Bracket Breakdown: Midwest Region

The Midwest region is home to the number one overall seed in the tournament, the Kentucky Wildcats. They have dominated opponents and aim at an undefeated season with their current mark of 34-0. The Wildcats enter the tournament coming off of an SEC championship victory against Arkansas and interestingly, they did not cut down the nets after the game because they "forgot". They will play against the winner of the play-in game between Hampton and Manhattan, and considering the fact that Number One seeds are 120-0 against Number Sixteen seeds, Kentucky appears to have an easy ticket to advance to the third round. The matchup between 8 Cincinnati and 9 Purdue is one of the more intriguing second round games, one that many are picking Purdue as the upset. Purdue has struggled at times this season; however, they had an impressive stretch in which they defeated Big Ten rivals Iowa and Ohio State and they have A.J. Hammons to lead their powerful front court. Meanwhile, Cincinnati is led by interim coach Larry Davis as head coach Mick Cronin has been sidelined due to health concerns, but the Bearcats pride themselves on defensive pressure and offensive efficiency. Another game with upset appeal is the matchup between 5 West Virginia and 12 Buffalo. The Mountaineers are vicious offensive rebounders and their main concern entering tournament time is the health of leading scorer Juwan State, a primary leader on this team. Buffalo is led entirely by the star PF Justin Moss who has great ability to score and rebound the basketball, but a lack of experience in the tournament may hinder the team out of the MAC. In the matchup between 4 Maryland and 13 Valparaiso, two teams with spectacular records square off in a battle where both teams are very balanced and efficient. Maryland has been excellent this season and with their solid scoring and defense, they have quality wins over Wisconsin, Iowa State, and Michigan State. Winners of the Horizon Championship, Valpo is cruising with a 10-2 record in their last twelve and F Evan Peters is the clear leader on the offensive end. Arguably the most intriguing second round game features 6 Butler against 11 Texas. Surprisingly, Texas made the field as an 11 seed and despite being on the bubble during Championship Week, they remained out of the Last Four In. Led by terrific guard play in Javan Felix and the Longhorns shot blocking by Ridley and Co. is second to nobody in the country. On the other hand, Butler has finally got something that they have not had all year; full health. With wins against Providence, North Carolina, and Georgetown, Kellen Dunham will dominate the offense for the Bulldogs and the team rebounding is crucial. The winner of this game will likely face the winner of the 3 Notre Dame and 14 Northeastern where Jerian Grant and the ACC champion Irish should have no problem taking care of the Huskies. Another terrific matchup in the second round is between 7 Wichita State and 10 Indiana. Wichita State is coming off a brutal loss in the MVC tournament semifinal against Illinois State, but Guards Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet need to play well against Indiana's talented backcourt of Yogi Ferrell and James Blackmon Jr. The winner of this game will likely play the 2 Kansas Jayhawks who are slated to play 15 New Mexico State in a game where the Jayhawks should dominate, given their solid play in the Big 12 tournament. Overall, in the Midwest region, I feel that Kentucky should advance to the Final Four, while Kansas and Notre Dame have potential to hand Kentucky their first loss later in the tournament.