RADIO
March Madness is officially here, so let's fill out some winning brackets! RotoBaller will be bringing you a full breakdown on each tournament region, including some potential sleepers and busts. Today we'll be taking a look at the Midwest Region and my bracket picks.
I'm here to tell you some teams that I believe in to help you make the right tournament bracket decisions. Below I analyze the top four seeds, a potential bust, and a potential final four candidate. Hopefully my college basketball predictions can help you win your March Madness brackets. Now let's get to it.
Editor's Note: Be sure to check out the rest of our NCAA Tournament articles and analysis, including a guide on how to fill out your brackets. Read our March Madness picks, sleepers, busts and predictions for the East, South, and West regions.
Midwest Region Top Four Seeds
Top four seeds: No. 1 North Carolina, No. 2 Kentucky, No. 3 Houston, No. 4 Kansas
Carolina is the final one seed and some think Michigan State should've gotten that nod. Nevertheless, here we are and Carolina greatly benefits with a seemingly clear path to the Elite Eight. They are led by freshman-phenom point guard Coby White and senior big man Luke Maye. They are a well-rounded team.
Kentucky has lost three times since February (twice to Tennessee and once to LSU). When both Reid Travis and P.J. Washington are healthy, they are tough to beat. They are a bruising physical bunch. Their loss to Tennessee in the SEC semis may be the best thing to happen to them.
The odds are stacked against Houston. Top-three seeds unranked before the season have made the Final Four just two times out of 53 since the field expanded in 1986. Houston falls under that category. They have only lost three times all season and they could very well make the Elite Eight, but I'd be hesitant to put them in the Final Four.
Watching Kansas on the road and at home is like watching two different teams. They were 17-0 at home this season and 3-8 on the road. Now you may be wondering, why I'm talking about home and road stats when the NCAA Tournament is played only at neutral-sites. Well, the committee placed Kansas in the Midwest region and the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight are in Kansas City, MO. So if Kansas can get through the first weekend in Salt Lake City, UT, they'll have a major home-court advantage for the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight.
Most Intriguing First-Round Matchup: No. 7 Wofford vs. No. 10 Seton Hall
The Southern conference champs are on a 20-game winning streak without a single loss in their conference. They also are second in the nation in team three-point percentage. Ken Pomeroy even has them as the 19th-rated team. But they are running into a well-coached, gritty, and scrappy Seton Hall squad.
The Pirates have a great scorer in Myles Powell and the big bodies down low to hang with anyone. They may get behind in the first half, but I've seen them battle back far too often to ever count them out. I think the fact that Seton Hall has played in more close, grind-it-out games in bigger moments, will be the deciding factor against Wofford.
Bust of the Region
Kansas. I don't think they're getting out of the first weekend so they won't have the chance to play with a massive home-court advantage. They're an underwhelming team that is not your typical Kansas team.
Final Four Pick
Kentucky. The Wildcats are really good and losing in the SEC semifinals is probably the best thing that happened to them. They'd face Wofford/Seton Hall in the second round and while both teams are good, Kentucky will be too much. In the Sweet 16, Houston or Iowa State don't have the bodies to hang with Kentucky. In the Elite Eight, they'd most probably face North Carolina and at that point, it comes down to the last possession.
