The field of 68 has been announced for the 2022 NCAA Tournament, and it’s time to start looking at how the bracket will shape up. The NCAA Tournament always seems to provide three weeks of terrific basketball action, and there will be some upsets along the way.
It can be a real challenge to look at the entire field, so breaking it down into each region is the best way to go. The focus for this article is the East Region, and there are plenty of teams in this region that can make a run to New Orleans.
Top Contenders to Win the East Bracket
The best place to start in the East Region is to take a close look at the top contenders in the field. It’s always a good idea to start with the top two seeds, and the East has two of the top title favorites in the mix.
The Baylor Bears are the number 1 seed in the East Region this season, and they are the defending national champions. Baylor did bow out early in the Big 12 Conference Tournament, but that will also have them rested and ready to go for this event.
John Calipari and his Kentucky Wildcats check-in as the number two seed, and they are always a force to deal with in March. This Kentucky team went 26-7 during the regular season, and their best is better than most teams in the country.
A couple of other teams in this region that can make some noise are the Purdue Boilermakers and the UCLA Bruins. Purdue has been viewed as a national championship contender since the season began, and UCLA advanced all the way to the Final Four last season.
Any Underdogs Lurking?
Even though this region is absolutely loaded with terrific teams, there are going to be some upsets that play out in this part of the bracket. Two teams to keep an eye on in the East Region are double-digit seeds from a Power 5 Conference.
The 11th seeded Virginia Tech Hokies just won the ACC Tournament, and they will come into this game with plenty of momentum. Texas will be the First Round opponent for Virginia Tech, and this game could easily be an upset.
Indiana has to take on Wyoming in a play-in-round game, and this won’t be an easy challenge for the Hoosiers. If Indiana can get past this game, they could have enough talent to get to the Sweet 16.
2022 East Region Winner Prediction
It’s never easy picking a team from outside of the top two to win a region, but this just feels like the region where this will occur. Baylor and Kentucky are not going to be fun teams to deal with, but one team is simply better.
The Purdue Boilermakers come into the NCAA Tournament with a record of 26-7, but they probably should have been better than that. Purdue is absolutely loaded with talent, and they have a superstar in Jaden Ivey leading the way.
There will be some great games played in the East, but it will be Purdue that emerges as the champion.
2022 East Region Betting Lines
Kentucky Wildcats +160
Baylor Bears +200
Purdue Boilermakers +350
UCLA Bruins +600
Texas Longhorns +1400
North Carolina Tar Heels +1700
Saint Mary’s Gaels +2000
Marquette Golden Eagles +2200
Indiana Hoosiers +3000
Virginia Tech Hokies +3000
Murray State Racers +3000
San Francisco Dons +4000
Wyoming Cowboys +5000
Yale Bulldogs +10000
Akron Zips +20000
Norfolk State Spartans +20000
Saint Peter’s Peacocks OFF
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