Basketball Betting: NCAA East Region Preview

With four of the top historical programs at the top of the East bracket, this region should provide plenty of interest for college hoops fans over the next couple of weeks. The East regional semi-finals and championship game will be held in Newark, NJ. Top contenders The top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes are the number one overall seed in the entire tournament. Led by freshman standout Jared Sullinger, the club is a +135 favorite to reach the Final Four in Houston out of this region. Another freshman sensation could battle Sullinger's squad in the regional final. The seventh-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels (+405) are the second-seed in the East. Freshman Harrison Barnes came on strong late in the year to help North Carolina win the ACC regular season title. Head coach Roy Williams has guided the Tar Heels to a pair of NCAA crowns in the last six years. Third-seed Syracuse (+425) won a national championship in the last decade. The 12th-ranked Orange have plenty of depth for head coach Jim Boeheim to work with. As part of a brutal Big East Conference that has put ten other teams into this year's NCAA field, Syracuse is certainly battle tested heading into the tourney. In contrast, the 11th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats (+425) don't have much depth. However, the fourth-seed in the East have some of the top freshmen in the country for the second straight year under recruiting master John Calipari. Freshmen Brandon Knight and Terrance Jones have combined to average 34 points per game this season. Kentucky brings some momentum into March Madness after winning the SEC tournament last weekend. Sleepers Beyond the top four seeds, there are a few other clubs to keep an eye on in this bracket. West Virginia (#5-seed, +2050), Xavier (#6-seed, +5250) and Washington (#7-seed, +1215) are all ranked in the final top 25 poll prior to the tournament. The Mountaineers won this region a year ago by upsetting Kentucky in the East final. The two schools are likely to meet in the third round in Tampa this weekend. The Huskies have some momentum following a dramatic win over Arizona in the Pac-10 tourney final. Eighth-seed George Mason (+5250) is five years removed from its surprising run to the Final Four. The Patriots had a 16-game winning streak snapped in the Colonial Athletic Association tournament. Villanova (#9-seed, +4050) and Georgia (#10-seed, +5250) are among the squads in the bottom half of the bracket.