[Regional Breakdowns: East | South | Midwest | West]
Now that the 2024 Men's NCAA Tournament spots are official, we break down each team in the bracket heading into March Madness. Here's what you need to know about the Midwest region.
1. Purdue (+600 to win national title)
Purdue University hopes to do the same thing as the University of Virginia in 2019. A year after becoming the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the Cavaliers won it all. Last year, Purdue lost to Fairleigh Dickinson, becoming the second seed to lose to a No. 16 seed.
Star center Zach Eady averaged 24 points per game this season and was once again a player of the year candidate. He also averages nearly 12 rebounds per game. Sophomore guard Braden Smith escaped serious injury after falling clutching his right knee during a Big Ten tournament game. He has over 7 assists per game. Purdue is shooting over 40% from behind the 3-point line and has some dominant big men. That's the secret to March's success. Let's see if it works.
2. Tennessee (+1500)
Dalton Knecht has emerged as a star player this season after transferring from Northern Colorado. Knecht averaged 20 points per game in the Big Sky a season ago and currently has 21 points per game. Knecht is the only player on the Vols who averages more than 10 shots per game, and he quickly became UT's go-to player at the start of the season.
This is Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes' ninth season, and while the Voluntese have racked up regular-season wins during his tenure, they are still looking to advance in the tournament. The University of Tennessee has not been selected to the Elite Eight since the 2010 season, when Bruce Pearl was the team's coach. UT lost in the first weekend of the tournament each of the past two seasons, but advanced to the Sweet 16 a season ago.
3. Creighton (+3000)
The Blue Jays boast three reliable scorers with one of the best offenses in the country.
Baylor Scheierman leads the team with 18.4 points per game, Trey Alexander is averaging 17.6 points per game and center Ryan Kalkbrenner is averaging 17 points per game.
Overall, Creighton is shooting over 60% from inside the arc and nearly 49% from the field as a team. The Blue Jays' hidden weapon may be their ability to not commit fouls. Creighton ranks first in the nation with 362 fouls committed over the season.
4. Kansas (+4000)
Yes, the Jayhawks are 40-1 and looking to win the NCAA Tournament. There's a good reason for that. This is a Kansas team that hasn't looked like it could make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament for some time now.
It all depends on the health of Jayhawks Hunter Dickinson and Kevin McCuller. Both missed the Big 12 Tournament as Dickinson injured his shoulder in the regular season finale against Houston and McCuller is dealing with a knee injury. This game was a crushing loss to Cincinnati. If his two stars at KU are healthy and effective, Kansas State could make some noise in this area. Dickinson has known Eady since his days at the University of Michigan.
5. Gonzaga (+6000)
The Bulldogs were 11-5 after losing to Santa Clara on January 11th. Since then, they have finished the season with a 14-2 record, earning them a guaranteed seed into the NCAA Tournament.
Gonzaga averages nearly 85 points per game and is led by Graham Icke and Anton Watson. Ike shot over 60 percent from the field and Watson made nearly 58 percent of his shots. The Zags aren't his best 3-point shooter, but he makes up for it by getting closer to the basket.
6. South Carolina (+10000)
The Gumcocks took a big leap forward in 2022-23, head coach Lamont Paris' second season at Columbia. South Carolina, which was 11-21 a season ago, finished fifth in the SEC this season and improved in every metric.
South Carolina is led by Meechie Johnson and BJ Mack and is a team that likes to play slow. In KenPom's adjusted tempo rankings, Shamcox ranks 354th out of 362 on his rankings. KenPom also believes South Carolina has been lucky this season. Only Tarleton State has a higher Luck rating, a metric that measures the deviation between a team's actual winning percentage and expected winning record.
7. Texas (+10000)
Speaking of luck, the Longhorns were lucky to earn the No. 7 seed on Sunday. Texas underperformed for much of the season, finishing eighth in the Big 12 with a 9-9 conference record.
If you're a casual college basketball fan who only pays attention during March Madness, you'll recognize some familiar faces from the Longhorns. Former Oral Roberts star Max Abmas is currently at Texas. He is the team's leading scorer with 17 points per game.
