East regional: Tar Heels still own talent-heavy bracket
The East bracket contains the top-seeded team and perhaps the toughest competition.
North Carolina earned the top seed, but it might face more of a challenge than the other No. 1 seeds — Kansas in the Midwest, Memphis is the South and the
UCLA Bruins in the West. It was not long ago that two other teams in the East, No. 3 seed Louisville and No. 2 seed Tennessee, were being discussed as possible top seeds.
Seven of the region's teams are in the most recent Top 25 poll. Five — North Carolina,
Tennessee, Louisville, Butler and Notre Dame — are ranked in the Top 15. That's more than any other bracket.
Fifth-seeded Notre Dame may have a nice path to the regional semifinals, as long as the Irish don't suffer another first-round blip like they did last season against Winthrop. They face No. 12 George Mason in the first round, then the winner of No. 4 Washington State vs. No. 13 Winthrop.
Who's hot: Tennessee has won 13 of its last 15 games. One loss was by one point to Arkansas in the Southeastern Conference tournament, and the other was a three-point loss to then-No. 18 Vanderbilt. Chris Lofton is a clutch player whose late-game heroics could pull out close games for the Volunteers.
Who's not: Eighth-seeded Indiana has lost three of its last four, including the regular-season finale to Penn State and its Big Ten tournament opener to Minnesota. Eric Gordon and D.J. White are talents, but the Hoosiers have endured too much turmoil with the departure of coach Kelvin Sampson to overwhelm anyone in the tournament.
Cinderella fellas: Seventh-seeded Butler has lost only three games this season and has played quality opponents. But it won't be easy to weave a fairy tale here. After South Alabama in the first round, the Bulldogs might have to defeat Tennessee, Louisville and North Carolina to reach the Final Four.
Projected regional champion: North Carolina seems nearly certain to advance to the championship game. The Tar Heels are deeper with the return from injury of sophomore guard Ty Lawson and possess one of the best players in college basketball in Tyler Hansbrough. With a 32-2 record and the ACC championship, the Tar Heels also are helped by competing in front of a home crowd, playing the opening rounds in nearby Raleigh, N.C.
Thompson dominates as Heels win exhibition s poised to post quite a few more. Thompson, who spent the last two seasons starting in all-everything Tyler Hansbrough's shadow, scored 23 points on 11-for-12 shooting at the Smith Center. Granted, it was against a Division II team that doesn't have a>
Tar Heels hold recent edge on rival Blue Devils State in Detroit. Things are rolling so well that North Carolina is ranked sixth despite losing four-year star Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green. The ninth-ranked Blue Devils remain among the nation's elite, yet haven't had the>
Granger, Hansbrough Lead Pacers In Rout Of Wizards Indiana has won two in a row after losing its first three to start the season. First-round pick Tyler Hansbrough made his NBA debut and ended with 13 points and five rebounds in nearly 14 minutes of action. The North Carolina product suffered a right>
Granger, Hansbrough Lead Pacers In Rout Of Wizards Indiana has won two in a row after losing its first three to start the season. First-round pick Tyler Hansbrough made his NBA debut and ended with 13 points and five rebounds in nearly 14 minutes of action. The North Carolina product suffered a right>
Granger, Hansbrough Lead Pacers In Rout Of Wizards Indiana has won two in a row after losing its first three to start the season. First-round pick Tyler Hansbrough made his NBA debut and ended with 13 points and five rebounds in nearly 14 minutes of action. The North Carolina product suffered a right>
Granger, Hansbrough Lead Pacers In Rout Of Wizards Indiana has won two in a row after losing its first three to start the season. First-round pick Tyler Hansbrough made his NBA debut and ended with 13 points and five rebounds in nearly 14 minutes of action. The North Carolina product suffered a right>
NBA roundup: Friday's action on the courts 18 and Miami dealt Denver its first loss of the season. - Pacers 102 Wizards 86 At Indianapolis, Tyler Hansbrough scored 13 points in his pro debut as Indiana beat Washington. - 76ers 97 Nets 94 At Philadelphia, Andre Iguodala scored 16 points, including>
Granger, Hansbrough lead Pacers in rout of Wizards Indiana has won two in a row after losing its first three to start the season. First-round pick Tyler Hansbrough made his NBA debut and ended with 13 points and five rebounds in nearly 14 minutes of action. The North Carolina product suffered a right>
Granger, Hansbrough Lead Pacers In Rout Of Wizards Indiana has won two in a row after losing its first three to start the season. First-round pick Tyler Hansbrough made his NBA debut and ended with 13 points and five rebounds in nearly 14 minutes of action. The North Carolina product suffered a right>
Granger, Hansbrough Lead Pacers In Rout Of Wizards Indiana has won two in a row after losing its first three to start the season. First-round pick Tyler Hansbrough made his NBA debut and ended with 13 points and five rebounds in nearly 14 minutes of action. The North Carolina product suffered a right>
