In the 2011 NCAA men’s basketball tournament, there are four regionals, the East regional, the West regional, the Southeast regional, and the Southwest regional. In the East regional, top seed Ohio State is expected to advance deeply into the tournament. However, teams such as Syracuse and North Carolina could stop the Buckeyes, and they will certainly be trying to do so.

Starting at the top, Ohio State plays Texas-San Antonio, who defeated Alabama State in a play-in game. In this match, Ohio State should advance easily, as its opponent doesn’t have anywhere near the talent that Ohio State does. Its opponent in the round of 32 would come from the winner of George Mason and Villanova. This will be a much more closely contested match. Villanova comes into the game having lost 10 of its last 15, but also hails from a very strong Big East conference. George Mason is from the Colonial Athletic Association, and they played a weaker schedule than Villanova but got through it much more cleanly. George Mason had been on a 16-game winning streak before falling to VCU in their conference tournament. Given Villanova’s recent struggles, George Mason should get through here.