2010 NCAA Tournament Predictions: Midwest Region
The 2010 NCAA Tournament champion very well could come out of the Midwest region when you consider that this region houses No. 1 overall seed Kansas, last year’s runner-up Michigan State, Big Ten champion Ohio State and a hot Georgetown squad. Without any further ado, here’s my bracket picks by round for the Midwest (note: these are initial leans so make sure you check out my NCAA basketball picks for actual plays on the games).
Round One: No. 1 seed Kansas is the most balanced team in the country with a lot of experience as well. The Jayhawks will take care or No. 16 seed LeHigh. Kansas is currently listed as a 26-point favorite in the matchup. The No. 8 versus No. 9 game should be a really good one between UNLV and Northern Iowa. Northern Iowa can really defend, and I look for that to be the difference here. Michigan State, perhaps, wasn’t as dominant in the Big Ten as some expected them to be. But the Spartans still grabbed a share of the regular season title despite Kalin Lucas missing time with an injury. No. 5 seed Michigan State will move on over No. 12 seed New Mexico State. No. 4 seed Maryland, led by exciting guard Greivis Vasquez will advance over No. 13 seed Houston. No. 11 seed San Diego State is a team that could give No. 6 seed Tennessee problems, but look for the Vols to come ready to play after getting embarrassed by Kentucky in the SEC Tournament. No. 3 seed Georgetown is a team that enters the Big Dance playing some exceptional ball. Greg Monroe and company will take care of No. 14 Ohio. I also like No. 7 Oklahoma State to take care of No. 10 Georgia Tech. No. 2 Ohio State, led by star guard Evan Turner, will advance over No. 15 seed UCSB.
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Round Two: Kansas should continue its domination in the round of 32 against a Northern Iowa squad that just doesn’t have near the same talent level. Maryland really impressed this season, especially with its win over Duke, but it’s hard to bet against Tom Izzo teams this time of year. They just find a way to win. We’ll take Michigan State into the Sweet 16. I believe Georgetown will continue what it started in the Big East Tourney, picking up a win over a Tennessee team that isn’t consistent enough offensively. Oklahoma State could absolutely knock out the Buckeyes, but I really like what I saw from Ohio State in the Big Ten Tourney, winning a pair of close games over Michigan and Illinois before dominating Minnesota. Look for those close wins to help the Buckeyes in the Big Dance as they move on to the round of 16.
Sweet 16: This is where things really start to get interesting with a showdown between Kansas and Michigan State. These two teams faced off in last year’s NCAA Tourney with Michigan State coming out on top. Look for Kansas to return the favor this time around. I really believe Georgetown’s performance in the Big East Tourney helped the Hoyas regain their confidence, and the fact that they lost the title game has left them wanting more. Ohio State will have no answer for Greg Monroe, who is starting to assert himself more offensively, in this one.
Elite 8: I have things playing out to set up a great showdown between Georgetown and Kansas with a Final Four berth on the line. Look for Kansas to prevail here with the experience and leadership of Sherron Collins serving as the difference maker. I’m also going to ride Kansas to the national championship game where I have the Jayhawks defeating West Virginia.
No handicapper has proven to be better at beating the college basketball odds this time of year. Last year, Jimmy was a World’s Best 51-24 (68%) with his NCAAB releases from March 1 through the NCAA Championship Game, including an Unmatched 19-7 (73%) showing in the Big Dance! Those who did their NCAA basketball betting with him in this year’s conference tournaments went 13-2 with a 10-1 finish. Make sure Jimmy’s on your side this March!
