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Bracketology 2023 projected field: Arizona, Tennessee rise to top of field

By Jason Burgess

Mar 17, 2022; San Diego, CA, USA; A general view of the March Madness logo at center court before the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 17, 2022; San Diego, CA, USA; A general view of the March Madness logo at center court before the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Bracketology Virginia Cavaliers guard Armaan Franklin Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Bracketology Virginia Cavaliers guard Armaan Franklin Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports /

East Region (New York)

(1) Tennessee vs. (16) Wagner/Norfolk State
(8) North Carolina vs. (9) Northwestern
(5) UConn vs. (12) Oral Roberts
(4) Virginia vs. (13) Liberty
(6) Providence vs. (11) NC State
(3) Baylor vs. (14) Yale
(7) Duke vs. (10) Creighton
(2) Houston vs. (15) Vermont

Speaking of defense, the best defensive team in the country, the Tennessee Volunteers are the new No. 1 seed in the East Region. Tennessee entered Sunday as No. 2 in the NET and is the top team in both KenPom and Sagarin, and is the nation’s best in defensive efficiency, effective field-goal percentage defense, and three-point defense. The biggest problem for Tennessee this season has been their bouts with offensive droughts, which happened in their losses to both Colorado and Kentucky.

This is the region loaded with programs that know how to win in March. With Houston, Baylor, Duke, Virginia, and North Carolina, the East Region has a lot of teams that entered the season with very high expectations, some of which are being realized while others have faltered. Tennessee has only made the Elite Eight once in its history (2010) and if they make it that far this year, they will have earned it against teams that know what it takes.

The team to watch in this region is the No. 4 seed Virginia Cavaliers. Tony Bennett has his team as a top-4 seed with a 16-3 record and the losses were by a combined 13 points. The pack-line defense is at it again, having only allowed over 70 points once, an 86-79 win. Unlike some of their teams in the past, Virginia’s offense has been better, currently ranking 18th in offensive efficiency to go along with their top-25 defense. If the three-point shot is falling for Armaan Franklin and crew who shoot it at 38%, the Cavaliers will be a tough out.

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