2016 NCAA Tournament Preview: Midwest Region
- Mar 15, 2016
- 2 min read
Mike Mulholland | MLive.com
The 2016 NCAA Tournament is now underway with play-in game action. With that said, let's take a closer look at the field this year. We'll break down each region, starting with the Midwest Region. This region should be pretty tough with Virginia and Michigan State at the top. Here's what to watch for once things get going on Thursday.
Players to Watch:
G Malcolm Brogdon, Virginia - The senior guard took home ACC honors for both Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. He impacts just about every aspect of the game.
F Denzel Valentine, Michigan State - Valentine has been one of the frontrunners for Player of the Year all season long. He's a triple-double threat every night out and his leadership cannot be measured.
C Jakob Poeltl, Utah - Poeltl is one of, if not, the best true big man in all of college basketball. He is shaping up to be a lottery pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.
F Georges Niang, Iowa State - Niang is so versatile, yet always seems to get overlooked. He can beat you inside and out, making him a matchup nightmare for opposing defenders.
G Isaiah Whitehead, Seton Hall - Whitehead's not a name many have heard of, but he can definitely score with the best of them. Most importantly, he's tough.
Best First Round Matchup: No.6 Seton Hall vs. No. 11 Gonzaga
The aforementioned Whitehead leads the Seton Hall Pirates, who finished 25-8 on the season. Gonzaga has had a down season, to their standards, but still ended up with a 26-7 record. While the Pirates have strong backcourt play, the Zags' strength is in their frontcourt, which is headed by Kyle Wiltjer and Domantas Sabonis. This could be one of the better first round matchups in the entire tournament.
Potential Upset: No. 12 Arkansas-Little Rock over No. 5 Purdue
If Purdue plays at their best, they are an extremely tough team to beat and will most likely come out victorious. However, there's this thing called March and it plays no favorites. This Arkansas-Little Rock squad is no slouch, finishing with a 29-4 record. Purdue is clearly the better team, particularly because of their size advantage, but the Trojans could keep it close.
Regional Final: No. 2 Michigan State over No. 1 Virginia
This is the matchup that most people want to see in the Elite Eight. Virginia has yet to find the answer to getting past the Spartans in the NCAA Tournament, having been ousted by them the past two seasons. The Cavaliers will be looking to exact revenge, but the Spartans will also be playing with the a chip on their shoulder after being slighted as the No. 2 seed. This will be another good battle between these two talented teams, but Michigan State ultimately will come out with the win and advance to the Final Four.
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