The Midwest, home to perennial March Madness flopper Purdue, is also home to one of the most interesting brackets of this college basketball season. At the 2 seed, you have a strong defensive team in Tennessee that is capable of beating anyone in the country. With the vulnerability of Purdue, this region is as wide open as any.
Round 1
1 Purdue vs. 16 Montana State/Grambling
8 Utah State vs. 9 TCU: Utah State moves on to face Purdue after a close 8/9 matchup.
12 McNeese vs. 5 Gonzaga: The first major upset of the region comes from McNeese, a low seed ready to take on anyone, even a team that has been a top 5 seed for years on end.
13 Samford vs. 4 Kansas: Again, while this may be less likely than Gonzaga being upset, I believe Samford's 3 point shooting can lift them pass an injury plagued Kansas.
6 South Carolina vs. 11 Oregon: This is another 6/11 upset that has come up, but South Carolina has proven that if they can get hot at the right time, they can win any game.
3 Creighton vs. 14 Akron
10 Virginia/Colorado State vs. 7 Texas: In the last few tournament's, first 4 teams have prevailed. I expect it to be no different this year.
2 Tennessee vs. 15 Saint Peter's: No Saint Peter's cinderella run this year, unfortunately.
Round 2
1 Purdue vs. 8 Utah State
12 McNeese vs. 13 Samford: McNeese continues their run in March, taking down a Samford team playing cold after a hot win against Kansas.
6 South Carolina vs. 3 Creighton: As I've said, South Carolina can beat anyone when they are hot.
2 Tennessee vs. 10 Virginia/Colorado State
Sweet 16
12 McNeese vs. 1 Purdue: This time around, it's a 12 seed that takes down the Boilermakers. That makes it 3 straight tournaments where they will go out to a double digit seed.
2 Tennessee vs. 6 South Carolina: This March, we will see the best and worst of the Gamecocks. It just happens that this matchup was their worst.
Elite 8
2 Tennessee vs. 12 McNeese: The Volunteers are finally able to stop McNeese. Much like South Carolina, everyone got hot at the same time and everyone got cold at the same time, clearing the path for an Orange Final Four.
Eli Knight
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