Ahhhhhhhhh WE ARE ALL WITNESSES!!! March is in full effect in the East Region as Purdue goes down to 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson causing all sorts of chaos. All of a sudden the East Region is wide open so let’s get into it!

No. 4 Tennessee vs. No. 5 Duke

Tennessee staved off upset-minded Louisiana, but the Volunteers did not look great even in victory. However, their defense and ability to create turnovers helped them advance to Saturday. In the new era of Duke without Coach K, they established their dominance over Oral Roberts right from the tip. Duke’s offense was firing on all cylinders as well as their defense. Duke’s guard play and inside presence will be tough for Tennessee to stop. Tennessee’s lack of offensive consistency will cost them against Duke. The Blue Devils advance to the Sweet 16 with ease.

Winner: Duke

No. 2 Marquette vs. No. 7 Michigan State

It is very hard to bet against Tom Izzo in the tournament. The Spartans were able to close out USC the second part of the second half, but it felt like Michigan State was in control for most of this game. Vermont made it interesting for a while against Marquette, but the Golden Eagles found their footing in the second half behind guard Kam Jones who scored 18 of his 19 points in the second half. One thing to consider for Sunday’s matchup is the potential hand injury of Marquette’s star guard Tyler Kolek. Watch out for the Spartans three-point shooting, but all in all Marquette will be too much for Michigan State.

Winner: Marquette

No. 9 Florida Atlantic vs. No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson

Just as we all suspected right? Not quite but here we are! Fairleigh Dickinson put together an impressive game plan against Purdue to end their season with a tenacious full-court press and team offense. Florida Atlantic needed a last-second layup to score a win over Memphis and pull a mini-upset. The Owls will need to find ways to sustain their offense and avoid dry spells against this tough Knights defense. However, the Cinderella run continues for Fairleigh Dickinson and they advance to the Sweet 16 behind their confidence instilled in them by head coach Tobin Anderson.

Winner: Fairleigh Dickinson

No. 3 Kansas State vs. No. 6 Kentucky

The battle of the Wildcats will happen on Sunday. Kentucky was able to take care of business against Providence behind the scoring of Jacob Toppin and Antonio Reeves while Oscar Tshiebwe grabbed a whopping 25 rebounds. Kentucky will need Reeves and Toppin to continue their scoring trends against Kansas State in order to advance. Kansas State withstood a frisky Montana State team, but they were in control of this game for most of it. Guard Markquis Nowell and forward Keyontae Johnson lead Kansas State in the scoring department and will be a different dynamic than what Kentucky faced in the first round. Kansas State advances to the Sweet 16.

Winner: Kansas State