This East Regional appears to be more open than others in this tournament (though who really knows with this thing) \u2013 Purdue and Marquette have nearly-even odds to reach the Final Four, while a couple of blue bloods in Duke and Kentucky are lurking around the corner. One of the nation\u2019s premier defensive teams in Tennessee is here, plus don\u2019t forget about one of the Big 12\u2019s best, Kansas State. This should be an entertaining region for neutrals and an excruciating one for partisans, minus fans of the one lucky survivor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Odds-On Favorite:<\/strong> 1 Purdue<\/a> (+320)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other Favorites:<\/strong> 2 Marquette<\/a> (+370), 4 Tennessee<\/a> (+600)<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Challengers:<\/strong> 5 Duke<\/a> (+750), 6 Kentucky<\/a> (+850), 3 Kansas State<\/a> (+1100)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Zach Edey is the truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The best player in the regular season, Edey is a machine that cannot be stopped. Nobody has managed to hold him to a single-digit scoring output yet this campaign, and he\u2019s registered double-doubles<\/a> in more than 78 percent of the games he\u2019s played in. He gets to the line effectively, he\u2019s a behemoth on the defensive end, and he\u2019s a good passer. Edey tops the country<\/a> in player efficiency rating (40.3), offensive win shares (6.1), and overall win shares (8.5). In case you didn\u2019t know, that\u2019s absolutely ridiculous. This guy is something else, all 7-foot-4 of him.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Case for the Favorites<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1 Purdue<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n