By Tristan Sasse
March Madness is finally upon us, and for one of the few times in recent memory, there is no clear favorite to cut down the nets in April. Perennial powerhouses Kansas, North Carolina, Kentucky, Duke, and UCLA are high seeds as usual and expected to make some noise, but making it to Phoenix for the Final Four will be a daunting task.
To begin, the South Region may be the most ominous of them all. Featured teams include: North Carolina, Kentucky, UCLA, Butler, and a Wichita State squad that has been slept on by many this year. Wichita State is currently 30-4, with two of their losses coming in late November. They also haven’t lost in nearly two months.
Additionally, the East Region features some household names. Reigning national champion and #1 overall seed, Villanova; ACC tournament champion, Duke; and Big XII regular season runner-up, Baylor, all reside here. Baylor has struggled in the tournament in recent years, while Duke has been able to bring two championships back to Durham since 2010.
Next up is the West Region, led by the Gonzaga Bulldogs. The Bulldogs come into the Big Dance with the best overall record (32-1). Gonzaga always receives flak for their “easy, mid-major conference”. On the bright side, the Bulldogs haven’t lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament since 2008, when they faced the Cinderella story of Stephen Curry and the Davidson Wildcats. Some other notables in the region include: Pac-12 champion, Arizona; ACC regular season runner-ups, Notre Dame and Florida State; and Big XII foe, West Virginia.
Finally, the Midwest Region contains many basketball blue bloods, including #1 seed Kansas, who just set an NCAA record by making their 28th straight tournament appearance, #2 seed Louisville, and the #9 seeded Michigan State Spartans. The region also consists of the #3 seeded Oregon Ducks; Big Ten regular season champion, Purdue; Big Ten postseason champion, Michigan; and Big XII postseason champion, Iowa State. Making it to Phoenix out of this region will be anything but painless.
Overall, the tournament is set. We are only days away from dreams becoming a reality, and hearts being shattered. Action kicks off this week with play-in games on March 14 and 15 in Dayton, Ohio. The round of 64 and the road to Phoenix begins Thursday, March 16.