Breaking Down the Midwest Region

Previewing the Midwest Region

Best First Round Game: West Virginia v. Dayton. The Flyers downed Big East foe Marquette earlier this year, utilizing their quickness and solid guard play. They are going to need every bit of it in order to tackle Bob Huggins' Mountaineers. West Virginia freshman Devin Ebanks has just begun to scratch the surface of his talent over the past three weeks and guard Alex Ruoff can shoot his team deep into the tourney.

Best Player: An easy argument could be made for Louisville's Terrance Williams, Wake Forest's Jeff Teauge and Kansas's duo of Sherron Collins and Cole Alderich, however the Maniac is going to go with an unlikely pair; Arizona's Jordan Hill and Chase Buddinger. For whatever reason (and there are a lot to choose from) things never quite clicked in Tuscon this year. If for some reason it finally does this weekend, it will be in large part because of these two future first-rounders. Either way, this combo makes Arizona one of the more talented #12's in recent memory.

Most important player: Edgar Sosa - Louisville. When the Cards struggled early, it was their guard play that plagued them. Sosa's role is far diminished from the role he played in the 2007 tourney (where he was sensational as a freshman, by the way), but it is still an important one. If he and the guards can control tempo and the basketball, Pitino's Cards look like the favorite to get to Detroit.

A couple runner-ups include Michigan State's Kalin Lucas, WVU's Alex Ruoff and USC's DeMarr Derozan.

Worst Seeding: Siena at a #9. I know, everyone loves the Saints (that's Siena's nickname by the way) and the tourney toughness from their tough schedule. Let's recap Siena's Top 50 wins. Ok, we're done. There aren't any. But clearly the strength of schedule propelled them to a #9 seed. Meanwhile Tennessee is also a #9, despite winning the SEC East, a down, but clearly superior league to Siena's and playing the nation's 2nd toughest schedule. Oh, and the Vols even WON a few of them. Siena should be an #11 at best, more likely a #12.

Toughest Break: Siena, once again. I think Ohio State beats them anywhere, anytime, anyway, but playing the game in Dayton where tens of thousands of Buckeye fans can make the hour drive is a pretty unwarranted advantage for OSU.

Possible 2nd Round Gem: How about Arizona versus Wake? That game would likely feature more future first-rounders than any other game in the tourney. Jordan Hill, Chase Buddinger, Jeff Teague, Al-Farouq Aminu and James Johnson,; they aren't all household names, but their talent is unquestionably immense.

Easiest to Root For: North Dakota State makes their first ever NCAA tourney appearance in their first season of eligibility. The Bison went 16-2 in the Summit Conference, and played USC tough earlier this season in Los Angeles. Don't be surprised if the Bison hang around long enough to rally some excitement in the crowd...and some tough flashbacks of Bison for Jayhawk fans...

Maniac's Sweet Sixteen Picks:
Louisville over Arizona, and Michigan State over West Virginia
Louisville beating the Spartans to head to Detroit

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