his tenure upstate, on which Kris Joseph has been the most consistent standout. The 6'7" senior from Montreal leads the team in scoring at 13.8 points per game, along with 4.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists, though he managed just nine points and no rebounds in the Orange's loss to Cincy in the Big East tournament.

The 'Cuse don't necessarily need Joseph to be on top of his game every night to win, but are certainly better served whenever he's hitting shots and crashing the boards.

John Jenkins

Shooting is the name of the game for Vanderbilt, and there's no better marksman in all of Tennessee, if not the country, than John Jenkins. The 6'4" junior from Hendersonville led the Commodores in scoring at 20 points per game and shot a scorching-hot 45.3 percent from beyond the arc.

Vandy coach Kevin Stallings will lean on Jenkins to get the job done from the outside for a team that looks like a serious threat to come out of the East.

Kevin Jones

Jae Crowder may have walked away as the Big East Player of the Year, but a case could've very well been made (and likely was) for Kevin Jones. The senior from Mount Vernon averaged a double-double on the year, with team highs in points (20.1) and rebounds (11.1) for Bob Huggins' boys.

Jones is just the sort of physical force at forward capable of wreaking havoc on the field, especially against Sullinger and Ohio State in the round of 32.

Favorites on Upset Alert

Syracuse

Despite their sparkling 31-2 record, the Orange demonstrated throughout the season that they're about as beatable as any team with their stock of talent should ever be. Winning 13 games by single digits is one thing.

Doing so after nearly surrendering big leads in those same games is another. Part of that is certainly a function of their vaunted 2-3 zone defense, which leaves the Orange susceptible to hot-shooting teams, though consistent focus is also an issue for this squad.

Syracuse has as much talent as any team in the country (outside of the state of Kentucky), but has struggled all year to put teams away. One slip now, and Jim Boeheim's dreams of a second national title will go down the drain. 

Ohio State

Ohio State has been in the top 10 in the polls all season but has never quite looked like the dominant force it was expected to be coming into the fall. The Buckeyes are solid on defense, especially with Aaron Craft at the point, but remain surprisingly limited on offense outside of Jared Sullinger in the middle.

As such, expect to see OSU's opponents pack it in on defense and force the likes of William Buford, Deshaun Thomas and Lenzelle Smith Jr. beat them from the perimeter. 

Cinderella Story Waiting to Happen

West Virginia

OK, so maybe the Mountaineers don't totally fit the description of a Cinderella team, seeing as how they play in the Big East, but they're a double-digit seed nonetheless, one capable of sneaking into the Sweet 16 and beyond.

The trio of Kevin Jones, Darryl Bryant and Deniz Kilicli can combine to score from anywhere on the court and create matchup problems for every potential opponent.

WVU should pull out a first-round win over Gonzaga—in a de facto home game in Pittsburgh, no less—before moving on to give OSU fits on Saturday and, perhaps, getting back to the Elite Eight later on.

Dark Horse Teams Ready to Make a Run

Vanderbilt

Vandy has the NBA-caliber talent (John Jenkins, Jeffery Taylor and Festus Ezeli) and the battle-tested experience (four seniors and one junior in the starting lineup) to make some serious noise over the next few weeks.

Oh, and they shoot the three-ball as well as any team in the country, which gives the Commodores a chance to win anytime, anywhere and against anyone...assuming they're knockin' 'em down from the perimeter.

Cincinnati

Cincy has been through more ups and downs than just about any club on college hoops this season and have still managed to persevere. Mick Cronin's done a masterful job of molding a tough-minded, tight-knit team in the aftermath of an ugly brawl with crosstown rival Xavier in December.

With the backcourt bunch of Cashmere Wright, Dion Dixon and Sean Kilpatrick, and senior Yancy Gates down low, the Bearcats may well scratch and claw their way to the Sweet 16.

Teams That Will Crack the Sweet 16

Syracuse

Yes, the 'Cuse are vulnerable, but they're just too talented and too well coached not to roll right over UNC-Asheville and dispatch either K-State or Southern Miss in the second round.

Vanderbilt

A trip to the Sweet 16 is the least the Commodores should be aiming for after early exits from the Big Dance in recent years and taking home the SEC crown on Sunday. 

Cincinnati

Topping a high-scoring Florida State squad won't be easy, but the Bearcats have the sort of prowess on the perimeter to play their way to Beantown.

Ohio State

Ohio State will battle its way past Loyola (MD) and West Virginia on the way to what should be a fantastic Buckeye State battle in the Sweet 16 (see below).

Dream Matchup We'd Love to See

Ohio State vs. Cincinnati

The last time Cincinnati played a team from their own state, they wound up in a bit of fisticuffs at the end of a 76-53 blowout loss to Xavier.

The Bearcats wouldn't dare throw so much as a single haymaker another team after that, Ohio State included. These two, though separated by a mere two-hour drive, have played each other just once since 1962 and nine times overall, with the Buckeyes owning a narrow 5-4 edge.

Perhaps a Sweet 16 showdown will be enough to get folks at OSU and Cincy moving in the right direction toward establishing a consistent rivalry.

Who Will Earn Final Four Berth?

For all of its flaws, Syracuse still has the skill and the mental toughness in close games to fend off the rest of the field and deliver Jim Boeheim a trip to New Orleans, where he and Carmelo Anthony won the national title in 2003.

Projected National Champion

Kentucky

There's one team in the country capable of so much as holding a candle to Kentucky's, and the Wildcats beat that team earlier this season.

Sorry, UNC, but this one's Big Blue's to lose.

For your printable NCAA Bracket, click here

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