Bracket Picks: 9-step guide to Midwest Region
The field for the 2017 NCAA Tournament is out, and all the bracket-picking challenges have begun.
In an effort to help you pick your bracket, these nine-step guides for each region in the tournament are designed to give you some information that'll hopefully serve as some background for your predictions.
Other regional guides: East | South | West
As the headline says, this guide is for the Midwest Region, so let's break it down. The four regional semifinalists will play in the Sweet 16 in Kansas City, Mo.
1. Team to beat: Kansas. The Jayhawks have the two of the three best players in the region in Frank Mason and Josh Jackson. (Purdue's Caleb Swanigan is the other.) Kansas shoots the heck out of the ball, making 41.2 percent of its 3-pointers. The Jayhawks don't put opponents to foul line very much, and they defend the interior well. If Mason and Jackson are on, Kansas can be the best team in the country. They just can't afford to fall behind too much against the better competition in the NCAA Tournament. That would spell disaster.
2. Contenders: Louisville, Oregon, Purdue, Iowa State. Every team in this tournament has at least one flaw, and this group is no different. U of L needs Donovan Mitchell to be on, and it needs to avoid fouling on defense, but if it does those things, it can be a Final Four team.
Oregon could have some trouble figuring out life without Chris Boucher, the team's third-leading scorer and second-leading rebounder who is out for the tournament with a knee injury. Purdue shoots it great and rebounds well, but the Boilermakers don't turn opponents over and, despite having two monsters in the paint, they can have trouble defending the interior. Iowa State is great on the offensive end, but the Cyclones have their issues on defense. Yet all three have the capability to make the Final Four.
3. Dark horse: Michigan. The Wolverines are a hot commodity after winning four games in four days to win the Big Ten Tournament. It's a John Beilein team, so obviously Michigan is a fun-to-watch and efficient offensive team. But there are lingering questions about how good Michigan's defense is, and it's a tall order to ask the Wolverines to beat one of the best defensive squads in college hoops in Louisville if they get past Oklahoma State.
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4. Cinderella: Rhode Island. The Rams were ranked in the top 25 to start the season, so it's not shocking that URI is here. They played a tough schedule and worked through some injuries, which caused them to fall off the map a bit. But they ripped off eight consecutive wins and won the Atlantic-10 Tournament. Creighton has done well since its point guard, Maurice Watson, injured his knee, but navigating the NCAA Tournament without a frontman is harder than league play.
5. The upset to pick: Rhode Island over Creighton. Not a stunner after my Cinderella pick. Honestly I wouldn't be shocked if URI reached the Sweet 16. Miami and Michigan State can both cause problems for Kansas in the second round, and Nevada and Vermont will be tough outs in the first round, too.
6. Best first-round matchup: Purdue vs. Vermont. Swanigan is a monster, and Vermont is a good interior scoring team (55.6 percent on 2-pointers), so this one could be a fun one. Think Purdue wins but by single digits.
7. Best potential matchup: Kansas vs. Louisville. The top two seeds in the region have some tough roads to get to the Elite Eight in Kansas City. Kansas has its hands full every step of way, with Miami or Michigan State, then likely either Purdue or Iowa State in the Sweet 16. Louisville could see Michigan then Oregon. But watching Rick Pitino come up with ways to defend Jackson and Mason would be worth the price of admission.
8. Best player: Frank Mason, Kansas. Love Jackson. Love Swanigan. Love Mitchell. Miami's Bruce Brown and Michigan State's Miles Bridges were two of my favorite prospects to watch on the AAU circuit when they were in high school. Monte Morris at Iowa State, Dillon Brooks at Oregon and Derrick Walton of Michigan are all great players, too. But as Mason goes, so goes Kansas. He averages 20.8 points, 5.1 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game while shooting 48.7 percent, a great clip for a guard.
9. Best coaches: Three-way tie. Pitino, Kansas' Bill Self and Michigan State's Tom Izzo are considered of the five or six best coaches in college basketball right now. Pitino has two national titles, while Izzo and Self each have one. Miami's Jim Larranaga always has disciplined, smart teams. And Beilein can really coach some offense.
