The 2013 East Regional has a little bit of everything: a well-documented contender throughout the year in Indiana, a surprise elite team in Miami, the classic Cinderella pick in Butler and a team named after a fruit and/or color (we’re not sure which) in Syracuse. To be sure, there are lots of other contenders worth mentioning: Marquette could easily make a run, and freshman sensation Anthony Bennett could lead UNLV further than we expect. But will anyone prevent a seemingly scripted Miami-Indiana matchup? Upsets and Final Four pick after the jump.
If senior center Andrew Smith can shut down Bucknell’s Mike Muscala, another magical run might be in the cards. (Nick Laham/Getty Images)
Most Likely Upset: No. 11 Bucknell over No. 6 Butler
I was tempted to pick Davidson over Marquette here, but SportsCenter has informed me that Stephen Curry is now regularly dropping 40 points per night for Golden State and no longer plays in college. It’s probably a stupid idea to bet against Brad Stevens in March (incredibly, he’s cemented a Tom Izzo-like reputation in just a few years), but I’ll do it anyway. Butler has been wildly inconsistent this year, knocking off Indiana and Gonzaga but losing to Charlotte and La Salle, while senior center Mike Muscala and Bucknell have crushed their competition consistently. I’m taking Bucknell, the little team that could out of the Patriot League — yes, the same Patriot League that Georgetown plays football in — in a close one.
Low Seed Most Likely to Make a Run: Butler
Understanding Georgetown-Syracuse: One Writer’s Three-Year Journey
Feb 9, 2011, the second semester of my freshman year at Georgetown, marked the first time a John Thompson III-coached Hoya squad knocked off Syracuse at the Carrier Dome. When the clock struck zero, Thompson III threw his hands up in celebration, the VCW Alumni Lounge broke out into the fight song and I finally realized — well, I realized I had a lot to learn about the Georgetown-Syracuse rivalry.
Flashback now to two months earlier: Nov. 30, 2011, and Georgetown takes on No. 9 Missouri at a “neutral site” in Kansas City, MO. Senior guard Chris Wright hits the game-tying shot as the buzzer sounds. Jason Clark takes over in overtime. Hoyas win, and my obsession with Georgetown basketball begins.
Ten days until the first Syracuse game, and Georgetown knocks off No. 8 Villanova on the road. Freeman knocks down a mid-range fadeaway that cuts down a Wildcat rally, and — in a familiar sight — the Alumni Lounge erupts, aided by Jack the Bulldog’s cameo appearance.
Eight days until Syracuse, and the Blue and Gray stuff the hottest team in the conference in the Cardinals of Louisville. Hollis Thompson hits a dagger from beyond the arc, a fitting foreshadow to what was to come in his final year on the Hilltop. Hoyas win, Pitino hangs his head and all is right in the world.
Feb. 9, 2011, Georgetown takes down Syracuse, and a disappointed sea of orange shuffles out of the Carrier Dome. Georgetown students erupt in a way I never thought they could, and, suddenly, a sleepy Wednesday night feels like a Saturday.
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