One could make the case that the entire 2021 NCAA men’s basketball tournament will take place in the “Midwest Region.”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all March Madness games this year will be played in the state of Indiana. Of course, Indiana is the epicenter of Midwest basketball.
Odds to win 2020 NCAA Tournament- Courtesy William Hill Sportsbook. Villanova Wildcats +900: Gonzaga Bulldogs +1000: Baylor Bears +1000: Virginia Cavaliers +1000: Iowa Hawkeyes +1200: Kentucky.
Nonetheless, the Big Dance will be broken down into four regions per usual. Here we will look at the 2021 Midwest field, odds for region, and the region’s history.
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Auburn, the 5 seed, emerged as the Midwest Region champ in 2019, beating Kentucky 77-71 in OT in the Regional Final. What the Tigers accomplished two years ago was mighty impressive considering they had to topple traditional college basketball powers like Kansas, North Carolina and Kentucky along the way. The Jayhawks, Tar Heels and Wildcats all had better seeds than Auburn.
The Tigers’ journey ended on Final Four Saturday as they were edged by eventual National Champion Virginia, 63-62. As far as upsets in the Midwest in 2019, No. 11 Ohio State pulled off the biggest stunner – knocking off No. 6 Iowa State in the first round. No. 9 Washington also beat No. 8 Utah State.
The 2019 Regional semi-finals and final was played in Kansas City.
Call this the “feast or famine region” when it comes to upsets. In 2015, for instance, the region did not have a single first round upset. The next year, 2016, a 15 knocked off a 2 seed, a 12 beat a 5, an 11 toppled a 6, a 10 beat a 7 and a 9 upended an 8.
Middle Tennessee was the 15 seed in the Midwest in that crazy tournament five years ago. They toppled No. 2 seed Michigan State.
In the past 21 years, there have also been two 14 seeds that have shocked the world. Mercer took down No. 3 seeded Duke in 2014 and No. 14 Ohio upset No. 3 Georgetown in 2010. The Midwest region has been kind to Ohio as two years after the Bobcats beat the Hoyas, they knocked off Michigan as a 13 seed.
Here is a list of upsets in the Midwest since 2000:
*In 2011, the NCAA Div. 1 men’s basketball tournament did not feature a traditional Midwest Region. It instead had an East, West, Southeast and Southwest Region.
There have been eight NCAA champions from the Midwest Region since 1990, tied for the second most. The South Region has produced nine title teams and the East Region has also had eight teams win it all in that time.
It has been a while since the NCAA champ came from the Midwest. You’d have to go back to 2013 when Louisville won it all.
The “glory years” for the region came in the 2000s when teams from the Midwest won three titles in a row. The Florida Gators won in 2006 and 2007, and then Kansas cut the nets in 2008.
Here is a list of March Madness champions by region and seed going back to 1990:
Year | NCAA Champion | Region | Seed |
---|---|---|---|
2020 | *Tournament canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic | N/A | N/A |
2019 | Virginia | South | 1 |
2018 | Villanova | East | 1 |
2017 | North Carolina | South | 1 |
2016 | Villanova | South | 2 |
2015 | Duke | South | 1 |
2014 | UConn | East | 7 |
2013 | Louisville | Midwest | 1 |
2012 | Kentucky | South | 1 |
2011 | UConn | West | 3 |
2010 | Duke | South | 1 |
2009 | North Carolina | South | 1 |
2008 | Kansas | Midwest | 1 |
2007 | Florida | Midwest | 1 |
2006 | Florida | Midwest | 3 |
2005 | North Carolina | East | 1 |
2004 | UConn | West | 2 |
2003 | Syracuse | East | 3 |
2002 | Maryland | East | 1 |
2001 | Duke | East | 1 |
2000 | Michigan State | Midwest | 1 |
1999 | UConn | West | 1 |
1998 | Kentucky | South | 2 |
1997 | Arizona | South | 4 |
1996 | Kentucky | Midwest | 1 |
1995 | UCLA | West | 1 |
1994 | Arkansas | Midwest | 1 |
1993 | North Carolina | East | 1 |
1992 | Duke | East | 1 |
1991 | Duke | Midwest | 2 |
1990 | UNLV | West | 1 |
Seeding is the first priority for the Selection Committee each year. For instance if there are four clear-cut No. 1 seeds but two of them are from East Coast, one is from the South and the other is from the West Coast – an East Coast team might wind up as the top seed in the Midwest Region.
Typically, though – the Midwest is represented at the top of the bracket by a team geographically close to the Midwest. For instance, Kansas was the top seed in 2017 and 2018 and Wichita State was the 1 seed in 2014.