NCAA Tournament Preview: Midwest Region

MIDWEST REGION PREVIEW

The Midwest region is highlighted by undefeated No. 1 overall seed Kentucky and includes teams from 13 conferences, but this region is probably the weakest top to bottom. The Wildcats got a great draw, and it will be interesting to see who challenges them. The top four seeds all come out of Power 5 conferences and were all battle tested at points throughout the season. There should be a handful of great opening-round games that come down to the wire. The most important question still remains: who is going to beat Kentucky?

The Favorites

No. 1 Kentucky - Kentucky, 34-0, is out to prove it's one of the best college basketball teams of all time. The Wildcats wiped out the SEC and picked up big non-conference wins against Louisville, North Carolina and Kansas. Kentucky has yet to fall due to three exceptional qualities: size, athleticism and depth. Nine players average double-digit minutes, and every player in the starting lineup is at least 6-foot-6. Coach John Calipari calls his bench players "reinforcements" as they are just as talented as the starting five. This team is led by star freshman Karl-Anthony Towns, who enters the tournament averaging 9.8 PPG, 6.8 RPG and 2.4 BPG. Beating Kentucky will require a perfect performance.

No.2 Kansas - The Jayhawks won the Big 12 regular-season championship for the 11th consecutive year. They lost, 70-66, in the tournament championship to Iowa State in a game that came down to the final seconds. Kansas is led by junior forward Perry Ellis (13.8 PPG) and sophomore guard Frank Mason (12.3 PPG), two of the best players in the Big 12. Kansas beat a lot of good teams this year, including Iowa State, Oklahoma, Baylor, Michigan State and Utah. The Jayhawks were battle tested all year playing in the best conference in the country, and they're talented enough to compete with anyone.

No. 3 Notre Dame - The Irish are coming off an ACC tournament championship, which included wins over Duke and North Carolina. They beat Duke in two of three matchups this season, and knocked off the Tar Heels twice to sweep the season series. They're led by Jerian Grant (16.8 PPG), a Wooden Award Top 15 finalist who's considered one of the nation's best guards. Notre Dame can flat out score, ranking second in the country in field-goal percentage (.510) and 12th in points per game (78.8 PPG). Four players average double-digit points, which speaks to Notre Dame's unselfish style. If anyone is going to knock off Kentucky in the Midwest regional, the Irish might have the best shot.

No. 4 Maryland - Melo Trimble is one of the nation's elite freshmen, and he enters the tournament as the team's leader in scoring at 16.3 points per game. He also leads the team in minutes (33.5), assists (3.1) and steals (1.2). Trimble's sidekick is senior guard Dez Wells, who averages 15.4 points per game and provides the experience and senior leadership for the Terrapins. Maryland beat multiple big-name teams this year, including Iowa State, Michigan State and Wisconsin. They have the talent and size to compete with any team in the tournament, and they've been battle tested in the Big Ten all season.

Cinderella Watch

No. 11 Texas - Some think Texas doesn't belong in the tournament, but its body of work and playing in the nation's best conference helped it punch a ticket to the dance. The Longhorns were considered a possible Final Four contender entering the season, but have fallen well short of expectations. They now have a chance to prove the doubters wrong and demonstrate why they were so highly rated entering the year. Texas has both the size and athleticism to win multiple games, and should prove to be a difficult first-round matchup for a well-disciplined Butler team. The Longhorns are led by guard Isaiah Taylor, who averages 13.0 points and 4.6 assists per game. They struggle to score at times, ranking 169th in the nation in field-goal Percentage at 43.6, but if they get the offense rolling they are a dangerous squad.

No. 10 Indiana - The Hoosiers enter the tournament as a 10 seed, and they drew a difficult first-round matchup in Wichita State. They have the offensive firepower, however, to not only win this one, but multiple games. Junior guard Yogi Ferrell (16.1 PPG) and freshman guard James Blackmon (15.8 PPG) lead an offensive attack that ranks 18th in the nation at 77.5 points per game. They unleash big scoring runs as well as any team in the country, but the problem is that they struggle to defend on the other end. The Hoosiers have given up 70 or more points in 18 games this season, which was the main reason they entered Selection Sunday as a bubble team. Indiana lacks size and depth, which hurts late in games, but if they get hot at the right time, this team has the ability to make the sweet 16 and beyond.

