To find an interesting stat on every team in the NCAA Tournament.
This is part two of four as we’ll cover one region a day ending Thursday morning before tip-off.
you might catch up on the South region from yesterday here.
Today we move our gaze to the Mid-West.
Get those bracket apps ready.
My hope is this blog series will help you in making your decisions.
However, I am not guaranteeing or even implying it will improve on any.
All I want to see is him burry one.
Even if I’m the only idiot that notices and realizes what a feat that would be.
But I knew many people from high school that went to SIU.
I don’t think I knew anyone that went to SIU-E.
But 2025 is their year.
And they are going to get stuffed into a corn cob off I-55.
And only Alabama scores more points.
This team is a well oiled machine led by the great Mark Few.
I can’t see Georgia being able to keep up.
And if you’re a Georgia fan, their stat won’t give you much reason for excitement.
Only Pitt had a worse road shooting percentage at 39%.
Pretty much a perfect correlation.
There’s nothing like home cooking in the South.
Problem is - tournament’s aren’t played at home.
Gimmie the Zags in this one.
The only problem is how weak the ACC is this year.
But this seems like the recipe for an upset.
When I say actual, I mean I literally didn’t make those names up.
This is what I love about the tournament.
McNeese gets to play the “we can only play who’s on our schedule” card.
I guess he’s just the new Zach Edey peg for Matt Painter.
And let’s face it.
They don’t call their first round opponent Purdon’t for nothing.
Matt Painter teams are the poster children for choking in the tournament.
And all it’ll take it appears is another off shooting night for Kaufman-Renn.
I’m in on High Point.
Everyone’s talking about this being the year of the chalk.
We gotta find something though.
High Point might be it.
But what does this mean for us trying to fill out our bracket?
I think it means this team can probably beat and lose to anyone.
#11 Texas/Xavier
Xavier beat Nebraska as a 14 seed vs 3 seed way back in 1991.
And it was Texas that took them down then.
I think the same story this season.
But that’s just the play-in.
Whoever wins this will then go on to lose to… fuck…
I forget who they’ll play but they will lose.
#3 Kentucky is 22-11 this season and were 23-10 last season
There you go.
Calipari was worth one win more than Mark Pope.
I do love Kentucky though to go deep.
Lamont Butler should be good to go and they’re a fun team to watch.
No not that Alabama.
Rank #124 South Alabama.
They also lost to them.
#7 UCLA might be a sleeper
Remember.
They made the Final Four as an 11 Seed in 2021.
Look at who they beat this year.
This team can play.
And if that’s not enough for you.
Remember, this is the first tournament without Bill Walton.
If you thought he had spirit in life - imagine what he’s about to do from above.
I’ll put my money on dead Bill Walton in this one.
Then it hit me.
It’s written in the stars that Tennessee will make the Final Four and lose.
And they’ll win the entire tournament next year(not betting advice).
2020: 0 tournament appearances (COVID whatever.
Like some off brand Fibonacci sequence written in the checkered orange stars.
But they’ll have to earn their destiny one game at time.
The ultimate “just kids” example of the NCAA tournament.
I’ll take the Tenne-nacci sequence in this one.
OK - halfway through this.
Much more to come.
