Written by Matt Pentz at SeattleTimes.com
First glance
This is the regional of conventional wisdom.
Virginia is the No. 1 seed that nobody really trusts despite the gaudy record. Michigan State is a two seed, and it’s Tom Izzo in March, so you might as well just pencil the Spartans into your predicted Final Four. Iowa State will get upset early and Gonzaga will underwhelm, just like always.
These are programs with NCAA tournament reputations. But there’s a reason they play the games out.
By the numbers
59.7 Points per game allowed by Virginia’s defense, tops in the ACC and second-best in the nation.
9 Consecutive games Michigan State has won entering the tournament. Make it 15 and the Spartans will be celebrating another title.
2,142 Career points scored by Georges Niang in four years at Iowa State.
Contenders
VIRGINIA: The Cavaliers, being a Tony Bennett team, are again defined by their suffocating defense. Virginia grinded its way to a second-place finish in the ACC and a berth in the conference tournament title game. This squad still doesn’t pour in the points, but it does have a legitimate offensive focal point in senior Malcolm Brogden.
MICHIGAN STATE: Izzo’s Spartans know a thing or two about peaking at the right time, but even by this program’s standards, MSU enters the NCAAs riding a serious hot streak. Michigan State hasn’t lost since Feb. 9. Sparty hasn’t lost by more than one point since early January.
UTAH: Hard as it may be to banish the memory of Utah’s 31-point loss to Oregon in the Pac-12 title game, these Utes have earned the benefit of the doubt. This is a talented offensive team led by a legitimate star in Jakob Poeltl.
Sleepers
ARKANSAS-LITTLE ROCK: Thumb your nose at conference affiliation all you want, winning 29 games isn’t an easy feat. The Trojans boast the third-best scoring defense in the nation and the type of balanced offense that has powered recent Cinderellas. UALR could also carry the mantle for schools like Monmouth, a 27-game winner with victories over UCLA, USC and Georgetown but disregarded because it fell three points short in its conference title game.
IONA: The team that accomplished said Monmouth coup in the MAAC title game has an underrated rèsumè of its own. Don’t sleep on the Gaels.
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