Cover photo taken from Purdue Sports.
Welcome back to the Madness. The 2023 NCAA Tournament is upon us with 68 teams and 67 incredible games ahead to crown a champion. The 2022-23 college basketball season has been one of the most unique in recent memory, as the field appears to be as wide open as it has ever been. There isn’t necessarily a clear favorite in this tournament, so March Madness is sure to live up to its name in the coming weeks. To preview the tournament, I’ll be breaking down the 2023 bracket region by region. This is the preview of the East: a region littered with sleepers and a plethora of potential upsets.
Meet the 1 Seed: 
Purdue Boilermakers
For the last several years, Purdue and heartbreak have been synonymous in March. If there’s any team that’s built to change that narrative, it’s this one. This is Matt Painter’s best team yet that has been at or near the top of college basketball all season long, finishing the year ranked 5th in NET, 6th in KenPom, and 7th in BPI. And the one true story of this team is Zach Edey. The 7-foot 4-inch 300-pound junior and National Player of the Year-to-be has dominated college basketball for five months and is showing no signs of slowing down. In every single Purdue game, he dominates the middle of the floor, creates space, and cannot be stopped offensively. If he does miss, then he’ll just grab his own board and put it in the net. It’s virtually impossible to attack the paint offensively when Edey stands there, so you better hope you can hit your shots against the Boilers defense. Edey is as dominant and unique as a talent as college basketball has ever seen. Averaging 22 points (sixth nationally), 13 rebounds (third nationally), and two blocks per game with 26 double doubles in 33 games, he is the heart and soul of this Purdue team, and they go as he goes. That’s not to say this team doesn’t have other options; guards Fletcher Loyer, Mason Gillis, and Braden Smith control the backcourt and provide plenty of good scoring and passing. But all eyes will be on #15 when the Boilers are on the floor. If their opponents can’t stop Zach Edey, then Purdue may finally reach their coveted Final Four for the first time since 1980. Unfortunately, they’re the 1 seed in one of the toughest regions imaginable with some incredibly difficult teams lying in wait.
Meet the Sleeper: 
#6 Kentucky Wildcats
Honorable Mentions: #5 Duke, #8 Memphis, #10 USC
I’m not sure if it’s ever appropriate to call a blue blood a “sleeper” but Kentucky has flown under the radar for months now, and they’re finally starting to get their act together. Though Vanderbilt of all teams was their Achilles heel down the stretch, the Wildcats finished the year winning five of their last seven games to rise up the seed line. While their defense hasn’t been as good as they would hope, the offense has been unstoppable, scoring 80+ points in four of their last five. The star of the show remains forward Oscar Tshiebwe, last year’s National Player of the Year, who remains a rebounding machine and a walking double double. Tshiebwe averages 16.5 points and 13.1 rebounds (to lead the nation) per game and has amassed 19 double doubles on the year. But the rest of the offense has plenty of capable pieces, namely Illinois State transfer Antonio Reeves, who scores over 14 points per game. There are also several key pieces from last year’s team which was upset in the first round by St. Peter’s: guards Cason Wallace and Sahvir Wallace as well as forward Jacob Toppin. I can imagine this Kentucky team wants to atone for their massive failure from last season, when they had title aspirations just to lose to a 15 seed. They haven’t lived up to the hype throughout the season, but they are starting to get hot. If they can stay hot in the tournament, then nobody in the entire field will want to see them. But one of their patented bad days will send them packing.
Upset “Waiting To Happen”: #13 Louisiana over #4 Tennessee
Honorable Mention: #10 USC over #7 Michigan State
I don’t see any first round upsets in this region, but if I had to pick one to happen, it would be this one. Tennessee lost their star guard Zakai Zeigler, an elite perimeter defender, to injury, and it has had clear detriments on a team that was already spiraling downwards as the season came to a close. The Vols are trending in the wrong direction after being so dominant for so long, finishing the year 4-6. Louisiana doesn’t have anything special going on, but their offense can hit threes and rebound with the best of them. If, and that’s a pretty massive if, they get some balls to bounce their way and cash in from distance and the free throw line, they might be able to beat Tennessee’s elite defense, which ranks second in KenPom. But like I said, I think that’s far too unlikely.
