By Rohit Ghosh
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NCAA Tournament Preview - Midwest Region
Just like there’s a “group of death” every four years in the World Cup, the NCAA Tournament has one of its own this year - the Midwest Region. Three of the four teams from last year’s Final Four - Wichita State, Michigan and Louisville - earned No. 1, No. 2 and No. 4 seeds, respectively. With that said, the Midwest region is easily the region to bet on. Kentucky (No. 8 in region) and Louisville have two of the best traveling fan-bases, and Michigan has one of the biggest alumni fan-bases in the nation.
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Louisville getting the No. 4 seed was one of the biggest surprises of the selection process. A team playing arguably the best ball in the country right now got blatantly disrespected by the selection committee. Louisville opens the tournament against No. 13 Manhattan. Manhattan finished second record-wise behind Iona, but won the MAAC title to earn an automatic bid.
If there is one thing bettors can take from a quick glance at the region, it’s to take some type of futures bet on Wichita State, Louisville, Michigan, and Duke. One from those have a VERY good chance of being in the title game.
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No. 1 Seed will Face Tough Second-Round Opponent
There aren’t too many notable mid-majors in the tournament, but Wichita State (34-0) has a chance to prove itself to skeptics after being selected in to such a stacked region. The Shockers, who made it to the Final Four last year, somehow improved since then to complete the first undefeated regular season since ‘90-’91.
Wichita St. will play the winner of Cal Poly vs Texas Southern University (TSU), the Southwestern Athletic Conference champion. TSU is making its fifth NCAA Tournament appearance in school history, but the first since 2003. Regardless of who wins, Wichita St. won’t have any problems in the first round, but will have to face the winner of Kentucky-Kansas State in the second round.
Kansas St. is a below average rebounding team, No. 191 in the nation in defensive rebounds per game, while Kentucky is No. 20 in the nation, and No. 3 in offensive rebounds per game. Wichita St. will most likely face a Kentucky team with more than enough talent to knock the top seed out.
Match-up to Watch
Mercer is No. 30 in both scoring and offensive efficiency. Duke lacks an interior presence, giving some added potential to this being an upset. Mercer is an experienced squad, and has the ability to control the tempo. Duke is favored by 13.5 points.
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