
Midwest Region and West Region Second Round bracket predictions
1 Houston vs. 9 Auburn
The unknown component of Marcus Sasserās health makes this tough, but this again comes down to the matchup. Behind Jamal Shead and the rest of Houstonās roster even outside of Sasser, the Cougarsā identity is predicated upon their elite defense. Auburn has struggled mightily with offensive consistency this season, particularly over the final two months. Thatās not a recipe for success against Houston.
Pick: Houston advances
5 Miami vs. 4 Indiana
Both Miami and Indiana are susceptible to getting knocked off against teams with elite size, but neither team has that here. For me, though, I trust in Trayce Jackson-Davis and Jalen Hood-Schifino more than the Hurricanesā stars. This could sneakily be one of the best games of the tournament, but the Hoosiers will keep dancing.
Pick: Indiana advances
11 Pitt vs. 3 Xavier
Even with Pitt rounding into form like I think they can and will, they donāt have the offensive potency to hang with what Xavier is capable of. The Musketeers are a Top 10 offense in terms of efficiency and the Panthers are outside of the Top 125 in defensive efficiency. In the simplest way to say it, I donāt see how Pitt is able to come up with enough stops to prevent their exit.
Pick: Xavier advances
7 Texas A&M vs. 15 Colgate
The reason I have Colgate upsetting Texas in the First Round is their potency from 3-point land. Unfortunately, I donāt see the Raiders having the same success against another team from the Lone Star State. A&M has tremendous length and matchup ability defensively and theyāll limit the good looks Colgate gets, thus helping propel the Aggies to Sweet 16.
Pick: Texas A&M advances
1 Kansas vs. 8 Arkansas
Arkansas has a good chance to frustrate an elite Kansas offense in this game because, well, thatās what the Hogs do. Having said that, the Razorbacks lack of offensive prowess, at least on a reliable basis, is worrisome against a Jayhawks team that has so many options between Jalen Wilson, Gradey Dick and so on. I donāt think Eric Musselmanās team has the personnel to withstand 40 minutes against KU.
Pick: Kansas advances
5 Saint Maryās vs. 4 UConn
Frankly, this is another must-see matchup for the Second Round if we get it. Saint Maryās and UConn are both well-coached, balanced, and dangerous at multiple levels and ends of the floor. Really, picking this matchup for me comes down to the Huskies just being better offensively and having a trump card inside with Adama Sanogo. That will be the difference in a phenomenal game.
Pick: UConn advances
6 TCU vs. 3 Gonzaga
We could very well see a blowout in this matchup. TCUās lack of outside shooting is going to be a problem and Mike Miles isnāt the type of player who causes Drew Timme problems when the latter is matching up defensively. Gonzaga is the better team and the 40 minutes of this contest will prove that emphatically.
Pick: Gonzaga advances
10 Boise State vs. 2 UCLA
Despite the fact that Boise State has such a versatile offensive approach, they havenāt seen a defense at the level of UCLA, which has been the most efficient in the country according to KenPom this season. The Bruins are still without Jaylen Clark but they have more than enough to punch their Sweet 16 ticket.
Pick: UCLA advances
First Four | South First Round | East First Round | Midwest First Round | West First Round | South and East Second Round | Elite Eight | Final Four and National Championship