March Madness 2022: Midwest Region could be upset central, but Kansas should hold serve
USA TODAY Sports breaks down the NCAA Tournament Midwest Region:
Best first-round matchup: The 8-9 clash between San Diego State and Creighton might not be the most aesthetically pleasing game on the slate if you like a high tempo and free-flowing offense. But it will almost certainly feature a high level of intensity and will likely come down to the last few valuable possessions.
Including the current season, the Aztecs have won at least 20 games in all five years under coach Brian Dutcher. This year’s version features the stingiest scoring defense in the field, surrendering just 57.7 points a game. Their contests are often described as rock fights, but Creighton doesn’t mind playing that style, either. The Bluejays allow just over 65 points a game and battled Villanova to a near standstill for a half in the Big East tournament final. Expect a tight affair with points at a premium in this one.
Potential upset: No. 13 seed South Dakota State is one of just three teams to enter the tournament with 30 wins. Yes, the Jackrabbits play in the Summit League, not quite the same level of competition Arizona faced while posting its 31-3 record. But the Jackrabbits made a clean sweep of their conference – regular season and tournament – and take a 21-game winning streak into their round-of-64 matchup with No. 4 Providence.
Make no mistake, the Friars did a remarkable job under coach Ed Cooley’s guidance to claim the Big East regular-season title and produce 25 wins this season with little fanfare. But their most recent outing was a 27-point thrashing at the hands of Creighton in the tournament semifinal — not exactly a confidence booster. South Dakota State looks to have the right makeup to cause trouble for a potentially vulnerable higher seeded squad. The Jackrabbits are deeper than your typical so-called mid-major team with nine players averaging at least 15 minutes. Lead guard Baylor Scheierman does a little of everything, ranking second on the team in scoring (16.2) and first in rebounds and assists (7.8, 4.6).
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And oh yeah, remember last year’s Summit League representative in the Big Dance? That would be Oral Roberts, the squad that went from a 15 seed to the Sweet 16. Watch out for these bunnies.
The sleeper: You’d be hard pressed to find a more dangerous team than Iowa right now. Unfortunately, recent history shows it’s difficult to trust a Big Ten team to make a lengthy run in the bracket after enduring the grind of the nation’s deepest conference. Still, the Hawkeyes’ blend of experience and multiple scoring options that led them to the league tourney title will make this No. 5 seed a tough out should they reach the tournament’s second weekend.
The winner: It seems too easy to simply pencil in the top seed. Only once in the history of March Madness have all four No. 1’s made it to the Final Four.
Bearing that in mind, Kansas is still the pick. Second-seeded Auburn’s recent results suggest it is a prime candidate for an early exit, and see our above comments on the recent tournament record of Big Ten teams with regard to third-seeded Wisconsin. The Jayhawks’ half of the bracket does have some interesting teams, but they should be able to handle them all.
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No. 1 Kansas
Record: (28-6, 14-4 Big 12 at-large)
Coach: Bill Self
Leading scorer: Ochai Agbaji, 19.7 ppg
No. 2 Auburn
Record: (27-5, 15-3 SEC at-large)
Coach: Bruce Pearl
Leading scorer: Jabari Smith, 17.1 ppg
No. 3 Wisconsin
Record: (24-7, 15-5 Big Ten at-large)
Coach: Greg Gard
Leading scorer: Johnny Davis, 19.7 ppg
No. 4 Providence
Record: (25-5, 14-3 Big East at-large)
Coach: Ed Cooley
Leading scorer: Nate Watson, 13.8 ppg
No. 5 Iowa
Record: (26-9, 12-8 Big Ten champion)
Coach: Fran McCaffery
Leading scorer: Keegan Murray, 23.7 ppg
No. 6 LSU
Record: (22-11, 9-9 SEC at-large)
Coach: Kevin Nickelberry
Leading scorer: Tari Eason, 16.9 ppg
No. 7 Southern Cal
Record: (26-7, 14-6 Pac-12 at-large)
Coach: Andy Enfield
Leading scorer: Isaiah Mobley, 14.3 ppg
No. 8 San Diego State
Record: (23-8, 14-4 Mountain West at-large)
Coach: Brian Dutcher
Leading scorer: Matt Bradley, 17.0 ppg
No. 9 Creighton
Record: (22-11, 12-7 Big East at-large)
Coach: Greg McDermott
Leading scorer: Ryan Hawkins, 14.3 ppg
No. 10 Miami
Record: (23-10, 14-6 ACC at-large)
Coach: Jim Larranega
Leading scorer: Kameron McGusty, 17.6 ppg
No. 11 Iowa State
Record: (20-12, 7-11 Big 12 at-large)
Coach: T.J. Otzelberger
Leading scorer: Izaiah Brockington, 17.2 ppg
No. 12 Richmond
Record: (23-12, 10-8 Atlantic 10 champion)
Coach: Chris Mooney
Leading scorer: Tyler Burton, 16.3 ppg
No. 13 South Dakota State
Record: (30-4, 18-0 Summit League champion)
Coach: Eric Henderson
Leading scorer: Douglas Wilson, 16.5 ppg
No. 14 Colgate
Record: (23-11, 16-2 Patriot League champion)
Coach: Matt Langel
Leading scorer: Nelly Cummings, 14.5 ppg
No. 15 Jacksonville State
Record: (21-10, 13-3 Atlantic Sun champion)
Coach: Ray Harper
Leading scorer: Darian Adams, 15.6 ppg
No. 16 Texas Southern
Record: (18-12, 13-5 SWAC champion)
Coach: Johnny Jones
Leading scorer: John Walker III, 9.9 ppg
No. 16 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Record: (23-11, 7-7 Southland champion)
Coach: Steve Lutz
Leading scorer: Isaac Mushila, 13.4 ppg
Follow colleges reporter Eddie Timanus on Twitter @EddieTimanus
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness 2022: Kansas tops Midwest Region primed for upsets
