Midwest Region

Illinois: The Illinois Fighting Illini (1) are the most talked about team in basketball right now. Not only are they fun to watch and have won fourteen of their last fifteen games, the Illini are led by the only player to rival Luke Garza for player of the year, and that is Ayo Dosumnu. The junior guard has turned the Illinois program around from 12-21 in 2019 to a one seed and 22-6 in 2021. His counterpart Kofi Cockburn, a monstrous seven foot, 285 pound center, has the second most double doubles in the NCAA and is nearly averaging a double double. Dosumnu was out with a facial injury late in the season, but his return has energized the team, and they are all working cohesively. Andre Curbelo will be a name to remember in coming years, as the bench freshman is a genius on the court. Illinois has the potential of a championship team, and ranks in the top ten in both offense and defense alongside having the most Quad One wins in the NCAA. As of now, I’ll be taking them as my 2021 NCAA Champions.

Loyola Chicago vs. Georgia Tech: This will be the best game of the first round, and it won’t even be close. It’s a shame they play each other in the first round because I think both teams have the ability to make a Cinderella run. The Loyola Ramblers (8) made it to the final four in 2018 as an 11 seed, and the metrics are saying this team is even better than that team. They’re hot right now, and after winning their conference tournament, it’s hard to not want this team to win. However, Georgia Tech (9) is on fire equally to Loyola, and stole an ACC championship last weekend. They struggled early, but surged in the latter part of the season as the ACC fell apart.

Oklahoma State: Cade Cunningham runs the Oklahoma State (4) team, but they proved themselves as a contender when they beat West Virginia (3) on the road without him. But this projected number one pick is not only dominant, but clutch. Oklahoma State handed Baylor (1) it’s second loss of the year, and lost a very close one to Texas (3). They were unranked for a large amount of the year, due to two uncharacteristic losses to TCU, but moved up quietly towards the end, and were probably robbed of a three seed. I’m taking the Pokes to the Sweet Sixteen, but I still think Illinois will be able to contain Cunningham.

San Diego State vs. Syracuse: San Diego State (6) has a very average resume despite only having four losses, and puts them at a BPI ranking of 18. Many people are considering taking San Diego State to the Elite Eight, but I think they are overlooking a Syracuse team that just barely sneaked into the tournament. The Orange (11) are coached by Jim Boeheim, and led by son Buddy Boeheim. This team is inconsistent despite their powerful offense, thus earning them an eleven seed. They’ll need to work their butts off, but I think there’s an outside chance the Orange will make it to the Elite Eight even. 

Houston: Perhaps one of the biggest question marks going into the tournament is the Houston Cougars (2). I think they will pass the first round pretty easily, but after that it’s a tough decision. Houston has a very low amount of quality wins, and while boasting a mere three losses, it doesn’t convince me of their level to compete with the power six teams. On the other hand, they have a BPI of 4 and Kenpom puts them at 6th with a top 25 defense and offense, attributes of the past 10 tournament winners.

Other: Tennessee (5) has an outstanding defense and should be able to beat Oregon State (12) who is red hot from stealing a bid in the Pac 12 tournament. West Virginia (3) will have a tough matchup with Morehead State (14), as the Mountaineers have lost a few games towards the end of the season. Another interesting matchup will be Rutgers (10), who have been a team riddled with bad luck, versus the Clemson Tigers (7), who are being criticized for being ranked too high. This game will be close, and I think I’ll end up taking Rutgers.

All games this year will be played in Indianapolis, and will start this Friday, the 19th. My last bit of advice for you all is taking all one seeds to the final four is never going to end well. It has only ever happened once, and statistically speaking, about two 1 seeds will make it. Alongside taking at least one twelve seed to upset a five, I would take one thirteen to upset a four as well, because 4 seeds win only 72% of the time. Finally, three seeds rarely win the tournament. Be cautious of who you choose, and the best way to earn points will be getting the late games correct, not the first two to three rounds. Have fun, win money, and watch some basketball!