Cover photo taken from Evert Nelson, The Capital-Journal.
Welcome to the Madness. The NCAA Tournament is finally back in its full glory in 2022, and if you’re not more excited than ever, you’re just lying. Last year was certainly fun, but the tournament was a shell of its usual self, with virtually no fans and a bubble in Indianapolis from start till finish. Now, March Madness is back to full strength with a plethora of different locations, and fans filling the stands all across the country. This promises to be a glorious few weeks in college basketball. To preview the tournament, I’ll be breaking down the 2022 bracket region by region. This is the preview of the Midwest: a region with seemingly more questions than anything else.
Meet the 1 Seed: 
Kansas Jayhawks
Bill Self’s Jayhawks are back with a 1 seed after finishing the season strong and winning the Big 12 Tournament title over Texas Tech. This is Kansas’ first 1 seed since 2018 (although they would have gotten one in 2020), where they were beat by the eventual champion, Villanova. This is a bit of a different Kansas team, but they are more than capable thanks to a plethora of experience. After last year’s Round of 32 exit as a 3 seed, Kansas returned several starters, the most notable of which being guard Ochai Agbaji, one of the best players in college basetball. Agbaji is an athletic freak, scoring nearly 20 PPG and dropping jaws from start to finish in every game he plays. He will have to be the star that we all know he can be if Kansas is to go on a deep run this March. Other returning key pieces include guards Christian Braun and Dajuan Harris Jr., as well as forwards Jalen Wilson and David McCormack. Kansas wasn’t the most consistent team all season long, but they are hot when it counts most, and they are ready to go to their first Final Four in 4 years. This is a remarkably experienced group that can score at will in addition to slamming the door shut on defense. It will be a tall task for anyone in this field to stop them.
Meet the Sleeper: 
#5 Iowa Hawkeyes
Honorable Mentions: #7 USC Trojans, #8 San Diego State Aztecs
One year ago, Iowa was a 2 seed led by Luka Garza, a program legend and one of the sport’s best players in recent memory. They were bounced in the Round of 32 by 7th seeded Oregon in what was Garza’s final game, and nobody thought the Hawkeyes would be able to bounce right back up. But that is exactly what head coach Fran McCaffrey has done this season in Iowa City. Iowa got red hot when the calendar flipped over to March, running the table in the Big Ten Tournament to win the title and earn a 5 seed in the dance. This team runs on experience and offensive dominance, and they have an abundance of both. It starts with forward Keegan Murray, who has become one of the best players in America. Murray, who averages 24/9/2/1/2 on 55% shooting, has been an unstoppable force as of late, and has emerged as the kind of player that can fuel a deep run for a sleeper team a la Kemba Walker for UConn in 2011. His twin brother Kris is also a key contributor, pouring in 10 PPG. Other major factors for this Hawkeyes team include guard Jordan Bohannon, in his whopping sixth season, as well as the coach’s own son, guard Patrick McCaffrey. With all the experience in the world, one of the nation’s best offenses, and a player in Keegan Murray who can captivate the nation, everyone should be keeping their eyes on Iowa all tournament long.
Upset Waiting to Happen: #13 South Dakota State over #4 Providence
Honorable Mentions: #12 Richmond over #5 Iowa, #11 Iowa State over #6 LSU
To put it plainly, Providence might be the luckiest team in college basketball. In fact, they are the luckiest team in the sport according to KenPom, and it’s not even close. The Friars are 11-2 this season in games decided by five or fewer points, and that luck doesn’t seem to thrive in March. It certainly wasn’t on display in last week’s Big East Tournament Semifinal, where Creighton absolutely ambushed them in a near-30-point blowout. This is a talented team, led by guard Jared Bynum, and an awesome story with head coach Ed Cooley, but their recent form inspires little to no confidence. They simply cut it close way too many times against inferior competition, and they’ve just happened to get by all season long. Meanwhile, the Jackrabbits are as hot as anyone in the field. South Dakota State hasn’t lost in this calendar year, winning 30 games (tied with Murray State for the second most in the country behind Arizona’s 31) and earning a 13 seed in the dance. With a scorching offense led by guard Baylor Scheierman, who can do it all, the Jackrabbits are a team that nobody wants to face. Least of all a team fledgling as much as Providence. If you are going to pick a 13 over a 4 in your bracket, look no further than this one. You can thank me later.