Best Potential Games: #1 Purdue vs. #2 Marquette, #5 Duke vs. #6 Kentucky
Honorable Mentions: #1 Purdue vs. #5 Duke, #2 Marquette vs. #6 Kentucky
Purdue and Marquette have the 9th and 7th ranked offensive efficiencies in the country according to KenPom, respectfully. Seeing these offenses square off would be a feast for the eyes. Each team also has one of the nation’s best players in Zach Edey and Tyler Kolek, although they both make their money in vastly different ways. It would be a fascinating display of different offensive styles between two teams and coaches that are desperate for a trip to the Final Four. It would be a wildly entertaining Regional Final, but unfortunately for both squads, I don’t trust them enough to see either one of them making it that far.
Do I really need to outline why I want to see Duke and Kentucky, two Champions Classic teams and two of the greatest programs on Earth, play each other in a Regional Final at Madison Square Garden? This matchup would be everything we could hope for as college hoops fans. Both the Blue Devils and Wildcats are entering the tournament playing some of their best ball, and they are both plenty capable of making deep runs on the backs of their elite talent and coaching. This is the Regional Final I’m predicting in this region, and while I’ve been wrestling with making a pick all week long, there is one team that I’m going to continue to back, no matter how many times they let me down.
My Pick For Houston: #6 Kentucky
Honorable Mentions: #5 Duke, #8 Memphis
I am ready to get hurt again. One year after picking the Wildcats to make the Final Four only to have them lose in the first round to a 15 seed, I am once again backing Coach Calipari and Kentucky. This might not be the most talented team that Cal has ever had in Lexington, but they have a certain feeling to them. If they get hot, they can run through the teams in this region. They’re going to be hungry and desperate to prove themselves and not only make up for the shortcomings of last year, but previous years. Kentucky hasn’t made a Final Four since 2014, when they lost the title game to Shabazz Napier and UConn as an 8 seed. Who’s to say they can’t make another run as a 6? I think they got a favorable draw with a possible breeze in the first weekend before two potential shootouts in the Regionals at MSG. All they need is their offense to operate at its typical level and their defense to step up ever so slightly and they can shock the world en route to Houston.
Full Round of 64 Picks:
#1 Purdue over #16 Fairleigh Dickinson: FDU, a 16, is the shortest team in the NCAA Tournament. Purdue, a 1, has Zach Edey. You picking up what I’m putting down?
#8 Memphis over #9 Florida Atlantic: This is one of the most enticing games of the first round. Each of these squads enters the tournament red hot, with Memphis coming off a win over Houston in the AAC title game and FAU having their way with the C-USA en route to a 31-win season. This is as close as an 8-9 gets, but I’m taking the Tigers and their superior talent and coaching. And this might not be the only game they win in this tournament. I think Memphis is the team seeded eighth or lower that has the best shot of making it to Houston.
#5 Duke over #12 Oral Roberts: The Golden Eagles are back in the tournament after their historic Sweet 16 run in 2021, and everyone is jumping on them to pull off an upset over Duke. I hate to break your hearts, but that is simply not happening. The Blue Devils are peaking at the right time, playing their best ball of the year when it matters most. They haven’t lost since February 11th and just ran through the ACC Tournament; they’re primed for a deep run. This one might not be remotely close.
#4 Tennessee over #13 Louisiana: The Vols not having Zakai Zeigler will doom them in this tournament, but not here. The Ragin’ Cajuns are a popular upset pick, but I just don’t see it. Not with the athleticism and level of play that Tennessee brings to the table. This will likely be their lone win in this tournament, but it shouldn’t be too much of a challenge.
#6 Kentucky over #11 Providence: Both of these offenses are absolute treats to watch. This should be a thrilling, high-scoring affair with a juicy storyline in the Bryce Hopkins revenge game for the Friars guard who transferred from Lexington. I’m obviously rolling with the Wildcats all the way to Houston, but this will be a very tough test for them against an offense that can go blow-for-blow with theirs. The Kentucky defense should be able to be the difference.
#3 Kansas State over #14 Montana State: They don’t make games more uninteresting than this one. K State’s defense will dominate from start to finish against perhaps the worst offense in the field of 68.
#7 Michigan State over #10 USC: This is a fantastic 7-10 matchup between two teams that are plenty capable of making some noise in this tournament. Neither have achieved what they wanted to this season, but both have high ceilings that could show in March. While I think the Trojans will have the best player on the floor in Boogie Ellis, I like Sparty more across the board. The experienced backcourt of Tyson Walker and AJ Hoggard should be able to carry them to victory.
#2 Marquette over #15 Vermont: Despite this being a 2-15, the Catamounts won’t be a pushover. This is a great program that continues to dominate the America East and has become a mainstay in the NCAA Tournament. But they don’t have what it takes to handle the offense of the Golden Eagles, who have a lot to prove in this tournament under Shaka Smart.
All stats taken from ESPN.
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