East Region Preview

Top Dog – North Carolina (1)
Coach Roy Williams’ team cruised through the opening weekend with a 113-74 win over Mount St. Mary’s in the first round and a 108-77 blowout of Arkansas in the second round. Thanks to the average 35-point margin of victory by the Tar Heels, 15 players were able to see floor time in the NCAA Tournament, with all of them scoring points. Big man Tyler Hansbrough has been his usual relentless self in the Big Dance so far, but it is point guard Ty Lawson who has been most impressive — averaging 20 points per game on 13-of-18 shooting from the field and 10-of-11 shooting from the free throw line, while also controlling the ball with an 11-to-0 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Underdog – Washington State (4)
The Cougars are the lowest seed left in the East Region, the only region where each of the top four teams advanced to the Sweet 16. Although the chalk ruled out, Wazzou is a Cinderella story — winning multiple NCAA Tournament games for the first time since 1941, after falling just short in double-overtime against Vanderbilt in the second round last year. Coach Tony Bennett led his Cougs to a 71-40 win over Winthrop, then a 61-41 statement victory over Notre Dame. After holding opponents to 27.6 percent shooting (29-of-105), Washington State will now attempt to contain mighty North Carolina.

Go-To Guy – Tyler Smith, F, Tennessee (2)
The Volunteers’ versatile forward has averaged 14.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, three assists and one blocked shot per game in hard-fought victories over American (72-57) and Butler (76-71 OT). Even more important than his numbers, the Iowa transfer has been making big plays when it matters most all year long. Whether it is a game-winning basket (vs. Ole Miss), an offensive rebound on a missed free throw (vs. Florida) or a blocked shot (vs. Butler), the Vols look to Smith for big plays down the stretch.

X-Factor – Juan Palacios, F, Louisville (3)
The 6’8”, 250-pound senior from Columbia was a freshman starter on Louisville’s 2005 Final Four team. Injuries have limited Palacios’ career and caused him to miss the first nine games of this season. A healthier Palacios will need to provide quality minutes for coach Rick Pitino against a talented Tennessee frontcourt in order to keep U of L center David Padgett, forward Terrence Williams and forward Earl Clark fresh in what will likely be a high-octane fast-breaking Sweet 16 shootout.