NCAA Tournament Picks: South | West | East | Midwest | Final Four
2019 NCAA Tournament Picks – Midwest Bracket
By Walter Cherepinsky – @walterfootball
Rather than go through, game by game, I’m going to show you my selections on the brackets and post notes on some of the interesting contests:
It was nice of the NCAA Tournament committee to put two West Coast teams in Columbus. The Utah State-Washington winner will be severely disadvantaged against North Carolina, which has an easy trip to the Sweet 16.
Auburn dominated the SEC Tournament. They should’ve been a No. 4 seed, perhaps even a No. 3. It’s typical to see 12-seeds beat No. 5s, but I don’t think that’ll happen in this instance. Kansas, conversely, should’ve been a No. 5. Did you know that the Jayhawks’ only road victories this season have come against Baylor, TCU and Oklahoma State? Of those three teams, only Baylor made the NCAA Tournament, and that was a questionable decision by the committee. Kansas is on upset alert in the opening round versus Northeastern.
I believe North Carolina will battle Auburn in the Sweet 16. According to the KenPom Rankings, these teams are just seven spots apart. So much for correct seeding! Given that fact, I’m going to take a risk with Auburn.
In the bottom of the bracket, Iowa State is also incorrectly seeded. The Cyclones should’ve been a No. 4 seed. Ohio State, meanwhile, finished the season with a 3-7 collapse. The Buckeyes shouldn’t have even made the tournament. I like Iowa State to advance to the Sweet 16 over Houston. The Cougars, by the way, are the only team seeded above the No. 6 line that has a strength of schedule ranking of worse than 83rd.
The selection show praised the NCAA Tournament committee for ranking Wofford so “highly” with a No. 7 seed, but the Terriers should’ve been a No. 5. They’ll take care of business in the first round, but Kentucky will offer a great challenge for them to make the Sweet 16. Ultimately, I think you have to go with the Wildcats’ talent.
I think Kentucky is a great pick to come out of the Midwest. More people will have North Carolina, so you can snipe some tournament points by picking the No. 2 seed in this region.
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