2022 NCAA Tournament Bracket Preview: East Region
Here at Blue Wings Rising, we realize that you care about ALL the brackets in the NCAA Tournament, whether that's because you are looking for a leg up in your bracket pool, you secretly want validation that your off-the-wall pick to make the Final Four is COMPLETELY crazy, or you just love college basketball and can't help but read everything you can from every source available.
Whatever the reason, we have scoured the brackets, looked at the numbers and come up with the top things you need to account for when evaluating each region of the NCAA Tournament. Up first, the East Regional:
Whoever makes it out of the East and to New Orleans will have earned its spot, because this is a gauntlet of a region, from top to bottom.
It’s not only interesting because of the fact that this region has it all, from two reigning Final Four teams (including the reigning national champs) in Baylor and UCLA and big-name contenders like Kentucky and Purdue to great mid-majors in Murray State and San Francisco and a surging Virginia Tech.
But it’s also the style of play. There is a ton of offense in this regional — including three of the top nine and five of the top 20 in KenPom’s offensive efficiency. So, expect points. And if you like frontcourt dominance, Oscar Tshiewbe, Zach Edey, Travion Williams, and Armando Bacot have you covered.
Let’s dive in.
Best First Round Game
Upset Pick
Best Potential Second Round/Sweet 16 Matchup
Players to Watch
Dark Horse Pick
I’m counting a dark horse as someone outside of the top 3 seeds but not quite Cinderella status. So, while it may not feel this way in name, I’m not seeing much attention for UCLA as a Final Four team. But with Baylor limping and the chance for Kentucky, Purdue, and some potential Cinderellas to cannibalize each other in the bottom half, UCLA could have a decent path to New Orleans.
Regional Final Prediction
I can see this region playing out in a number of different ways, so I have little faith that this will be correct. But I’m going with UCLA and Kentucky facing off in the Elite 8 and Kentucky’s offense being too much for the Bruins. My biases don’t love it, but I’m feeling like Kentucky is getting out of the East.
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