As soon as the Selection Committee made this year’s NCAA tournament bracket final, the college basketball world collectively tried to figure out who in the Midwest region had a chance to knock off top-seed Kentucky. It would appear that any team in the region that could hang with the Wildcats are still alive, as this region didn’t seem to get the memo that there’s supposed to be upsets in the NCAA Tournament. Discounting the play-in game (1st round), every higher seed in the Midwest earned a victory in round 2. Here’s a look at what’s ahead in round 3.
2015 NCAA Tournament Round of 32 Preview: Midwest Region
(1) Kentucky v. (8) Cincinnati
Cincinnati gets the next crack at trying to disrupt Kentucky’s perfect season. The Bearcats are a pretty stingy defensive team, so it will be interesting to see how they match-up against the Wildcats. Cincinnati plays primarily a zone defense, which tends to force a lot of jump shots. Kentucky’s at their best when they’re driving and getting to the hoop, so it’s a strength-on-strength situation in that area. But Kentucky’s defense (mainly Karl-Anthony Towns and Willie Cauley-Stein) and overall length will be too much for Cincinnati.
Prediction: Kentucky
(5) West Virginia v. (4) Maryland
Each of these teams had at least a little bit of a scare in their first games — Maryland beat 13-seed Valparaiso by just three, and West Virginia defeated 12-seed Buffalo by six — so they each should be out to prove they’re better than their first showing. However, as the seeding would suggest, these teams are very evenly matched, the difference being West Virginia runs a slightly more efficient offense and Maryland a slightly better defense. Maryland has four more wins on the year in probably a tougher conference, so they might be a bit more battle-tested.
Prediction: Maryland
(6) Butler v. (3) Notre Dame
Aside from the upsets in the second round, the biggest surprise may have been how mediocre Notre Dame looked after playing outstanding basketball in the ACC tournament. The Irish beat Northeastern 69-65, but if it’s possible, the actual game felt closer than the score suggests. Butler had it a little easier (although not by much), beating Texas by eight. Notre Dame may have peaked during their conference tournament, and may have a hard time getting back to that level of play. This could be the first upset in the midwest.
Prediction: Butler
Side-note: This game sets up a geographic rivalry, since both schools are in Indiana. A little weird seeing two Indiana schools meet during March Madness and not have one be the Indiana Hoosiers.
(7) Wichita St. v. (2) Kansas
Another in-state rivalry here. Offensively, these teams are very similar. Kansas averages 71.2 points per game while Wichita St. puts up 69.7 per contest. On the other side, Wichita St. only gives up 56.4 per game (good for eighth best in the country), while Kansas gives up 64.4 (ranked 122nd). The level of competition is a big reason why those numbers are misleading, and it would seem the most likely outcome that Kansas doesn’t let the Wichita St. get the better of them. Kansas is probably the best team Wichita St. has seen all year.
Prediction: Kansas