Biggest Bust

No. 2 Kansas - This is a tough one to pick simply because Kansas just finds a way to get the job done time and time again. People doubt them, and the Jayhawks prove them wrong. Kansas should get by New Mexico State, which poses as a tough matchup due to its front-court size, but then the Jayhawks will face Wichita State or Indiana, both of which are excellent three-point shooting teams. Kansas is still fairly young and was inconsistent for much of the year. They're also banged up with late-season injuries to Perry Ellis and Wayne Selden Jr., and Cliff Alexander is suspended. And they're perimeter shooting late in the year was atrocious -- they missed 60 of 71 three-pointers in their last six games.

First-Round Upset

No. 11 Texas vs. No. 6 Butler - The classic 12-5 upset will be popular, but West Virginia is too strong for Buffalo in that matchup. West Virginia coach Bob Huggins has had 12 teams land a 5 seed and none has been upset in the first round. Texas has beaten multiple highly ranked teams (Baylor, West Virginia) and went toe-to-toe with Kentucky earlier in the season until the last five minutes of the game. The Longhorns have great size in the frontcourt and defend at a high level. If Texas can get any sort of offensive production going, it will win this matchup and prove wrong those who believed the Longhorns shouldn't be dancing.

Player to Watch

Jerian Grant, Guard, Notre Dame - Great guard play is usually essential to winning the NCAA Tournament, and Notre Dame has just that. Grant is arguably the nation's best scoring guard, and when he gets rolling, there is no one on the floor who can guard him. The senior has scored at least 20 points in 11 games this season, including in the ACC championship when he recorded 24 points and 10 assists to notch his fifth double-double of the season. Grant averages 16.8 points and 6.6 assists per game. This team will only go as far as Grant takes it, and the ceiling is endless. Grant has the experience, he has the game, and if you get a chance to watch him, you won't be disappointed.

Sweet 16 Picks

No. 1 Kentucky - Can Kentucky be beat? The Wildcats might not win it all, but they certainly aren't going to lose opening weekend. This team is a shoe-in for the Sweet 16. If they get Cincinnati in the second round, it might be one of the lowest offensive outputs we've ever seen in a second-round game. Cincinnati flat out struggles to score (294th), and Kentucky makes it just a bit difficult for opponents to score. The Bearcats would be lucky to touch 40.

No. 4 Maryland - The Terrapins get great guard play out of Trimble and Wells, and Valparaiso won't be able to match the athleticism in the first round. Maryland finished second in the Big Ten behind Wisconsin, with whom it split during the regular season. Maryland likely will face West Virginia in the second round, and its talented guard play should break down the Mountaineers' full-court pressure, leading to easy buckets.

No. 3 Notre Dame - The Irish enter the tournament with Mr. Momentum on their side as they ran through the ACC tournament and finished the regular season winning eight of their last nine games. They'll slaughter Northeastern in the first round, a team that's making its first appearance in the Big Dance. Texas would pose a difficult second-round matchup for Notre Dame, but the Longhorns likely would have a hard time matching Notre Dame's scoring pace in what would be totally different styles of play. Book Notre Dame in your Sweet 16.

No. 7 Wichita State - Back to that theory on great guard play. The Shockers have two junior guards in Ron Baker (15 PPG) and Fred VanVleet (12.7 PPG) who make up one of the nation's best backcourts. They took Wichita State to a final four as freshman, and they've got the experience in this tournament. As long as they defend the three-ball against Indiana, they should advance. Indiana is banged up in the front court and lacks size down low. If they beat Indiana, Kansas will be waiting in round two. The X-factors (Baker and VanVleet), along with the overall experience will be the difference against a young and inconsistent Kansas team. These two could carry this team to another deep run in this year's dance.

Final Four Pick

No. 1 Kentucky - Could Kentucky lose before it gets to Indianapolis? Absolutely. However, it's really tough to bet against a team that was battle tested all year and came out on top in every game. The Wildcats are deep, and their second five would have a good chance of getting out of this region on their own. Kentucky played the No. 2-seed Jayhawks in November and beat them by 32. Perhaps the Fighting Irish can give them a run, but Kentucky's size and athleticism will prove too much.