8. Utah (+12500)
The Aggies are led by forward Great Osobor. The junior from England averages 18 points and 9.2 rebounds per game, leading Utah State in both categories. He is one of the best shooters on his team in college basketball, even though the Aggies are bad at his 3-point shot. Utah State is shooting just 33% from deep, but with Osobor being the focal point of the offense, he only makes 19 threes per game.
9.TCU (+15000)
The Horned Frogs have won the first game of the tournament in each of the past two seasons and have won at least 20 games in six of Jamie Dixon's eight seasons in Fort Worth.
Senior forward Emmanuel Miller averages 16 points and six rebounds per game, leading the team. And if you want to feel really old, the team also has senior guard Jamia Nelson Jr. That's right, he's the son of former Saint Joseph's and NBA guard Jamia Nelson.
10. Virginia (+25000)
The Cavaliers are a bit of a surprise addition to the NCAA Tournament field. Virginia finished third in the ACC this season, but was only 2-7 in four games. Fans of Big East teams like St. John's and Seton Hall could argue that their teams had better resumes than the Cavaliers.
If Tuesday night's play-in game against Colorado State is your first time watching Virginia all season, this team will look a lot like previous Virginia teams. The Cavaliers are still playing very slowly and realistically.
10. Colorado (+25000)
The Rams were one of six Mountain West teams participating in the tournament, sneaking in when the bubble was squeezed during conference championship week. If you like experienced teams in March, Colorado State's roster should pique your interest. All five of the Rams' leading scorers are seniors. Isaiah Stevens is averaging over 16 points per game and Joel Scott is shooting 63% from inside.
11. Oregon (+25000)
The Ducks defeated Colorado on Saturday night to win the Pac-12 title and become one of the final bidders heading into conference championship week. They are also the region's highest-seeded conference tournament champions. The 11 teams seeded before that are all at-large bids.
Senior center Nfari Dante is shooting an impressive 70 percent from the field and leads the team with 16 points and nine rebounds per game.
12. McNeese State (+50000)
Will Wade is back in the NCAA Tournament. The former LSU head coach who was fired as part of the FBI's investigation into college basketball is now the head coach at McNeese State University. The Cowboys defeated VCU, UAB and Michigan this season, losing only one game to a Southland opponent all season. Guard Shahada Wells is averaging 18 points per game and shooting 40% from behind the basket. The matchup against Gonzaga University may be a showcase for the offense.
13. Samford (+100000)
Sanford is playing in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2000 and is expected to be the March favorite if it can defeat Kansas. The Bulldogs shot over 39 percent from behind the 3-point line and had 10 steals per game. Only four teams average more than Sanford's 86 points per game.
14. Akron (+100000)
Akron won the MAC Tournament in spectacular fashion after Kent State took the lead in the final minute of the game, after a player accidentally fouled, giving the Zips the game-winning free throw. Enrique Freeman is a double-double machine who averages 18.6 points and 12.9 rebounds per game. He will get a tough test against Creighton's Ryan Kalkbrenner.
15. St. Peter's (+200000)
The 2022 conference darling is back on the field after defeating Fairfield on Saturday to win the MAAC title. The Peacocks won their three MAAC tournament games by a combined nine points.
This year's team is much different than the one that captured the nation's hearts two seasons ago. Sophomore Corey of Washington is the team's top scorer and rebounder, scoring 16.5 points and 6.6 boards per game.
16. Montana (+200000)
This will be the Bobcats' third straight appearance, but this time they will need to win a game to advance to the first round. This is what happens when you go .500 in conference play before winning the conference tournament. Senior guard Robert Ford is averaging over 16 points and seven rebounds per game.
16. Grambling (+200000)
Welcome to the big dance, Grambling. I'm glad to meet you. It was the first time the Tigers won 20 games in consecutive seasons and qualified for the tournament for the first time. Thanks to a non-conference schedule that includes nine straight losses, Grambling has actually lost to its opponents this season. Leading scorer Dodger Quintavious is averaging 13 points in 27 minutes per game.