Best Potential Games: #2 Auburn vs. #7 USC, #1 Kansas vs. #5 Iowa
Honorable Mentions: #3 Wisconsin vs. #7 USC, #3 Wisconsin vs. #6 LSU
The Midwest features so many teams with so many questions. It makes speculating some of these matchups very difficult, because I’m honestly not sure if we’ll even get them. I am confident that both of these matchups will take place, but I would not be shocked if one of these teams is sent home packing early. In the case of Auburn-USC, anyone who enjoys offense will love watching the Tigers and Trojans do battle. These are two of the most fun offenses to watch in all of college basketball. Auburn has one of the more star-studded lineups in America, led by forwards Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler as well as guards Wendell Green Jr. and Zep Jasper. They were one of the best teams in the country all year long, but ended the season on a whimper. USC has some stars of their own, namely forwards Drew Peterson and Isaiah Mobley. They’re a team that will certainly make a deep run if they play up to their potential. This game would be a blast, and I’d honestly have to roll with the Trojans to advance to the Sweet 16. They’ve just looked better as of late, and I think they match up well enough with the Tigers to get it done.
In the case of Kansas-Iowa, what more can I say? It’s the 1 seed against my sleeper team. It would be a delight to see Iowa’s offense take on Kansas’ defense. And honestly, I think Keegan Murray can lead the Hawkeyes to victory over Bill Self’s blue blood Jayhawks.
My Pick for New Orleans: #5 Iowa
Honorable Mentions: #3 Wisconsin Badgers, #7 USC Trojans
Why not them? You get my love for this team by now, and I’m riding them the whole way. I think they have the offensive prowess and a true star in Keegan Murray that can carry them all the way to NOLA. It’ll be a tough road, starting with their first game against Richmond. But this region seems to be destined for true madness, and amidst that chaos, I like the Hawkeyes’ chances. I have Iowa over Wisconsin in an all-Big Ten Regional Final to reach an improbable Final Four.
Full Round of 64 Picks:
#1 Kansas over #16 Texas Southern: Next.
#8 San Diego State over #9 Creighton: The Bluejays fought their way all the way to the Big East title game last Saturday at MSG, but I think the Aztecs’ elite defense will carry them to victory in this one.
#5 Iowa over #12 Richmond: This is one of the more under-the-radar, super fun games of the First Round. Richmond ran the table in the A10 Tournament to get to the dance, led by super seniors and stellar shooting. Going up against an Iowa team that won the Big Ten Tournament themselves that has plenty of star power will be a tall task, however. This will be a fun watch, but I don’t see an upset here.
#13 South Dakota State over #4 Providence: The Friars were one of the better stories of the 2021-22 season, but given their recent form and nature of flying by the seat of their pants, I cannot pick them here. But it’s not just their struggles. The Jackrabbits boast 30 wins, tied for the second most in the sport, and haven’t lost since December. This team is red hot and super fun, and who’s to say that they can’t win some hearts with a huge upset here?
#6 LSU over #11 Iowa State: Good for the Cyclones to reach the tournament after last year’s nightmare season. Unfortunately, LSU is a far better team, even without a head coach.
#3 Wisconsin over #14 Colgate: For the second consecutive year, the Raiders get a shot at 3 seed who wears red. Unfortunately for them, I see the same outcome here: a close-ish loss to a team destined to make a deep run in Wisconsin.
#7 USC over #10 Miami: The Trojans have one of the highest ceilings in college basketball. When they get hot, they can be unstoppable. But I don’t think they’ll need to reach that potential to get past a Miami team that’s nothing special.
#2 Auburn over #15 Jacksonville State: The Tigers have a ton of questions coming into this tournament, but they should at least get to the next round with ease. After all, they’ve gotten experience beating up on Gamecocks already this year.
All stats taken from ESPN.
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