"Now honeys play me close like butter play toast, from the Mississippi down to the East Coast"-Biggie

Is there an East Coast bias? Biggie certainly had one in his day. One could argue that with UNC (the #1 seed), Notre Dame, St. Joe's, Louisville, and Tennessee reppin the East Coast in the East Region that the East is a beast.

Don't fall into that trap.... You know that trap where an upset is soooo soooo obvious that you have to pick it. It seems like everyone from Jay Bilas to Longar Longar has St. Joseph's advancing over Oklahoma in their brackets. To tell you the truth, I agree, but stay away from picking this upset unless you think St. Joe's is Sweet 16 bound (they aren't). With everyone picking this game, you won't gain any ground by having it on your bracket, and gaining an edge is the only reason to pick an upset.

Perhaps the best game in this region (maybe in the whole first round) is Butler against South Alabama in Birmingham. Butler comes into the game feeling snubbed (they should). How can the number 10 team in all the land get a 7 seed? The Bulldogs also come in with a team who has experienced the tournament and a backcourt duo that can compete with any in the country. South Alabama will counter with Demetric Bennett (20.1 ppg), the most explosive of a three guard attack.

Another game to watch is the 5-12 matchup that features Luke Harangody and Notre Dame against Will "the double double machine" Thomas and George Mason. You probably remember Thomas and Folarin Campbell from George Mason's magical run a few years ago. This contest will probably have 1,000 fouls called. I love Mason, but there is no way Harangody goes down in round one. I'm taking the Golden Domers (always take dome).

The Biggest Question: Can Bruce Pearl's style take Tennessee to an Elite Eight or Final Four.

The Answer and the Boldest Prediction: NO, NO, NO. Not this year! PnR suspects that the winner of the South Alabama-Butler tilt will be able to fend off C-Lo's Volunteers. Even if Tennessee survives that game, they will fall to Louisville in the Sweet 16.

Final 4 Sleeper: See above, PnR is in love with Louisville. The Cards just have so much athletic ability and depth. They also can play a variety of styles, but.........

The Regional Champ will be: North Carolina
Put Louisville in the Midwest or the dirty dirty South and PnR has them in the final four, hell maybe even the finals, but this UNC team won't fall in our opinion.

The Most Outstanding Player in the Region is: Take a wild guess..... yep, Tyler Hansbrough.