NCAA Bracket 2018: Midwest region
By Jake Ellis
The Midwest Region is without a doubt the deepest and toughest region in the entire tournament, and here is how it is projected to play out.
The Midwest region is led by the Kansas Jayhawks, but that is just the start. The No. 2 and No. 3 seeds are Final Four staples in the Duke Blue Devils and the Michigan State Spartans, both led by Hall of Fame coaches in Mike Krzyzewski and Tom Izzo. Both teams are ready to make sure that the Jayhawks will not be cutting down the nets this year.
One of the shockers of Selection Sunday was not only including the Oklahoma Sooners in the tournament, but to have them as a No. 10 seed. Sure this was a team that started of the season hot, but no team that goes 2-8 to finish the season belongs in the place that they are.
An underdog to watch out for in this region are the New Mexico State Aggies. The Aggies have a coach, Christopher Jans, that is no stranger to being the underdog. He was a longtime assistant under Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall. The Aggies have a very tough defensive team this year, as they rank 16th in defensive efficiency, and have the best mid-major defense in the entire country. Not only are they a great defensive team, but they have also beaten some of the big boys in Miami and Illinois, and nearly beat the USC Trojans this year as well.
This Midwest region could go all sorts of ways, but in the NCAA Tournament, the Kansas Jayhawks and Duke Blue Devils have not been the most trustworthy teams lately. It seems as if every year that both of those are low seeds, but rarely do they ever go all the way.
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The Michigan State Spartans this year boast one of the best starting fives in the entire country. Their starting guard Miles Bridges is their unquestioned go-to guy, and everything on the offensive side of the ball goes through him. But this team is not the one-man show it may seem to be, as Nick Ward and Jaren Jackson Jr. has dominated the paint throughout the entire season. Michigan State have been a let down in March the past few years, but
the Spartans to have a roster that is built to help them once again make a deep run in March all the way to the Final Four.