Bracket Breakdown: East

Michigan State Spartans

Perhaps there's no teams hotter than Virginia and Michigan State and the two of them headline the East Region which will meet in Madison Square Garden for the Sweet 16 and Elite 8. Plenty of questions surround the teams such as whether or not North Carolina will play like good or bad Carolina. Then there is the matter of Villanova. The Wildcats lost only four games, but laid an egg in the Big East tournament. Iowa State marched through the Big 12 tournament, but will have to meet either Michigan State or Virginia in the Elite 8. And what about Harvard-Cincinnati? Harvard is not sneaking up on anybody after last year's upset of New Mexico. Let's break it down...

East Region winner: Michigan State is healthy and that is a very, very scary thing for the other 67 teams in the tournament. I spent this past weekend at the Big Ten tournament and the Spartans stomped on all three of their opponents. Branden Dawson was phenomenal, Adreian Payne and Keith Appling looked healthy, and Gary Harris was nothing short of spectacular. MSU will have no problem with Delaware in the second round and has too much firepower for either Cincinnati or Harvard in the third round.

Simply put, they are the best team in the region and are playing like it. Remember, MSU may have a four next to their name, but this is a team many thought would challenge for a national championship and was once ranked first. Injuries hampered their play throughout the year, but Dawsen, Appling and Payne have all looked healthy. That means that Tom Izzo's streak of every four year player qualifying for the Final Four at least once in their career will continue.

Upset Pick: Providence over North Carolina
The Friars are hot and, in what will be a common theme throughout this post, are playing some of their best ball this season. With an upset victory over Creighton in the Big East final, they took themselves off of the bubble and now get an inconsistent Carolina team in the first round. This is a risky pick due to the fact that UNC has enough talent to go to the Final Four. However, they have bad losses to Belmont, Richmond and UAB this season which leaves some scratching their heads.

So it depends on which Carolina team shows up, but the matchup to watch is at the point guard position. The Friars' Bryce Cotton averages 21.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists and will go up against Marcus Paige. Paige has been the heady playmaker for the Tar Heels, averaging 17.4 points and shooting nearly 40 percent from three point. The play of these two will dictate the game.

Iowa State's Melvin Ejim

Player to Watch: Branden Dawsen, Michigan State
Dawsen is healthy after a hand injury slowed him down and he was named the Big Ten tournament Most Outstanding Player. An absolute beast, Dawsen can face a defender up and knock down a 15-footer, but he can also bully his way to the hoop and score down low. He missed ten games this season, but averaged 15 points and 7 rebounds in three Big Ten tournament games. His energy and aggressiveness is paramount to the Spartans' success and they will need that consistent play he showed in Indianapolis during this tourney run.

Potentially Intriguing Matchup: Michigan State vs. Iowa State (Elite 8)
This is the matchup I have picked for the Regional title and it would be a fun one. The two teams would matchup well at several positions. Appling may have to take DeAndre Kane at certain times throughout the game while Harris could find himself guarding the Big 12 Player of the Year in Melvin Ejim. Inside, Payne and Georges Niang will pair up with their somewhat similar games.

Iowa State's up-tempo offense that's focused on plenty of threes would meet Michigan State's hard-nosed defense. The Spartans have posted much higher numbers in both steals and blocks than the Cyclones. Both teams have four players averaging double figures and we could expect a high-scoring affair with plenty of great collegiate players.

Bottom Line: It's been too long since Tom Izzo and Michigan State has been in the Final Four and they are playing their best ball of the season now. They should be in Dallas.

Bracket Breakdown: Midwest

Aaron Harrison and Russ Smith

The Midwest bracket features the undefeated Wichita State Shockers, but the selection committee did the Shockers no favors by grouping them with Kentucky, Louisville, Duke and Michigan. In the toughest region of the four, it's hard to say who will advance to Dallas. While Wichita State is undefeated and went to the Final Four last season, it's hard to see them moving through a region loaded with potential national champions. Let's break it down.

Midwest Region winner: Louisville won the Midwest last season and they will win it again this year. Since February they are a 12-1 with a loss at Memphis being the only blemish. The Cards are hot right now and steamrolled their way through the American Conference tournament. However, the committee didn't think too highly of the AAC (sorry SMU) and put Louisville back at a four seed. It's an interesting decision, but it shouldn't slow Rick Pitino's squad at all.

