Previewing the Midwest Region for the NCAA Tournament
Midwest Region
Lastly, we get to the Midwest bracket. A bracket that is loaded with defensive-minded teams at the top and some dangerous teams lurking.
Who wins the Midwest: Houston
I’m all in on Houston this year. For the last several years, this team has been absolutely elite defensively. It is their identity. Now they also have an offense. They are one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country and they can lean on LJ Cryer in the clutch moments.
Potential Upset #11 Xavier over #6 Illinois
Frankly, I don’t feel very strong about any upsets in this region. Clemson could win this region or lose to McNeese in the first round. High Point could ride their guard-play to a win over Purdue, or lost by 20+.
If I have to pick one, I’ll take Xavier. The First Four teams seem to have an advantage of having played a game in the tournament environment and Illinois has been fairly underwhelming this year. Kasparas Jakucionis is a great player for the Illini but Xavier is hot and raining threes lately.
Players to Watch
I’m excited to watch Chaz Lanier of Tennessee. The senior is shooting 40% from three with 275 attempts this year.
PrizePicks Lock: Ray’Sean Taylor UNDER 16.5 Pts+Ast
SIU Edwardsville guard is a scorer, but he gets a significant amount of his points off getting to the free throw line. I expect Houston’s defense to frustrate Taylor, keep him off the line and cause him to start throwing up bad shots. Keeping him under.
Lanier of Tennessee over 4.5 threes made is an intriguing pick as well.
Intriguing later-round matchups
I think Houston has interesting matchups in every round, after the first. Gonzaga is a seriously underseeded team and Clemson, as I said before, is capable of beating anybody and making a run. Then a potential Houston/Tennessee matchup would be a great regional final.
Best Mascot
This tournament severely lacks great mascots/nicknames. Sadly, UC Irvine lost in their conference championship game, denying us the Anteaters. But I digress.
For this bracket, I’m going with the cool colors of the High Point Panthers and the McNeese Cowboys.