The college basketball season is one long prelude to One Shining Moment and the magic of March Madness. Before a single game has been played in the NCAA tournament, where do the four regions stand in terms of comparative strength? Remember, not all four regions are made to be equal. After all, one region has three teams who were originally in the top six of the sports betting odds to win it all (Kentucky, UCLA and North Carolina), so obviously that’s going to be a bit more challenging than the others. So who has the easiest path to the Final Four and who is going to have a much more challenging time making their way through the NCAA Tournament? Here is our ranking of the regions from the toughest to the easiest.
Most Challenging Region: Midwest
This is the most loaded region. First of all, it’s the region with a lower seed – No. 7 Michigan – which has a chance to go to the Final Four. Few other regions can say the same. Michigan is on a big-time roll at the moment with Derrick Walton. It should be a load for Louisville to handle in the second round. Louisville is an excellent second seed, Kansas is a worthy and deserving number one seed. Oregon has an injured center, Chris Boucher, but even without him, the Ducks very nearly beat Arizona in the Pac-12 Tournament championship game. Iowa State is the number five seed, and it beat the top seed in this region (Kansas) on the road. No other regions can go one through seven and offer the quality of the Midwest.
South Region
This is the region with top teams who played each other. Kentucky played both UCLA and North Carolina during the regular season, which means that rematches will be even more ferocious. Opponents won’t need to go through a feeling-out process; they will have already done the scouting reports and can simply attack. Beyond the top three seeds, fourth-seeded Butler is a legitimate Final Four contender. Not convinced about that point? Butler swept defending national champion and Big East champion Villanova. That’s all one needs to say about the Bulldogs, who are for real. Further down the bracket in the South, Wichita State easily could have been seeded sixth, but the selection committee chose to seed the Shockers at 10. The number six seed, Cincinnati, is 29-5. Not bad for a region.
West Region
This is a weaker region because Arizona has a very smooth and open path to the Elite Eight. Gonzaga might be challenged in the Sweet 16 by either Notre Dame or West Virginia, but the Zags won’t be threatened in round two by Northwestern or Vanderbilt. When people talk about Gonzaga being a disappointment in the NCAA Tournament, it’s that they haven’t gone much further than the Sweet 16 or Elite Eight. However, they’re usually good for making it to the Sweet 16 – especially this year’s team. That depth among the sixth through tenth seeds which exists in the Midwest and South is not there in the West. It would be surprising if the Sweet 16 has any team seeded lower than five (which is where Notre Dame is in the bracket). Look for Arizona and Gonzaga to be the last two teams standing.
Easiest Region: East Region
This is another region in which the top two seeds have few challenges before the final. It’s true that Wisconsin might bother Villanova in round two, but the Badgers have rarely if ever looked like a top-flight team this season. Villanova is much quicker than Wisconsin and can shut down the Badgers’ offense even if the Wildcats themselves aren’t making many shots. Virginia plummeted in the second half of the regular season, making the Cavaliers a lot less threatening than their number five seed suggests. Duke gets a weak third seed (Baylor) in its bracket and should coast to the Elite Eight. Of the four brackets, this is the one most likely to produce a one versus two regional final. Therefore, it is the weakest bracket.
Click here to bet on the NCAA Tournament futures for the 2017 college basketball season right now. DSI has all of the latest lines, spreads and props for this week’s madness!
