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2019 NCAA Tournament Bracket Analysis: Midwest Region Predictions
The University of North Carolina came a couple of Zion Williamson plays away from knocking off Duke in the ACC semifinals, and the Tar Heels are anything but pushovers. After all, "the ceiling is the roof," as Michael Jordan so eloquently said. Needless to say, UNC is projected to waltz past its first two games and into the Sweet 16. Cameron Johnson, Coby White and Luke Maye form a potent trio of heads to cut off before anyone can conquer the snake. As such, Carolina's first test will come in the Sweet 16, when Auburn steps forward after being projected to upset Kansas in the second round of the tournament. That said, UNC is 61% to bet Auburn, and that number actually pops up to 66% if Kansas advances to to the Sweet 16.
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Kentucky, likewise, dominates the other end of the Midwest region, with a cakewalk in its first two games. Houston, however, is no joke, and the Cougars come into the tournament with a 31-3 season, after losing to Cincinnati in the American Conference Tournament. Houston is projected to demolish Georgia State before comfortably crushing Iowa State to advance to the Sweet 16 and a date with Kentucky.
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While North Carolina is projected to beat Auburn with a 61% to 39% edge, the matchup between Kentucky and Houston is much closer at 52% to 48%. Kentucky does advance, but the cakewalk ends by the time the Sweet 16 rolls around, with games only getting closer in the Elite 8.
There isn't much to separate Kentucky and UNC, especially with a trip to the Final Four on the line. However, North Carolina gets the slightest of edges in a head-to-head matchup, with 51% of simulations go to North Carolina to advance. Overall, North Carolina has a 8.9% chance of winning the tournament according to AccuScore and 30.0% chance of making the Final Four. Kentucky's odds of winning the tournament aren't much worse at 7.2%, and the Wildcats have a 25.6% chance of advancing to the Final Four.
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Be sure to check out all of AccuScore's Region-by-Region Bracketology Previews:
South Region
East Region
West Region
