March Madness brings a loaded Midwest regional filled with multiple Final Four contenders. Houston basketball stands as the top seed. But the Cougars drew a bracket that features teams known for making national title runs. Heavyweights like Gonzaga, UCLA, Tennessee, Clemson, Purdue and Kentucky help comprise this field.
Can’t forget about the potential Cinderella teams either. Wofford looks like a threat to end Tennessee’s season early even as a No. 15 seed. Troy University will attempt to earn a signature victory over an iconic brand like Kentucky. High Point is heading to Providence aiming to topple last year’s national title game runner-up Purdue.
This region also brings two NBA ready prospects ahead of Thursday. But the Midwest doesn’t just bring its concoction of perennial powers and aspiring underdog stories. This regional brings forth multiple stirring questions.
Is this the year Houston and head coach Kelvin Sampson finally celebrate a Final Four berth together? Can Tennessee and Rick Barnes redeem themselves from failing to reach last year’s big dance? Does Gonzaga have one more national title run left inside them under Mark Few? And can Purdue prove it can make a run without All-American Zach Edey?
All these questions and scenarios fill the intrigue for the Midwest. But it’s time to sort through the dream Sweet 16 and Elite 8 matchup before the Midwest goes to Indianapolis.
Sweet 16 dream Midwest region scenario: Houston vs. Clemson, Tennessee vs. Kentucky
Fans likely will draw into the potential UH and Clemson contest. There’s a strong feeling the winner here will become the heavy favorite to cut the nets down after the Elite Eight.
Sampson gets a rare battle with Clemson’s winningest basketball coach in Brad Brownell. But it’ll be entertaining to watch Brownell’s pressing and switching defense try to slow down the nation’s second-highest scoring team.
A Tennessee/Kentucky matchup likely will get fans outside of the eastern time zone to groan. As it means one more Southeastern Conference showdown between the two. But Barnes and company likely want the Wildcats anyway — having lost both regular season contests against their SEC rival.
Both SEC representatives still get a tough road ahead of the Sweet 16, though. Even if UT avoids the upset against Wofford, UCLA and a well-coached Utah State team awaits. Kentucky must prove its healthy enough to surpass Troy, then deal with one of these three strong options in power conference reps Texas, Xavier and Illinois. But a Tennessee/Kentucky battle will please SEC fans and commissioner Greg Sankey.
Elite 8 Midwest regional dream: Houston vs. Tennessee
The two favorites in the Midwest go at it here. And brings contrasting styles featuring legendary coaches.
Sampson brings his 1-4 high set system against a longtime defensive mind in Barnes. The latter head coach turns to a suffocating defense that features switching on ball screens and hovering over multiple positions effectively.
Tennessee must avoid a scoring drought against Houston to make plans for San Antonio. The Volunteers became notorious for going scoreless for lengthy periods during the season. But Barnes’ high-energy defense helped bail out the Vols.
This matchup also presents the ultimate chess game between two longtime head coaches with more than 790 career wins. Sampson versus Barnes would’ve been a hot Final Four coaching battle a decade ago. The Midwest regional can get this dream matchup now.
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