Get to know the East region

On Sunday, 68 teams were fortunate to make the esteemed NCAA tournament. As expected, the Orange was awarded a No. 1 seed in the East region.

Let’s take a look at who SU could potentially matchup against in the East and how much of a threat they are to end the Orange’s magical season.

16 Seed - UNC Asheville

The Scoop - A 16 seed has never beaten a 1 and this game won’t change that. UNC Asheville has good guards and gave the UNC Tar Heels a run for their money in the first half, but Syracuse is just too talented.  

Threat Level (1-5, the higher the number, the tougher the game) - 1

Matchup in round of 64

8 Seed - Kansas State

The Scoop - KSU is one of the best teams in America at pounding the offensive glass, which isn’t good for the Syracuse faithful. The Orange are extremely susceptible in that area so this isn’t too favorable of a matchup for SU. However, SU is far deeper and has much better guards. For a comparison, look at West Virginia, KSU has a similar mentality.

Threat Level - 3

Potential matchup: Round of 32

9 Seed - Southern Miss

The Scoop - SMU had a good year in Conference USA but is a little over-seeded as a nine. They finished behind Memphis within the C-USA and have tapered off a bit of late. However, Southern Miss was dynamic out of conference. If they can regain their mojo from November and December, SMU could be a threat.

Threat Level - 2

Potential matchup: Round of 32

5 Seed - Vanderbilt

The Scoop - Vandy just won the SEC championship after beating Kentucky, so you know this team is for real. The ‘Dores have a great shooter (John Jenkins), an inside presence (Festus Ezeli) and athletic wings (Jeffrey Taylor, Lance Golbourne). At the same time, Vandy doesn’t always play hard defensively. A preseason top-10 team, the Commodores have all the tools necessary to pose as a serious threat for the Orange. It’s just a matter of them putting it together on the defensive end and playing with consistency.

Threat Level - 4

Potential matchup: Sweet Sixteen

12 Seed - Harvard

The Scoop - This isn’t your typical Ivy League team. Harvard is one of the stronger non-BCS teams in the country. They defend the heck out of the ball. The Crimson is a tough team that could very well win a couple games.

Threat Level - 2

Potential matchup: Sweet Sixteen

4 Seed - Wisconsin

The Scoop - The Badgers play at a pace that does not favor the Orange. They treasure each possession, stretch the floor and control the pace extremely well. Defensively, they’re hard-nosed. It’s another tough matchup.

Threat Level - 5

Potential matchup: Sweet Sixteen

13 Seed - Montana

The Scoop - Montana is the conference champs out of the Big Sky. Because they play in the Big Sky and are located in Montana, they don’t get much media coverage but these guys are well-coached and in March Madness anything can happen with a solid coach.

Threat Level - 1

Potential matchup: Sweet Sixteen

6 Seed - Cincinnati

The Scoop - Don’t get phased by the Bearcats win over the Orange in the Garden. One would think SU coach Jim Boeheim could make the proper adjustments if the two teams were to meet again. However, with such a hard-nosed team defensively and one that relies on threes on the other side of the court, the Bearcats will likely still be a difficult matchup for Syracuse.

Threat Level - 4

Potential matchup: Elite Eight

11 Seed - Texas

The Scoop - I’m not sold on Texas as a tournament team, let alone a legitimate threat to take down the Orange or make a deep run. The Longhorns rely on J’Covan Brown to put points on the scoreboard, which he does, but Texas’ frontcourt is really the problem.

Threat Level - 2

Potential matchup: Elite Eight

3 Seed - Florida State

The Scoop - FSU lost to Harvard and Princeton, but beat Duke and UNC twice - talk about an enigma. Under Leonard Hamilton, you know they’ll play defense, it’s just a matter of offensive production. As the season has progressed, so has its offense. FSU’s frontcourt is big, tough and skilled and one of the best in the country.

Threat Level - 4

Potential matchup: Elite Eight

14 Seed - St. Bonaventure

The Scoop - The Bonnies stole a bid by winning the Atlantic 10 tournament. They’re led by one of the top players in the country in Andrew Nicholson. He really does it all - scores, rebounds, blocks shots and leads. For SBU to win a game or two, he’ll have to pay his best basketball.

Threat Level - 3

Potential matchup: Elite Eight

7 Seed - Gonzaga

The Scoop - Gonzaga is a team that doesn’t really like to play defense. They’re a bit soft down low as well, but they make shots and out-score people. The Zags also shoot the ball well from long-range and pose as a threat to teams that play zone.

Threat Level - 2

Potential matchup: Elite Eight

10 Seed - West Virginia

The Scoop - WVU is a disciplined, defensive-oriented squad. If Truck Bryant and Kevin Jones are playing well, they can potentially beat anyone. However, Bryant and the supporting cast have been inconsistent all year. The Mountaineers don’t have great guard play which is important to have in the tourney.

Threat Level - 3

Potential matchup: Elite Eight

2 Seed - Ohio State

The Scoop - OSU could pose as a real problem to SU. Offensively, they run good sets to get Jared Sullinger the ball in the post where he can score and get to the line at a high rate. William Buford is another good scorer and Aaron Craft is arguably the best defensive point guard in the country. The SU zone could give this OSU team a lot of problems, though.

Threat Level - 5

Potential Matchup in Elite Eight

15 Seed - Loyola (MD)

The Scoop - These players have really taken on the personality of their head coach Jimmy Patsos, a former volunteer coach and bartender. They won’t back down from anyone and will always play with energy, especially on defense. Erik Etherly causes offensive mismatches for them and they like to use him both on the wing and in the high post/post. 

Threat Level - 2

Potential matchup: Elite Eight