NCAA Tournament Basketball Marketing: Ranking the East Region...

We've finished the journey. I'll include a list to my (unofficial, of course) rankings of the teams in the region, from an athletics marketing point of view. Then, you'll see how that would have impacted the region if we were playing this not based on the scoreboard, but instead on how these programs connect with their fans... and recruits.

Here's my list (click into any school to check out my breakdown)

1. Kentucky. Coach Cal's energy + an unbelievable video unit = dominance.
2. Marquette. Best job of activating fans in the region.
3. West Virginia. I'm still in love with their widget!
4. Washington. Elevating the NCAA Tournament was fantastic
5. Clemson. If only we all could articulate what we stand for!
6. Cornell. Putting students to work in building the program!
7. New Mexico. Great recruiting content!
8. Wake Forest. Deep NBA content potential here.
9. Wisconsin. Innovative things in Facebook here.
10. Temple. Love seeing them leverage the A-10's social media
11. Missouri. A sense of humor goes a long way.
12. Morgan State. Coach Bozeman = wow.
13. Montana. Be a Grizzly is boldly out there.
14. Texas. Great ideas in the world of music.
15. East Tennessee State. Brings the NBA to campus.
16. Wofford. Twitter helps celebrate their Madness appearance.

So... take that and here's how it makes the bracket unfold. I'll bold the matchups that happened the same in the real world version!

1 Kentucky over 16 E Tennessee State

9 Wake Forest over 8 Texas

4 Wisconsin over 13 Wofford

12 Cornell over 5 Temple

3 New Mexico over 14 Montana

6 Marquette over 11 Washington (in a tough one!)

2 West Virginia over 15 Morgan State

7 Clemson over 10 Missouri

1 Kentucky over 9 Wake Forest

12 Cornell over 4 Wisconsin

6 Marquette over 3 New Mexico

2 West Virginia over 7 Clemson

1 Kentucky over 12 Cornell

2 West Virginia over 6 Marquette

1 Kentucky over 2 West Virginia, advances to Final Four.

Maybe I should change how I do my bracket? 11 of the 15 matchups were the same...

Wow.

Come back next week as we shift to the South Region. Or just click here to follow me on Twitter.