March Madness: Midwest Region Preview...

Kansas did what it was supposed to do. It started and finished the regular season as the best team in the country. The selection committee apparently thought so highly of this accomplishment that they gave Kansas the most-stacked region, with Kansas needing to potentially beat teams such as Ohio State, Georgetown, Maryland, or Michigan State. Ohio State was the Big 10 Champ and would have assuredly been a top seed if Evan Turner hadn't missed a stretch of games earlier in the season, while Georgetown happened to be five seconds away from winning the ridiculously intense Big East Championship. I haven't even gotten into the fact that the two teams that Kansas lost to this year (Tennessee and Oklahoma St.) are also in this region. That is just a cruel punishment that should never be bestowed upon the #1 team, no matter who it is.

Other observations on this region:
-Not sure what to expect in the 6-11 game. Tennessee is more unpredictable than Brett Favre's retirement plans, having beaten two of the #1 seeds while also losing to teams like Georgia. They also just got hammered by Kentucky. San Diego St., on the other hand, is on a roll after getting through a pretty strong gauntlet of Mountain West Conference teams to win the conference tourney. So why do I feel like Tennessee is going to win big?
-Keep an eye on Houston. They feature one of the nations more explosive players in guard Aubrey Coleman, and they're on a roll after coming out of nowhere to win the C-USA tournament.

In the end, it's just too hard to pick against Kansas. They have everything you're looking for in a team, with experience, talent, and a big-time performer in PG Sherron Collins.




Plus, their half of the bracket is a little more manageable than Ohio St.'s or Georgetown's, which would have to play each other first. Also, the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 are right in St. Louis, and that's pretty much a home game for the Jayhawks. Finally, I can't pick Ohio St. to get to the Final Four. It's like going against my blood.