2022 NCAA Tournament: Baylor, Kentucky, Purdue headlines East Region

2022 NCAA Tournament: Baylor, Kentucky and Purdue headlines East Region

Mar 11, 2021; Nashville, TN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Olivier Sarr (30) Kentucky Wildcats guard Dontaie Allen (11) and Kentucky Wildcats forward Isaiah Jackson (23) celebrate after a basket during the second half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /

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Kent State Golden Flashes guard Giovanni Santiago Akron Zips forward Enrique Freeman Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /

(5) Saint Mary’s vs. (12) Wyoming/Indiana

St. Mary’s finished second in the WCC behind Gonzaga, but the Gaels finished 25-7 but they have been one of the hottest teams in the country entering the tournament. Since Jan. 8 Randy Bennett’s team has lost just once to a team other than Gonzaga for the remainder of the season.

Matthias Tass leads the team in points (12.6) and rebounds (6.0), but it’s senior point guard Tommy Kuhse and his blue-collar work ethic that is the motor for this team. Whether they play Wyoming or Indiana, Kuhse will be the best guard on the court in my opinion and the Gaels are going to show that the WCC is more than just Gonzaga, as some casual fans seem to think.

Prediction: St. Mary’s

(4) UCLA vs. (13) Akron

UCLA has won eight of their last ten games entering the tournament but fell to Arizona in the Pac-12 title game. They became within a whisker of playing for a national title, but begin their march back to the Final Four with an opening-round game against the Akron Zips. The Bruins returned all the major players from last season and this guard-heavy lineup with Tyger Campbell, Jules Bernard, Jaime Jacquez, and Johnny Juzang have a ton of March experience. This team is a metric darling, ranking 15th in offensive efficiency and 12th in defensive efficiency on KenPom.

Their opponents, the Akron Zips won the Mid-American and shoot a good percentage from both inside and outside of the three-point line, with over 33% of their points coming from beyond the arc. The Zips have a young stud on the offensive end in sophomore forward Enrique Freeman who has averaged a double-double this season with 13.2 points and 10.8 rebounds and is a shot changer, averaging 1.4 blocks per game.

Akron definitely has the pieces with Freeman, Ali Ali, and Xavier Castaneda, with the latter two shooting over 39% from beyond the arc. This one may be closer than some think, but UCLA’s experience and guard flexibility lead them to the win here.

Prediction: UCLA

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