If #1 overall seed Louisville survives the dangerous Midwest Region, they’ll have earned it. (Kalel2007)
The Midwest Region boasts Louisville, the tournament’s overall #1 seed. It also boasts perhaps the best #2 seed, toughest #3 seed, and best top 8 seeds overall in this year’s edition of March Madness. Yeah, about that overall #1 seed Louisville – congratulations.
Where do you begin in the Midwest Region? Is it with the Cardinals, the Big East’s regular season and conference tournament champions? Is it with Duke, who has only lost 1 game all year with Ryan Kelly in the lineup? Do you look at Tom Izzo and Michigan State, who always seem built for March? Or is it a dangerous mid-major like Saint Louis, Memphis or the Creighton Bluejays that will play spoiler?
Either way, this bracket is loaded with stars. Peyton Siva of Louisville leads the nation’s best backcourt, according to many. Creighton’s Doug McDermott is a true NBA prospect. Duke has Mason Plumlee, Seth Curry and Ryan Kelly. And whether or not you can name anyone on Memphis, they’re a 6-seed with 30 wins. The Midwest Region is stacked, and anyone who survives it will truly deserve their ticket to Atlanta and the Final Four.
Round of 64 Matchups
(1) Louisville vs (16) North Carolina A&T/Liberty
(8) Colorado State vs (9) Missouri
(5) Oklahoma State vs (12) Oregon
(4) Saint Louis vs (13) New Mexico State
(6) Memphis vs (11) MTSU/Saint Mary’s
(3) Michigan State vs (14) Valparaiso
(7) Creighton vs (10) Cincinnati
(2) Duke vs (15) Albany
Will Creighton head coach Greg McDermott lead the Bluejays on a run? (Cubiclecrei)
2 Teams on Upset Alert
1. Oklahoma State. Congratulations Cowboys, you worked your butts off all year to get a 5-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Your reward? The red-hot Oregon Ducks, fresh off winning the Pac-12 Championship in stunning fashion by ousting UCLA with a barrage of 3-pointers. Enjoy.
2. Memphis. This is all dependent on the outcome of the 11-seed play-in game between Middle Tennessee State and Saint Mary’s. MTSU doesn’t match up well against Memphis, and the Tigers should win that game without too much stress. Saint Mary’s, on the other hand, provides a stiff challenge to the Tigers. Should the Gaels reach the field of 64, this is a game to watch.
The Upset that WON’T Happen
I don’t care if you’ve never heard of Saint Louis or you don’t know what a Billiken is. They’re a damn good team (maybe not a 4-seed, but no worse than a 5). The Gauchos of New Mexico State had a nice season and some reasonable weapons, but the Billikens are not losing this 4-13 match-up.
Who’s making the Midwest Regional Final?
No one hates chalk more than me. But no one hates being wrong more than me, either, and the top half of this bracket belongs to Louisville. The bottom half is an absolute minefield, with four teams (Duke, Michigan State, Memphis and Creighton) that have a legitimate chance of reaching the Regional Final. In the end, I think the return of Ryan Kelly will give Duke just enough to make it an all-chalk Midwest Regional Final.
Filed under: NCAA Basketball Tagged: 2013 NCAA Tournament, Albany, Cincinnati, cinderella, Colorado State, Creighton, Duke, Liberty, Louisville, Memphis, Michigan State, Midwest Region, Missouri, New Mexico State, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Saint Louis, Valparaiso