The second round matchup with Manhattan should be a breeze and, while their third round game could be tough, they should move to Indy with little trouble. From there, they will be tested with two elite opponents. Whether that be Wichita State or Kentucky in the Sweet 16, it's not a cakewalk by any means. My head says pick Wichita State to meet them there, but a Kentucky-Louisville matchup in the NCAA Tournament would be phenomenal. In the Elite 8 they could face Duke, which would be a rematch of last year's Midwest Elite 8 game, or they could face Michigan. Despite the difficult road, the Cardinals score the basketball too well (82 ppg) and have too many weapons to be denied a third straight Final Four.


Jabari Parker and Nik Stauskas

Upset Pick: Tennessee over UMass
It beats me why UMass received such a high seed considering that they were the sixth seed in the Atlantic-10 tournament. Now, they are a six seed in the NCAA Tournament. That's major respect to the conference from the selection committee, but don't expect them to win a game. Tennessee, assuming they beat a slumping Iowa team, has played well of late. The Vols had won five of eight before giving Florida all they could handle in a 56-49 defeat in the SEC tournament semis.

You want to be playing your best ball heading into the tournament and it appears Tennessee is doing just that. UMass is not, having alternated wins and losses in their last six games. For that reason, expect the 11-seeded Volunteers to advance to the third round.

Player to Watch: Jabari Parker, Duke
Parker is the best freshman in the game and he leads the Blue Devils into March thinking they can make a run at the title. He posted stats of 19.2 points and 8.8 rebounds per game this season, but has seen his game-by-game field goal percentage fluctuate drastically over the past few weeks. Still, his skill set is impressive for someone his size and age, and the tournament may be the last time we get to watch him in a Duke uniform. Thankfully, the Blue Devils should at least make it to the Sweet 16, which will give us at least three more chances to watch him. He's a special talent and a player you don't want to miss.

Potentially Intriguing Matchup: Kentucky vs. Louisville (Sweet 16)
I am not actually picking this matchup to happen, but it would be some great television if it did. There's five or six different potential matchups you could talk about here, but we will settle with this one because it's a rivalry. Don't forget that Kentucky beat Louisville earlier in the season 73-66. The Cats have had their well-chronicled struggles this season, but in that prior meeting they had four freshmen score in double figures. For Louisville, they received a 7-20 shooting night from Russ Smith and a 3-11 performance from Luke Hancock. Should that happen again, Kentucky will move to the Elite 8. A lot has to happen for us to see this game, but it would be a dandy at Lucas Oil Stadium should it happen.

Bottom Line: There are plenty of great teams in the Midwest Region, but Louisville has the most postseason experience of them all and will advance to Dallas.

Fans Need to Remember Their Place

There seems to be some confusion lately among sports fans and where they are allowed to express their devotion to their teams. There also seems to be some confusion as to what is acceptable when rooting for a team. As the embarrassments pile up in college basketball, it is clear that there needs to be some reminders as to where fans can be and what they can say.

The idea that if you pay the money for a seat you can say what you want could not be more misguided. Should athletes have thick skin and expect some verbal barbs from the crowd? Without a doubt. But there is a line and it has been crossed. We saw that with the Jeff Orr-Marcus Smart incident in Lubbock.

While the athletes on the floor should have thick skin and show restraint, they are human beings. A human can only be subjected to so much and if the words directed at them turn racist, sexist or extremely vulgar then what are we to expect from them? Things have gotten ugly in the last month in college basketball. Smart pushed Orr, New Mexico State brawled with Utah Valley students and a UCSB fan angrily confronted Hawaii's Gib Arnold last night on the court.

It's a troubling trend that has arisen and it's one that must stop. Now. Fans are spectators and they are meant to be in the seats. Should a fan choose to come on the court then they must understand that they could be punched (see Utah Valley-NMSU) or arrested. It takes only one idiot and only one second for something tragic to happen.

There is no need to ask, "How bad can it get?" We have already seen that at the Palace at Auburn Hills when the Pacers and Pistons found themselves in arguably the ugliest scene to date between players and fans. There does not need to be a rerun of that night, but fans must learn their boundaries. Stay off the court and show some class and respect.

Fans create noise, distractions and a difficult environment for opponents, but that's where it should stop. This is a game we are talking about. There is no need for racist comments and there is no need to ever step foot on the court.

Let the game play out and enjoy it from your seat. After all, that's what you paid for right?