As part of our annual March Madness coverage, we not only provide a complete NCAA Tournament bracket breakdown, but we also break down each individual region as well.
Below is everything you need to know about the East Regional, including: ticket links and discount codes; the matchups, TV schedule, announcer assignments, and point spreads; and my predictions for how the bracket will play out.
(Note: my complete bracket predictions can be found here.)
Follow the links to see our Southeast Region Bracket Breakdown, the Southwest Region Bracket Breakdown, and the West Region Bracket Breakdown.
East Regional: Newark, New Jersey (Seton Hall University)
- East Regional Semi-Final and Final Dates: March 25th and 27th (Fri/Sun)
- East Regional Site: Prudential Center
- East Regional Tickets: March Madness 2011 Tickets – East Regional Semi-Final (Sweet 16) and Final (Elite 8) in Newark
For tickets to first and second round games, or to price shop regional semi-final and final tickets, use the links below.
RazorGator: March Madness 2011 Tickets
For RazorGator, MSF readers are encouraged to use the following discount codes to save money on their ticket purchases:
- $30 off on all orders of $300 or more: RG300J
- $20 off on all orders of $150 or more: RG150J
- $10 off purchase over $110 or more: ORDR10RG
- Free shipping on all orders of $$100 or more: FSOVERRG
Additional links:
- Ticket Liquidator: March Madness 2011 Tickets
- Vivid Seats: March Madness 2011 Tickets
- TickCo: March Madness 2011 Tickets
- Ace Ticket: March Madness 2011 Tickets
And now, onto the bracket, and then my picks.
Obviously I cannot fill in the table until the brackets are announced, but I’ll be doing so in real-time on Sunday and then updating this table as games are played and TV schedules are announces.
East Region Bracket, TV Schedule, Sites, Announcers
| Game | Matchup | Date | Time | Location | Announcers | TV | Spread |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIRST ROUND | |||||||
| For 16 seed: Texas-San Antonio 70 def Alabama State 61 | Wed, 3/16 | 6:30 ET | Dayton | Gus Johnson & Len Elmore | truTV | TXSA -4.5 | |
| For 12 seed: Clemson 70 def UAB 52 | Tues, 3/15 | 9:00 ET | Dayton | Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg & Steve Kerr | truTV | CLEM -5 | |
| SECOND ROUND | |||||||
| 1 | #1 Ohio State 75 def #16 Texas San-Antonio 46 | Fri, 3/18 | 4:40 ET | Cleveland | Gus Johnson & Len Elmore | TNT | |
| 2 | #8 George Mason 61 def #9 Villanova 57 | Fri, 3/18 | 2:10 ET | Cleveland | Gus Johnson & Len Elmore | TNT | GM -1 |
| 3 | #4 Kentucky 59 def #13 Princeton 57 | Thu, 3/17 | 2:45 ET | Tampa | Ian Eagle & Jim Spanarkel | CBS | UK -14 |
| 4 | #5 West Virginia 84 def #12 Clemson 76 | Thu, 3/17 17 | 12:15 ET | Tampa | Ian Eagle & Jim Spanarkel | CBS | |
| 5 | #2 North Carolina 102 def #15 Long Island 87 | Fri, 3/18 | 7:15 ET | Charlotte | Jim Nantz & Clark Kellogg | CBS | UNC -18.5 |
| 6 | #7 Washington 68 def #10 Georgia 65 | Fri, 3/18 | 9:45 ET | Charlotte | Jim Nantz & Clark Kellogg | CBS | WASH -5 |
| 7 | #3 Syracuse v #14 Indiana State | Fri, 3/18 | 9:57 ET | Cleveland | Gus Johnson & Len Elmore | truTV | SU -11 |
| 8 | #11 Marquette 66 def #6 Xavier 44 | Fri, 3/18 | 7:27 ET | Cleveland | Gus Johnson & Len Elmore | truTV | XAV -1 |
| THIRD ROUND | |||||||
| 9 | #1 Ohio State 98 def #8 George Mason 66 | Sun, 3/20 | 5:15 ET | Cleveland | Gus Johnson & Len Elmore | CBS | OSU -11 |
| 10 | #4 Kentucky 71 def #5 West Virginia 63 | Sat, 3/19 | 12:15 ET | Tampa | Ian Eagle & Jim Spanarkel | CBS | UK -3.5 |
| 11 | #2 North Carolina 86 def #7 Washington 83 | Sun, 3/20 | 12:15 ET | Charlotte | Jim Nantz & Clark Kellogg | CBS | UNC -4 |
| 12 | #11 Marquette 66 def #3 Syracuse 62 | Sun, 3/20 | 7:45 ET | Cleveland | Gus Johnson & Len Elmore | truTV | SU -5 |
| SWEET 16 | |||||||
| 13 | #1 Ohio State v #4 Kentucky | Fri, 3/25 | 9:45 ET | Newark | Jim Nantz & Clark Kellogg | CBS | OSU -5 |
| 14 | #2 North Carolina v #11 Marquette | Fri, 3/25 | 7:15 ET | Newark | Jim Nantz & Clark Kellogg | CBS | UNC -4.5 |
| ELITE 8 - REGIONAL FINAL | |||||||
| 15 | Game 13 Winner v Game 14 Winner | Sun, 3/27 | Newark |
———-
East Region Picks and Champion Prediction
First Round Picks:
- For #16 seed: Texas-San Antonio over Alabama State
- For 12 seed: Clemson over UAB
Sorry Mike Davis. You probably didn’t deserve a bid anyway, and I think you’ll go home early. But congrats on a great regular season in C-USA.
Second Round Picks:
- #1 Ohio State over #16 Texas-San Antonio
- #9 Villanova over #8 George Mason
- #4 Kentucky over #13 Princeton
- #5 West Virginia over #12 Clemson
- #2 North Carolina over #15 Long Island
- #10 Georgia over #7 Washington
- #6 Xavier over #11 Marquette
- #3 Syracuse over #14 Indiana State
Everyone is picking George Mason over ice cold Villanova, but the Wildcats have an experienced and talented backcourt that I think can lead them out of Round 1. Kentucky-Princeton will be closer than people think. Picking Georgia over Washington makes me nervous, especially when you consider how well Isaiah Thomas has played in tournament situations, but Georgia was a tick better this year on defense and on the glass, so they get the nod. Xavier-Marquette came out at 3-3, so it was a judgment call, and I’m going for Xavier because they are very good on the glass and better defensively than Marquette.
Third Round Picks:
- #1 Ohio State over #9 Villanova
- #4 Kentucky over #5 West Virginia
- #2 North Carolina over #10 Georgia
- #3 Syracuse over #6 Xavier
Well this is no fun. My system predicts each of the top four seeds to advance. No real explanation needed. The teams were seeded on the top line for a reason, and their ratings back it up and move them on.
Ohio State and Thad Matta will cut down the nets in Newark.
Sweet 16 Picks:
- #1 Ohio State over #4 Kentucky
- #3 Syracuse over #2 North Carolina
Ohio State gets the nod over a very talented but young Kentucky team because of their guard experience and very high assist/turnover ratio (1.56). Tough draw for Kentucky. They are a good team, but just not good enough to get past Ohio State. Syracuse gets the nod over North Carolina in a very, very close matchup due to their backcourt experience and ability to take care of the basketball.
Elite 8 Picks:
- #1 Ohio State over #3 Syracuse
The Buckeyes actually came out ahead in six of the seven categories. I felt coming into the tournament that Ohio State was the best team, so it is no surprise that they end up moving on to my Final 4.
East Regional Champion: Ohio State Buckeyes
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About Jerod Morris
