Sweet 16 Breakdown: East Region

EAST REGION BREAKDOWN:

1 KENTUCKY vs. 12 CORNELL

No team in the entire field has played better than Cornell over the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. The Big Red have been a machine, dominating 5th-seeded Temple and 4th-seeded Wisconsin with deadly sharpshooting, and big-stop defense. Guard Ryan Wittman has proven himself to be one of college basketball's most feared shooters. Now, the challenge for the kids from the Ivy League will be to overcome Kentucky's incredible athleticism. Neither Temple nor Wisconsin had athletes like the Wildcats have, and it will be tough for Cornell to match up on the boards. 

John Wall is the glue that holds Kentucky's offense together. 

WINNER: 1 KENTUCKY

11 WASHINGTON vs. 2 WEST VIRGINIA

Bloodied, but unbowed, Washington and West Virginia have survived. The Huskies managed to claw their way into the tournament after an uninspiring regular season by winning the Pac-10 tournament. They sure haven't taken their NCAA appearance for granted. After beating Marquette on a game-winner by Quincy Pondexter, the Huskies mopped the floor with the 30-4 New Mexico Lobos. West Virginia fell behind 10-0 to 15th-seed Morgan State before rallying to put the Bears away. The Mountaineers also lost starting point guard Darrell "Truck" Bryant for the rest of the tournament, after the sophomore broke his foot in practice yesterday. Without Bryant, Washington may have more depth in the backcourt, but they don't have Da'Sean Butler. He will be the reason why WVU pulls it out in Syracuse.

Butler has made all the big shots for WVU all season long. 

WINNER: 2 WEST VIRGINIA