NCAA East Region preview: Final Four reunion on UConn’s repeat path

At least one of last year’s Final Four teams is guaranteed to be knocked out of this year’s tournament before the Sweet 16.

That’s because three of the teams that assembled in Houston last year are in the top half of this region.

The depth of this year’s East Region doesn’t end there, as it contains the champions of the Big East, Big 12, Big Ten and SEC tournaments.

So it won’t exactly be an easy path for defending champion Connecticut, which may end up having the most difficult road of any No. 1 seed despite being the No. 1 overall team in the field.

The Huskies couldn’t have been pleased when the brackets were revealed, but they should be up to the challenge.

This is a team built for success in March. Coach Dan Hurley has five players averaging in double figures, including a veteran backcourt in leading scorer Tristen Newton and ultra-swaggy Rutgers transfer Cam Spencer.

Connecticut rebounds, defends and makes tough shots. The Huskies are going to be a tough out no matter how many contenders the selection committee decided to throw in front of them.

Four players to watch

Jalen Blackmon, Stetson: The Atlantic Sun’s leading scorer has endured some tough shooting games, as evidenced by a 2-for-12 effort in the conference semifinals. But he can torch the net when he gets hot. Blackmon scored 34 of his 43 points after halftime of the league title game to lift the Hatters to their first NCAA Tournament.

Boo Buie, Northwestern: The school’s all-time scoring leader has made a name for himself at the end of games. Buie has hit several game-winning shots throughout his career, including in wins over Purdue and Maryland this year. Buie, whose real name is Daniel, is just as vital to the Wildcats’ success from start to finish as the point guard of a very slow-paced offense that relies on long possessions and not turning the ball over.

Riley Minix, Morehead State: The former NAIA All-American has thrived in his lone season in Division I, leading the Eagles to a tournament berth on the strength of his 20.8 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. Minix has been particularly consistent down the stretch, with at least 20 points in 12 of the last 13 games. He shot 54.6 percent from the field this year, 34.0 percent from 3.

Keshon Gilbert, Iowa State: UNLV fans will have to watch the former Rebel standout star for one of the best teams in the country during this tournament. Gilbert transferred to Iowa State to play for former UNLV coach T.J. Otzelberger, and he has taken his game to new levels. The Cyclones’ leading scorer (13.8 points per game), Gilbert is also a big part of the fourth-best scoring defense in the nation, which forces turnovers on more than 25 percent of opponents’ possessions.

Three (potential) matchups

Connecticut vs. Florida Atlantic, second round: This would have been the championship game last season had San Diego State’s Lamont Butler missed his buzzer-beating jump shot in the national semifinals. Instead, the Owls had to spend an entire offseason thinking about what could have been. Florida Atlantic returned nearly its entire roster and has had a few bumps in the road, mostly caused by lack of attention to detail on the defensive end, but it remains a dangerous team and should have the attention of the defending champs should they match up this time.

Connecticut vs. San Diego State, Sweet 16: Similar story. It’s not often fans get the chance to witness a rematch of the previous season’s championship game so early in the tournament, but it very well could happen. It’s wild that three Final Four participants from last year are in the same half of the bracket. The Aztecs aren’t the same team as last year when they lost to the Huskies in the final, but they always defend and rebound. Those are qualities that often lead to March success. San Diego State also has a legitimate star in Jaedon LeDee.

Drake vs. Washington State, first round: Here’s one that is guaranteed to happen, and there will be an interesting dynamic at play. Kyle Smith’s Cougars boast the tallest roster in the country. The Bulldogs rank outside the top 300 in that metric, though they have still found a way to be a good defensive rebounding team. The size discrepancy alone could make this a fascinating matchup, but there is also an added element of Smith and Drake’s Darian DeVries being highly sought after on the coaching carousel this offseason and perhaps auditioning for new jobs in this game.

Two bracket busters

Drake: The No. 10 seed Bulldogs are led by back-to-back Missouri Valley player of the year Tucker DeVries, the coach’s son. They are back in the tournament together for a second straight season and hoping to have more success this time after leading late and falling just short against No. 5 seed Miami last year. Drake has won 10 of its last 11 games and has all the ingredients to be dangerous despite a tough draw.

Yale: Longtime coach James Jones and his staff have clearly established the Bulldogs as the premier program in the Ivy League, a remarkable accomplishment for a school that struggled to even finish in the top half of the conference standings for many years before his arrival. After a wild comeback that saw them overcome a six-point deficit in the final 22 seconds of the league tournament, they could be a dangerous underdog. Danny Wolf is an agile 7-footer on the NBA radar, John Poulakidas and August Mahoney are lethal shooters, and Bez Mbeng is as good an on-ball defender as there is in the tournament.

Last team standing: Connecticut

Iowa State is tempting, and the Cyclones have as good a shot as anyone of beating the Huskies should they actually match up. But Connecticut’s path of getting that far is a bit smoother, and the Huskies are battle-tested. They appear to have the best chance of any team to repeat since the 2007 Florida Gators, the last team to actually get the job done.