Everyone is filling out their brackets and the exciting part is that anything can happen in March. This is a look at which team could make a deep run in the East Region of the March Madness bracket.
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East Region Breakdown
Here is a quick look at the odds to win the East Region on DraftKings Sportsbook:
Duke is the No. 1 seed in the East Region and deservedly has the best odds to make it to the Final Four out of this corner of the bracket. The Blue Devils won the ACC regular season and the ACC Tournament despite missing Cooper Flagg for most of the tournament. Flagg’s injury status is a massive thing to monitor over the next few days. He is reportedly hoping to be back for Friday’s Round of 64 game but it would be risky for Duke to rush him back for a game that it could handily win without him. It is Sunday’s matchup against either Baylor or Mississippi State that could be the spot for Flagg to make his return to the court. Duke is an amazing team, ranking first in the country in net rating. The only concern would be if Flagg’s injury could be re-aggravated at some point and Duke needs to play without him in the Sweet 16 and Elite 8.
The No. 2 seed in the East Region is the Alabama Crimson Tide. They are one of the most exciting teams in the tournament because of their tempo, propensity for three-pointers and incredible players like Mark Sears and Grant Nelson. Just like Cooper Flagg, Nelson got injured in the conference tournament and is going to need to work his way back onto the court. That raises a red flag for Alabama because Nelson is so important to what it wants to do on both ends of the floor.
When it comes to picking a sleeper in this region, it makes sense to target the bottom half of the bracket. It would be really tough for Mississippi State or Baylor to defeat Duke in the Round of 32, and that is reflected in the odds. Even teams like Oregon or Arizona would have a hard time taking down the Blue Devils. The bottom of the bracket has one team that seems prime for a deep run in the tournament. Wisconsin is the three-seed in the East Region and it is built for March. The Badgers proved that they can beat anybody by upsetting Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament and making the Big Ten Championship Game.
The Badgers are not a traditional Greg Gard-coached team. They are incredibly efficient on offense and have a duo of guards who are formidable to defend. John Tonje and John Blackwell average a combined 34.7 points per game and it takes a team with fantastic guards to slow them down. Wisconsin has favorable early-round matchups against Montana and the winner of BYU/VCU to get to the Sweet 16. Once there, it is fully capable of taking down Alabama. The Crimson Tide rely heavily on their perimeter shooting, while the Wisconsin offense typically finds easy buckets. That makes it a safer bet to advance to the Elite Eight against Duke.
It would be a tough matchup against the Blue Devils but there is a chance that Flagg’s injury issues rear their head again at some point in the tournament. Even with a healthy Duke team, Wisconsin should be able to hang in there and score with it. Wisconsin is +850 to win the region and make the Final Four on DraftKings Sportsbook. Those are great odds for a team with a really good chance to make the Elite Eight. If the Badgers enter that matchup against Duke and you have a ticket on them to make the Final Four, you will be getting amazing value. Once in that game, Wisconsin is more than capable of taking down Duke and getting revenge from the 2015 national title game.
Best Bet: Wisconsin to Reach Final Four (+850)
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