Bracket Breakdown: East

Cody Zeller of Indiana

Once again, another tough bracket and the East Region could make a case for the most difficult bracket of the four. Indiana is the top seed with ACC regular season and tournament champion Miami down at the two line. Big East powers Marquette and Syracuse are also in the mix and so are NC State and Illinois. Former tournament Cinderellas Butler, Bucknell and Davidson are also in the South. If you want to see an upset this may be the bracket it happens in.

East Region winner: Indiana Hoosiers
It's difficult to pick against Indiana after the season they had. The Hoosiers won at home and on the road, they beat the good teams and the bad teams, they won with perimeter play and post play, they won in a shootout and they won in grind-it-out Big Ten fixtures. IU is arguably the best team in the country and, as far as number one seeds go, they may have received the best draw. That should ease the tension for Hoosier fans since they didn't receive the Midwest Region number one seed which would have allowed them to play in Indianapolis. The route to Atlanta will put them against a couple of teams who have been inconsistent in NC State and Syracuse and the possible Elite 8 matchup against Miami should be fun. Expect the Hoosiers to come out of the East because of their complete play and ability to win in different styles.

Upset Pick: Bucknell to the Sweet 16
Bucknell is going to beat Butler and they may just upset Marquette as well. The Bison are a solid team led by center Mike Muscala and they have gone toe-to-toe with some of the nation's better teams and held their own. In January they should have defeated Missouri in Columbia, but they lost by two when Muscala stepped out of bounds on one of the final plays. A gifted big man is hard to guard and Muscala will test Butler's Andrew Smith. Should the Bison win their second round game they will have to get through Marquette who is always one of the toughest teams in America. It may not seem likely, but every tournament needs a Cinderella and for Bucknell the slipper might fit.

Mike Muscala of Bucknell

Potentially Intriguing Matchup: Indiana vs. Marquette (Elite 8)
Let's say Marquette handles Bucknell in the third round and then knocks off Miami in the Sweet 16. That would set up a meeting with Indiana for the right to advance to the Final Four and it would be the first time Tom Crean faced his former team since leaving the Golden Eagles. Crean took Marquette to the Final Four in 2003 with Dwyane Wade, Travis Diener and company and he is aiming to get the Hoosiers back to prominence now. Anytime a coach faces his former employer it makes for good headlines (see Kansas-UNC third round game in South Region) and this game would live up to the hype.

Player to Watch: Mike Muscala, center, Bucknell

Muscala is a gifted big man that can hurt opponents from anywhere on the floor. His unusual athleticism for his 6’11” frame makes him a difficult matchup and he averaged 19 points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game this season. Muscala is also a gifted shot blocker (2.4 per game) and he ranks in the nation’s top 30 in points, rebounds and blocked shots. His rebounding total is the fourth highest in the country. Muscala played three games against teams from Power Six conferences and in all three games he posted a double-double. 

Bottom Line: Indiana is going to march to Atlanta without much trouble and prove they deserved the hype all year long.