RADIO
March Madness is officially here and RotoBaller will be giving a full breakdown on each tournament region, including some potential sleepers and busts. Here we'll be taking a look at the Midwest Region.
I'm here to tell you some teams that I believe in - this should 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 columns and advice. Tournament winners/picks, sleepers, busts and breakdowns of each region.
March Madness Picks for the Midwest Region
Top Four Seeds: #1 Kansas, #2 Louisville, #3 Oregon, #4 Purdue
Kansas is by and far the best team in this region. But the committee did them no favors with either Michigan State or Miami waiting in the second round. A potential rubber match with Iowa State awaits in the Sweet 16 (both won on the road).
Purdue is my bust of the region. More on them below.
The bottom half of this region, featuring Louisville, is weak. Louisville is bleh. They went 24-8, 12-6 in conference, and somehow ended up with a 2- seed. Louisville doesn't look so good. They usually have great defense, but they blew a double digit lead to Duke in the ACC quarterfinals. They lack a go to scorer in crunch time. Their defense will be put to the test against the high powered offenses of Michigan and Oklahoma State.
Oregon just lost their big man, Chris Boucher, to a torn ACL. I wouldn't sleep on them though. Dillon Brooks is an electric point guard and can carry the Ducks for a couple of rounds. People will be going against Oregon because of the Boucher injury, but if you choose Oregon to make a run, and they do, you'll be one of the few people in your pool to choose them.
Most Intriguing Matchup: No.7 Michigan vs. No. 10 Oklahoma State
Michigan is riding their incredible story from their near plane crash to winning four games in four days to win the Big 10 tournament championship. Michigan will be one of the most talked about teams in the tournament for as long as they are in it.
Don't sleep on Oklahoma State though. They played in the tough Big 12 conference, even beating West Virginia in Morgantown, one of loudest places in the country. They were knocked out in the Big 12 quarterfinals and have had a week to rest and prepare for this game. They can score a lot of points, 85 a game, 8th in nation. They'll be a little too much for Michigan to handle. I'm not sure if Michigan has anything left in the tank and will go with Oklahoma State.
Bust of the Region
Purdue. It's not so much that Purdue isn't good, but their opponent is on fire.
Vermont trailed in the second half of the America East tournament and it looked like they would be upset. But then they clawed back finding a way to win. Albany hit a jumper with 4:11 remaining and that was the last field goal they would make. Vermont's defense tightened up, forcing three turnovers in that span, and allowing three points, all on free throws.
The Catamounts own the nation's longest winning streak, 21 games. Their lass loss came at Butler on December 21 of 2016. They ran through the America East going a perfect 16-0 in conference. They are 14th in the nation in scoring margin, 12.2 points. They also cleaned up the conference awards. Rookie of the Year went to forward Anthony Lamb, whose scored in double figures in the last eight games. Darren Payen won 6th Man of the Year. Dre Willis was the Defensive Player of the Year, and their coach, John Becker, won top coach honors.
As you can guess, the America East Player of the Year went to point guard Trae Bell- Haynes. He may not light up the scoreboard, but he's an pesky point guard who plays terrific defense. He doesn't take plays off and hones the most important trait for a point guard: unselfishness. He loves the slash and kick play. This season, Bell- Haynes has averaged 11.2 points per game on 50% shooting, 3.8 assists, and one steal per game.
Vermont will give Purdue all they can handle and push this game to the wire. Purdue lacks a go to scorer and will be upset in the first round in consecutive seasons.
Final Four Pick
Kansas. People seem to think Michigan State is going to beat Kansas in the second round. I understand the thought because "Michigan State is always great in March," but beating Kansas is a whole another animal. Firstly, Michigan State is a two point underdog to Miami in the first round. I like Miami in this game. Michigan State doesn't it this year.
The Jayhawks lost in the Big 12 quarterfinals to TCU, partly because they were without star player Josh Jackson. Jackson will be back in the tournament, and the Jayhawks would have had a week to rest come the time to play. Bob Self's knack for early NCAA tournament exits scares me, but I just don't think any team can really challenge them. Iowa State can in the Sweet 16, but they have to beat Nevada in the first round and Purdue/ Vermont in the second. Kansas's experience and star power should be enough to get them out of this region.
