Midwest Region Preview (Rds. 1+2)

Most Intriguing Matchup
 #7 Oklahoma State vs. #10 Georgia Tech
-I don't see a lot of intriguing first round matchups in this region, there's a plethora of second round ones, but I think the is the most interesting first round matchup. Oklahoma State will go as far as James Anderson will take them. He is a game changer, and can win a game singlehandedly. They will be going up against a hot Georgia Tech team coming off of a trip to the ACC Tourney Championship. Tech has been very inconsistent throughout the year, but appear to be peaking at the right time. I like Oklahoma State here with Anderson carrying them on his back, but don't be surprised to see Tech spring yet another upset.

Upset Alerts
 #7 Oklahoma State vs. #10 Georgia Tech
-(See above)
  
 #6 Tennessee vs. #11 San Diego State
-Here's a other team like Georgia Tech that is peaking at the right time. SDSU had trouble beating some of the Mountain West powers like BYU, New Mexico, and UNLV during the season, especially on the road, but they came into the Mountain West Tournament and took out two of those teams on their way to the title. Tennessee, while being one of only 2 teams to take down Kansas this year, did not look good at all in their last game against Kentucky. I still like Tennessee in this game, but if they don't come ready to play, they won't be leaving the first round.

They Got A What Seed!?
 #1 Kansas
-Kansas is the #1 overall seed in this tournament. Wait. They are? Are you sure? How on earth can the #1 overall seed be stuck in a bracket with teams and the All-American talent that will be playing here!? Ohio State and Evan Turner. Georgetown and Greg Monroe. Maryland and Greivis Vasquez. Michigan State and Kalin Lucas. This bracket is absolutely loaded with top-tier programs and top-tier talent. If Kansas is going to make the Final Four, they're damn well gonna deserve it.

 #9 Northern Iowa
-This is a team that is 28-4 and won the Missouri Valley Conference regular season and tournament crowns. I think they are vastly underseeded as a #9, and before the brackets came out, I had them pegged as the mid-major that was capable of making a Davidson-like run to Elite 8. It's unfortunate for them to have drawn a #9 that with a win over UNLV, will set up a date with the #1 overall Kansas Jayhawks. But Kansas beware, this a team that plays a slow-down kind of offense that can give teams lots of trouble. They play lock down defense, and value every possession. This is a very dangerous team.

Biggest Threat To The #1 Seed
 #3 Georgetown
-There are a lot of threats in this bracket to the #1 seed Kansas, but I think Georgetown could pose the most problems for the Jayhawks. They key player here is Greg Monroe. This is a big that can not only score, but he can dish it out and rebound as well as any other big man in the country. Georgetown showed what they were capable of in the Big East Conference Tournament when it took a last second shot from West Virginia to put them away. Yes they've had their struggles in losses to Rutgers and Old Dominion (who is actually a scary team that we'll get to later on), but they've pulled it together at just the right time and John Thompson III will have them ready and poised to make a deep tournament run.

Potential Cinderella
 #10 Georgia Tech
-In a bracket chock full of Goliaths it was hard to try and find a potential Cinderella in this group. My automatic pick would have been Northern Iowa in almost any situation except this one as a potential second round matchup against Kansas doesn't look favorable for them. That said, Georgia Tech is hot. They made it all the way to the ACC Tournament Championship and have a great coach at the helm in Paul Hewitt. Oklahoma State will be a tough out, but this team is more than capable. This would set up a potential second round bout with Ohio State, where if Tech plays like they did in Greensboro, they can knock off as well. I don't expect many upsets in this region, but keep an eye on the Yellow Jackets.

Most Intriguing Potential 2nd Round Matchups
 #1 Kansas vs. #9 Northern Iowa
-This might be the potential second round matchup that I am looking forward to the most. As you have seen, I am very high on the Panthers and they play a kind of slow it down offense that is ripe for upset possibilities. If this game happens, make sure that you're around to see it because there is the chance for a huge NCAA Tournament moment in this game.

 #5 Michigan State vs. #4 Maryland
-Kalin Lucas vs. Greivis Vasquez. Tom Izzo vs. Gary Williams. This is a great potential battle between two basketball powers and big time coaches. Izzo always has his teams ready to make runs come NCAA Tournament time. Think about this, Michigan State has been to 5 Final Fours in the last 11 years. That is absolutely incredible. They are down this year from where they usually are, but there is no better coach around this time of the year than Tom Izzo. Is Maryland for real? Maybe. But Greivis Vasquez is, no doubt about it. Great second round matchup here. 

Overall Thoughts:
-This is the bracket of death, so to speak. It's absolutely loaded with quality teams and quality talent. How Kansas got this as a reward for being the #1 overall seed is mind boggling. Whoever comes out of this region will be well tested and very deserving of their spot in Indianpolis.

Who's going to Indianapolis? 
 #1 Kansas
-This team is a machine. They've turned back Kansas State on 3 separate occasions which is incredible in itself. They suffered only one loss in a very good conference all year long. Bill Self should now be mentioned among the coaching elite. This team is loaded and on a mission, and with talent like Sherron Collins and Xavier Henry, I'm not sure there is anyone out there that can stop them on their march to Indy.