Bracket Bits: Midwest Region

The Midwest Region features arguably the nation’s hottest team, Illinois, NET-rated darlings Houston and Loyola-Chicago, and an Oklahoma State team with this year’s potential top pick in the NBA Draft, Cade Cunningham.  Then there’s San Diego State, which arrives with its own 14-game winning streak.  Story lines come in bunches.

Favorite: Illinois
Next in Line: Houston
Darkhorse: Rutgers
The Scarlet Knights are battle tested and have a reasonable pathway to the Sweet 16 as it relates to matchups.  They open with Clemson, which can struggle to score at times, and Houston also prefers a physical type of basketball.  Whether or not Rutgers can knock down enough shots remains to be seen, but they can force turnovers, and if they do, it makes their offense come alive.

Bracket Bits: South Region

The South Region might be the deepest 16-team grouping when it comes to potential Final Four teams.  Let’s start with Baylor.  The Bears haven’t quite found their mojo since a lengthy Covid pause, but a couple of losses down the stretch might be extra motivation.  Ohio State held its place as a projected top seed for a couple of weeks, and both Purdue and Arkansas create matchup problems.

Favorite: Baylor
Next in Line: Ohio State
Darkhorse: Texas Tech
The Red Raiders lost two overtime games to Oklahoma State and one-point games to West Virginia and Kansas.  In other words, this is a team which could easily have been a 3-4 seed with a few breaks.  Perhaps those breaks materialize here in March.  On a quick side note, TTU won at LSU during the Big 12-SEC Challenge, and the Tigers are fresh off a victory over Arkansas, whom Tech might play in Round 2.

Bracket Bits: East Region

The East Region includes three teams who reached the top-line of the projected bracket at one point during the season: Michigan, Texas and Alabama.  One of the biggest question marks is the health of Michigan’s Isaiah Livers.  He is a difference maker for the Wolverines.  They won’t need him for game one, but could have issues with LSU in game two if the Tigers advance.

Favorite: Michigan
Next in Line: Alabama
Darkhorse: Maryland
The enigmatic Terrapins have some impressive victories, most notably at Illinois.  Eric Ayala and Darryl Morsell are big, athletic guards that can get to the rim and create havoc for opponents.  It’s really about defense, though.  When the Terps are dialed in, they are a tough out.

Bracket Bits: West Region

Gonzaga has a chance to be the first team since Indiana (1975-76) to complete an undefeated season. The Zags are loaded, and they are arguably one of coach Mark Few’s most explosive groups.  They are well tested and have their sights set on Lucas Oil Stadium in April.  Worth noting: Both Virginia and Kansas are dealing with COVID issues, so neither may be at full strength in Games 1 or 2.

Favorite: Gonzaga
Next in Line: Iowa
Darkhorse: Oregon
The Ducks won 11 of 13 games down the stretch after two interruptions.  Beating Iowa in Round 2 is tough ask, but with an upset, Oregon could catch a break if Kansas is unable to play with its full compliment of players due to COVID protocols or is rusty from its transition back.

Selection Sunday: Bracket Bits

Welcome to Selection Sunday.  This morning’s Bracket and Seed List are posted.  Beyond that, today’s first Bracket Bit is that my Twitter feed was temporarily Locked this morning and access for posting hasn’t yet returned.  Apparently, including a note about a list of bubble teams upset an algorithm.  Oh well, we’re moving on.  I will miss the interactions, as that is one of the best parts of this little adventure.

What’s in play on Sunday:

• Cincinnati can “steal” one more at-large bid with a victory over Houston in the American championship.  Part of the afternoon will be spent preparing an alternate bracket should such a scenario occur.
• As usual, Saturday’s developments affected a handful of teams.  This year’s group most likely includes Drake, Utah State, Colorado State, Boise State, Wichita State, Saint Louis and Ole Miss.  Entering Saturday, the bracket offered hospitality to four of them; this morning it was down to two.  It could yet be one.  Could that group include Louisville, Syracuse or UCLA?  Sure.  Historical precedent tends to favor power-conference teams, however, fair or unfair.
• Final update will be posted later this afternoon.