With Selection Sunday done, the field has been set for March Madness. As usual, there have been a lot of conversations about the teams that did not get into the tournament.
The two teams that standout the most are West Virginia and Indiana.
West Virginia felt like a team that was a lock to get in, with key wins over Arizona, Gonzaga, Iowa State, and two wins over Kansas. The team’s loss in the first round to Colorado in the Big 12 tournament might be the leading factor that kept them out of March Madness.
Indiana also was a team that should have made the tournament.
Indiana had an away win against Michigan State, which is a two seed in the tournament. They also beat Purdue, which made March Madness as a four seed. Indiana’s 13-point loss to Oregon in the Big 10 championship and loss to Northwestern could have held them back from making the tournament.
As for the brackets this year, the Eastern region looks to be the strongest. It features teams such as Duke, Alabama, Wisconsin, Arizona, BYU, and Saint Mary’s.
The weakest region this year is the Southern region. The top-tier talent in the Southern region consists of Auburn, Michigan State, and Iowa State. However, there are many weak, high-seeded teams, like Marquette, Ole Miss, and Michigan, who are all turning the ball over too much to find success in the tournament.
This year’s top teams are far better than the others, so the final four will be filled with top teams.
Duke and Tennessee have favorable paths to get out of the Eastern and Midwest regions, while Florida and Michigan State should be able to make it out of the Western and Southern regions.
Duke and Florida both won their conference championships, solidifying their one seed. Tennessee lost to Florida in the SEC championship, which earned them a two seed. Michigan State fell in the Big 10 semifinals, but a very strong regular season earned them a two seed.
