At first glance, the East Rutherford, N.J., regional, with St. Joseph’s as the No. 1 seed, may appear to be the weakest of the bunch. But first impressions can be misleading.
The Hawks, often underestimated because they’re a small team from a midmajor conference, are veteran outside shooters who bring the solid guard play necessary to survive in the one-and-done rumble of March.
St. Joe’s took a drubbing at the hands of Xavier in the Atlantic 10 tournament, but coach Phil Martelli insisted it was a one-time deal, not a harbinger of an early exit from the tournament.
Sixth-seeded Wisconsin, the newly crowned Big Ten tournament champion, is dangerous.
And Pittsburgh, though it lost an overtime heartbreaker to Connecticut in the Big East tournament final, has maintained its success under first-year coach Jamie Dixon.
The Panthers, a veteran, physical team, are looking to legitimize their recent basketball renaissance by advancing past the Sweet 16 for the first time.
Texas Tech has played inconsistently, going 6-8 in its final 14 games. But opponents take a Bob Knight-coached team lightly at their risk.
Florida split its last four games, but both losses were to Kentucky, the No. 1 seed in the tournament.
Who’s hot: No. 2 seed Oklahoma State, fresh off Big 12 regular-season and conference championships, could have easily been a No. 1 seed. The Cowboys can score–they have four players averaging better than a dozen points per game, and they shoot almost 52 percent from the field as a team. Plus they play suffocating defense. The Cowboys’ 15.4 point average margin of victory is tops in the conference. Oklahoma State held Texas without a field goal for more than 13 second-half minutes in the Big 12 title game.
Who’s not: Wake Forest, the No. 4 seed in the region, is dragging a bit, carrying three straight losses into its first-round game with Virginia Commonwealth, including a first-round exit from the ACC tournament.
Long shot: Wisconsin, tenacious, tough and determined, could emerge as the dark horse winner of this regional.
Prediction: Oklahoma State over St. Joseph’s.
