NCAA Tournament: Second Round East Region Fearless Predictions, Lines, Storylines

What’s going to happen in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament? Check out the Fearless Predictions, lines and storylines for every East Region game.

NCAA Tournament: Second Round East Region

Who’s going to win each Second Round game of the NCAA Tournament? Here are the Fearless Predictions for every East Region game.

How are the predictions so far?

East Region: 8-2 SU, 8-2 ATS

No. 2 Xavier (27-5) vs. No. 7 Wisconsin (21-12)

Why Xavier Will Win: Wisconsin can’t really score – it was pulling teeth to get any points against Pitt. The Musketeers dominate on the boards, they’re No. 1 in the country in free throws, and they move the ball well – they’re Wisconsin, only stronger.

Why Wisconsin Will Win: The Badgers are back to their old ways. This isn’t the high-powered, talented offensive power of last year, but it found a way to grind Pitt down to a halt. Can it drag Xavier into the muck? Bucky leads the nation in scoring defense and it has just enough pop from three to be timely.

What’s Going To Happen: Xavier has the ability to go on a quick spurt and end this in a hurry, but Wisconsin – even though it’s last two games have been brutal offensively – knows how to do this ugly style a bit better. To go cliché, the Badgers find a way.

Line: Xavier -4.5

Prediction: Wisconsin 60, Xavier 59

No. 6 Notre Dame (23-11) vs. No. 14 Stephen F. Austin (28-5)

Why Notre Dame Will Win: Can the Irish defend the perimeter and stop the SFA long-range shooting better than West Virginia did? They were able to clamp down on Michigan in the second half and grind their way back in, but they have to hold up under the pressure.

Why Stephen F. Austin Will Win: Few teams crank up the intensity and the transition better than West Virginia, and SFA was able to handle it all without a problem. No. 1 in the nation in both turnovers and steals, and great defensively from three, this is an air-tight team that’s crushing teams – it hasn’t played a close game since late January.

What’s Going To Happen: The Lumberjacks are the real deal. They’re able to turn up the pressure and do a lot of the same things offensively that Michigan did, only with better play in the interior.

Line: Notre Dame -1

Prediction: Stephen F. Austin 76, Notre Dame 73

No. 4 Kentucky (27-8) vs. No. 5 Indiana (26-7)

Why Kentucky Will Win: The machine has been ramped up. To go “duh,” you have to be able to outscore the Hoosiers, and the Kentucky offense is rolling at a higher level. At the same time, the defense is rock-solid, leading the nation in field goal percentage defense with the ability to attack at the perimeter. The Hoosiers won’t be roaming free for open shots like they did against Chattanooga. However …

Why Indiana Will Win: How does IU get the good looks? It passes and moves the ball as well as anyone in the country. The offense sets itself up for easy shots and scores, and it should be able to get by the UK D with the extra pass and in transition. The second-leading scoring team in the country will be happy to get into a shootout.

What’s Going To Happen: Lots and lots and lots of points. This classic rivalry should be up-and-down with plenty of fireworks and lots of swings. Kentucky’s defense will be a big stronger in the final moments.

Line: Kentucky -3

Prediction: Kentucky 91, Indiana 85

No. 1 North Carolina (29-6) vs. No. 9 Providence (24-10)

Why North Carolina Will Win: The Tar Heels might just be too deep and too talented. Providence is able to hit from the outside and has a good interior presence, but can the guards hold up against the pressure from the North Carolina tempo? The offense comes in waves and doesn’t make mistakes – this is an air-tight UNC offense. Providence will pay for every mistake.

Why Providence Will Win: The Friars have the defense to bother North Carolina as much as anyone since Virginia won 79-74 a few weeks ago. They’re great at forcing turnovers on defense and making the extra pass on offense, and they can hit from three. They should be able to match the Tar Heels punch for punch.

What’s Going To Happen: Providence will make this a dogfight, but North Carolina’s talent will shine through in the second half. The Tar Heels will be stronger in the interior and will come up with more transition points – they’re better at cranking up the scoring.

Line: North Carolina -9

Prediction: North Carolina 83, Providence 73