The field of 68 has finally been revealed and we can begin to speculate on Villanova's path to a potential final four berth. We'll get into to deeper analysis throughout the week, but here we'll just fire off some quick thoughts and reactions.
As expected, Nova was awarded the one seed in the East and will start tournament play in Pittsburgh on Thursday.
We know that the road to San Antonio will start with the winner of a play-in game between LIU Brooklyn and Radford. Those teams will battle for a date with Nova on Tuesday at 6:40.
Giving each region a quick glance, it's hard not to be pleased with Nova's draw. Assuming Nova handles business in the opener, the Cats would get the winner of Alabama and Virginia Tech. I personally think this matchup isn't getting the attention it deserves early among the tournament hot takes. Collin Sexton is dangerous for Bama and has "win a game on his own" potential. Meanwhile Tech has wins over Virginia, UNC and Duke. West Virginia is lurking as a potential second weekend opponent, and their defense is always a cause for concern. Purdue is a legit contender and can cause problems with the combination of guard play and impressive size down low. However, Eric Paschall and Omari Spellman are the kind of players that can cause problems for Purdue's bigs by drawing them from the basket, and the Nova backcourt can play with any in the country.
Virginia has some legitimate threats in the South, most notably in the potential 4/5 matchup between Kentucky and Arizona. Cincinnati lurks at the bottom of that region, one of the few teams in the country that can match the Cavaliers defensively. Interesting teams like Tennessee and Creighton add some intrigue to the region.
The midwest is incredibly top heavy, and whoever emerges there is going to have earned it with the top three seeds being represented by Kansas, Duke, and Michigan State. Auburn is lurking there, as well as the Trae Young show and one of the early favorite picks of a double-digit seed capable of making a run in New Mexico State. There's a ton of threats here, and having to defeat a combination of Kansas/Duke/MSU to reach the Final Four is daunting.
Fellow Big East member Xavier took home the one seed in the West, with national title threats in UNC and Gonzaga joining them. Ohio State won't be an easy out. 3 seed Michigan is dealing with an extra long layoff, but has been among the hottest teams in the country of late. The return of Michael Porter Jr. has added some intrigue around 8 seed Missouri.
In a season in which the tournament was expected to be pretty wide open, there are no cakewalks to San Antonio. But looking at how things have shaken out, Nova has to be feeling pretty good about the draw.
An interesting note: I've seen two early Final Four predictions and they were identical, as were the picks for the title game and champion. FF: Virginia, Duke, Villanova, Michigan. Title game: Villanova over Virginia. Obviously doesn't mean much, but still fun to look at.
We'll have an in-depth look at the east region and Nova's path to San Antonio coming this week.
