Midwest Regional Overview
The Midwest Regional has a few teams who have the talent to win it all. They also have a few teams that are traditional powers who want to prove that they were right to be chosen for the NCAA Tournament.
#1 Kansas, #2 Duke, #3 Michigan State, #4 Auburn, #5 Clemson, #6 TCU, #7 Rhode Island, #8 Seton Hall, #9 North Carolina State, #10 Oklahoma, #11 Arizona State / Syracuse, #12 New Mexico State, #13 Charleston, #14 Bucknell, #15 Iona, #16 Penn
Who Can Win?
Kansas and Duke are the obvious favorites, but do not look past Michigan State and Auburn. Those two teams won at least a share of their respective conferences. And in the Big Ten and the SEC, that is no easy task.
Who Can Surprise?
Rhode Island and Oklahoma face off in the first round, but both of those teams have the potential to make a deeper run. The Rams have been a very good team all season long and play very good defense. When Oklahoma is playing well, they can outscore just about anybody behind the scoring prowess of Trae Young.
Who’s Hot?
Not long ago the Jayhawks looked like they would not win the Big 12. But they did after winning eight of their last nine games, including three in the Big 12 Tournament. Now this is a Kansas team that earned a number one seed and are among the favorites to win it all.
Who’s Cold?
Oklahoma and Arizona State both backed their way into the NCAA Tournament. The Sooners have lost eight of their last ten games and have not looked like an NCAA Tournament caliber team lately. Arizona State’s fall from grace has been even more dramatic. At one point the Sun Devils were ranked third in the country. Now they are just 20-11 and were lucky to make it into the field of 68.
Upset Alert!
This may not be the best region for a huge upset involving a 12 or high seed. New Mexico State is a team to watch though. They play great defense and should be able to stick around against a low scoring Clemson team. This contest will likely come down to which side can make some big shots. That favors the Tigers, but do not be surprised if the Aggies make things interesting for the better part of 40 minutes.
What Possible Matchup is Interesting?
A potential Sweet Sixteen matchup between Michigan State and Duke would be a rematch of one of the season’s best non-conference matchups. Back on November 14th the Blue Devils went to East Lansing and beat the Spartans 88-81. The Spartans would like revenge if that matchup happens again.
Which Player Will Dominate?
All eyes will be on Oklahoma superstar freshman Trae Young. He heads into the NCAA Tournament averaging an amazing 27.4 points per game. However, his team may not be around for long. If Michigan State is going to make a run towards the Final Four, Miles Bridges will need to have a big tournament. He averages 16.9 points per game this season and a good tournament could boost his 2018 NBA Draft stock.
