Midwest and West preview

Midwest:

It's hard to argue that Kansas is not the best team in the country. They are solid in all aspects of the game. The first two rounds should be a breeze before they likely face Michigan St. or Maryland. While both of those teams are potentially dangerous, Kansas would still be a comfortable favorite. So, Kansas has to be the strong favorite to come out of the top half of the draw. The bottom half is a little more interesting with Georgetown and Ohio St. potentially facing off in a huge Sweet 16 matchup. Georgetown should get by Ohio and the winner of the Tennessee/San Diego St game, a toss up in my opinion, and Ohio St. is just as likely to show up in the sweet 16 after beating UCSB and either Oklahoma St. or Georgia Tech. If the two should meet I'd have to give the edge to Georgetown as they looked to be coming into form down the stretch. Ohio St. may have won the Big 10 championship, but they didn't face any of the top teams and needed a miracle to beat a weak Michigan team. Either way, while both are solid teams that I respect and might pick to come out of the South had they been placed there, Kansas is going to be a tough out. The odds favor the Jayhawks. Here is how the DeHavenator round by round odds turned out for the chances of the following teams to get to the Final 4:

Kansas 50%
Georgetown 22%
Ohio St. 18%
Michigan St. 3%
Maryland 3%
Rest of Field 4%



West:

Syracuse is the lowest 1 seed and has a potential injury concern with their big man, Onuaku. This is a bracket where people like to get creative and tend to not give Syracuse much credit. I still think Syracuse has a good shot to get to the Final 4. Onuaku will take this week off most likely, but could come back for the following week against the more difficult teams. Could the winner of the Florida St./Gonzaga game give the Orange problems? Yes, but I expect Syracuse will emerge into the sweet 16. There they would face Vanderbilt, Butler (another team people seem to be picking against), UTEP, or Murray St. You would still have to give the edge to Syracuse against any of those teams. In the bottom half of the bracket, Kansas St. has been receiving big praises and has been a common choice to make the Final 4. Certainly they are a strong favorite in the 1st round and the 2nd round where they will meet either BYU or Florida. From there it would be either Pitt, a bit overrated in my estimation, Xavier, or Minnesota. All of these seem a bit overmatched against the Wildcats. So the odds would favor a Syracuse/Kansas St. final in the West. Who has the edge there? I still have to give a slight edge to the Orange. The zone can give people fits that haven't seen it and I'll trust that Onuaku will be healthy by that time. By giving the Orange the slight edge there combined with a little easier road to the Elite 8, I would still put Syracuse as the favorite. Here are the odds of the teams to make the Final 4:

Syracuse 43%
Kansas St. 30%
Pittsburgh 9%
Butler 5%
Vanderbilt 5%
Xavier 3%
Rest of Field 5%

If you compare the two brackets, the main thing to notice is that the West has two strong teams while the Midwest has three. Pitt doesn't seem to be much of a threat to me. This is what enables Kansas St. to have such a good chance in comparison to Georgetown or Ohio St. Not only would the Wildcats face Syracuse instead of Kansas in the Elite 8, but the opponent they would have to beat to get there is easier on paper. As many have said, the Midwest is a tough bracket.