NCAA Tournament Midwest Region Preview
Selection Sunday has passed and the official 2022 68-team March Madness bracket has finally been revealed.
The unveiling of the bracket allows fans to begin making their picks and taking a shot at having the best bracket in the country.
Here’s a look at the Midwest section of the bracket.
Overview
The Kansas Jayhawks secured the No. 1 seed in the Midwest, followed by Auburn at No. 2 and Wisconsin at No. 3 to round out the top three seeds.
Other notable teams include the Big East regular-season champion Providence at No. 4, Big Ten Tournament champions Iowa at No. 5 and LSU at No. 6, who just fired its coach.
Throughout this section of the bracket there are double-digit seeds that could also make some noise in the Midwest.
These teams include Miami (FL) at No. 10, Iowa State at No. 11 and even teams like Richmond and South Dakota St. at No. 12 and No. 13, respectively, who are both primed for big upsets.
The Favorite
Most fans will have Kansas as the favorite to win the Midwest region and deservingly so. The Jayhawks have been solid all season, with a 28-6 overall record and claiming the Big 12 Tournament title.
They’re riding a five game winning streak heading into March Madness and have relied heavily on recently named first-team All-American Ochai Agbaji.
Agbaji averaged 19.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per game and shot 47.7% from the field and 40.5% from deep. He was unanimously named Big 12 Player of the Year and has wreaked havoc on every opponent he faces.
The Jayhawks will need big performances from Agbaji if they want to make a deep run in the tournament and prove that they deserved the No. 1 seed in the Midwest.
Surprise Contender
There is no team in the country that is hotter than the No. 5 seed Iowa. The Hawkeyes were able to pull off an amazing run in the Big Ten Tournament and defeated Purdue to win the Big Ten Tournament title.
Led by first team All-American Keegan Murray, they have won nine of their last 10 games and head into the big dance with a ton of momentum.
Murray has had an outstanding year and is turning it on as of late. He averaged the fourth most points in the country at 23.6 points on 55.5% shooting from the field and added 8.6 rebounds per game.
Along with his twin brother Kris and guard Jordan Bohannon, the Hawkeyes look ready to make a lot of noise in the Midwest and have a good shot at upsetting top seed Kansas if the two teams meet up in the Sweet 16.
Cinderella Story
There are a number of teams in the Midwest region that could make a Cinderella run in the tournament. No. 10 Miami (FL) could be one of these teams along with No. 11 Iowa State.
The biggest Cinderella team fans could see in the Midwest is No. 14 seed Colgate. The Raiders have won 19 of their last 20 games and face a Wisconsin team that has their star Johnny Davis banged up.
Colgate made Arkansas very uncomfortable in last year’s tournament, but was unable to pull off the upset. This year, the tides could change and swing in favor of the Raiders. Watch out for the Colgate Raiders in this year’s bracket.
The Midwest region appears to be filled with possible upset and teams primed to make deep runs. One might say that the Midwest will be madness. Fans should look forward to March Madness and be cautious when choosing their Midwest region.
Thomas English is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email tfe5082@psu.edu.
