NCAA East Regional preview

A look at the top four seeded teams

1. Syracuse. Omen alert: The Orange were undefeated at home in the Carrier Dome this season. The last time that happened, in 2002-03, they won the national title.

2. Ohio State. A four-point loss to Michigan State in the Big Ten title game cost the Buckeyes a No. 1 seed. But consider this: foul trouble limited Jared Sullinger to six minutes in the first half.

3. Florida State. The Seminoles won eight of their last 10 games, including victories over sixth-ranked Duke and fourth-ranked North Carolina in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.

4. Wisconsin. If Wisconsin’s football team played defense half as well as the basketball team does, the Badgers might have won the BCS title.

Cinderella search

If Harvard can channel some mojo from alumnus Jeremy Lin, the Crimson could win a game or two. Junior guard Brandyn Curry does a nice job running the offense. Note an early season win over Florida State.

Top players

Jared Sullinger
Forward, Ohio State
Nagging injuries caused a bit of a sophomore slump, but that ended a while ago. He’s averaging 17.5 points, 9.3 rebounds and closing strong.

Kevin Jones
Forward, West Virginia
The 6-8 senior averages a double-double: 20.1 points and 11.1 rebounds.

Jordan Taylor
Guard, Wisconsin
The 6-1 senior leads the Badgers in scoring (14.7 points) and steals (34) -- and his assist-to-turnover ratio of 132-53 is among the best in the nation.

Rim shots

With its upset Kentucky in the Southeastern Conference title game, Vanderbilt may have become something of a trendy tournament darkhorse. Well, before climbing on the bandwagon, note this: In its last two NCAA appearances, the Commodores were upset by 13th-seeded Murray State in 2010 and 12th-seeded Richmond last year.

Junior guard John Jenkins of Vanderbilt is among the nation’s top scorers (20.0 ppg) and three-point shooters (45.3%). The Commodores can fill it up from beyond the arc, averaging 8.6 three-pointers per game and shooting 39% as a team.

This is Gonzaga’s 15th NCAA tournament, but the Bulldogs have advanced past the first weekend only twice in their past 10 appearances.

Matchups

Thursday at Pittsburgh

1. Syracuse (31-2, at-large)
16. North Carolina-Asheville (24-9, Big South champion)

Syracuse won its first 20 games without many close calls. The last 13 includes two losses and some squeakers. UNC-Asheville is among the nation’s top scoring and shooting teams.

8. Kansas State (21-10, at-large)
9. Southern Mississippi (25-8, at-large)

Kansas State beat Missouri twice, including a 10-point win on the road. Southern Mississippi has won 20 games in three consecutive seasons under Coach Larry Eustachy.

Thursday at Albuquerque

5. Vanderbilt (24-10, Southeastern champion)
12. Harvard (26-4, Ivy champion)

Vanderbilt used a 16-2 run at the end to upset Kentucky and win its first SEC title since 1951. Harvard won its first outright Ivy title since ? forever.

4. Wisconsin (24-9, at-large)
13. Montana (25-6, Big Sky champion)

Wisconsin’s defense is stingiest in the nation in scoring (52.9) and third in field-goal percentage (38.3. Montana comes in with a school-record 14-game winning streak.

Friday at Nashville

6. Cincinnati (24-10, at-large)
11. Texas (20-13, at-large)

Cincinnati has wins at Georgetown and Connecticut, home losses to Presbyterian and Marshall. Texas is 0-8 against nationally ranked teams, so it’s a good thing the Bearcats aren’t ranked.

3. Florida State (24-9, Atlantic Coast champion)
14. St. Bonaventure (20-11, Atlantic 10 champion)

Both teams are first-time conference champions. Florida State did it with defense; opponents shot just 37.9%. Bonnies forward Andrew Nicholson averages 18.2 points, 8.3 rebounds.

Thursday at Pittsburgh

7. Gonzaga (25-6, at-large)
10. West Virginia (19-13, at-large)

What point-guard shortage in the West? Gonzaga freshman Kevin Pangos averages 13.8 points, 3.4 assists and 1.8 turnovers. West Virginia Coach Bob Huggins is making his 20th tournament appearance.

2. Ohio State (27-7, at-large)
15. Loyola (Md.) (24-8, Metro-Atlantic Athletic champion)

Ohio State has a fine playmaker in Aaron Craft and plenty of firepower inside. Loyola has a coach, Jimmy Patsos, who is a former bartender and a huge Grateful Dead fan.