Nebraska is the 8 seed in the region

Nebraska for the first time in a decade is in the NCAA Tournament. It was selected in the South region as the 8 seed, where it will square off against the 9 seed of Texas A&M. Nebraska is the only “Power 5” team yet to win an NCAA Tournament game, but they have a shot at finally ending that.

Having said that, let’s take a look at the entire region and see where the chips fall after that.

#1 Seed Houston Cougars (30-4 Record)

DraftKings odds to win region (+140)

Outside of the Big 12 Championship game, The Houston Cougars are a phenomenal team. They aren’t going to be the flashiest on offense, scoring 73.0 points per game. That is not overly spectacular since it is 212th in the country, but it’s scoring defense where they make their hay. The Cougars are the best team in the nation, only allowing 57.0 points per contest, which means anyone not prepared for a defensive slugfest is in massive trouble. Houston is led by Senior Guard L.J. Cryer, who averages 15.3 points per game. The Cougar offense runs through Jamal Shead, who averages 6.2 assists per game. If the Cougars do not advance out of this region, or win the whole thing, it will be entirely because they didn’t shoot the ball well and the defense failed to show up.

#2 Seed Marquette Golden Eagles (25-9 Record)

DraftKings odds to win region (+550)

Marquette is coming off a runner up finish in the Big East Tournament, losing to eventual #1 overall seed UConn. Shaka Smart and company have got this offense going from an efficiency standpoint, as they shoot 47.8% from the floor, which is good enough for 28th in the country. Marquette is susceptible to a physical team however, as they are 313th in the country averaging 32.8 rebounds per game. If anyone can hit the glass hard against these guys it will become a massive problem for the Golden Eagles. It’s no “40 Minutes of Hell” that Shaka Smart employed at VCU, but Marquette is good enough any 40 minutes to make a run to the finals in my opinion.

#3 Seed Kentucky Wildcats (23-9 record)

DraftKings odds to win region (+700)

If the lights get left on in the gym, don’t worry, Kentucky is liable to shoot them out for you. The Wildcats are the 3rd highest scoring team in the nation at 89.4 points per game while shooting a fantastic 49.7% from the floor, which is 5th in the country. Oh, and did I mention the nation’s best 41.2% from the 3-point line? Again, Kentucky is the anti-Tom Bodette, they’ll shoot the lights out for you. They are, however, the 6th worst team in the nation giving up a whopping 79.7 points per game. This is the kind of team that loves a good track meet. If anyone can play a good amount of defense against them, they have a real good shot of upsetting Kentucky, that being said, their offense is good enough to roll everyone over to win the region.

#4 Seed Duke Blue Devils (24-8 record)

DraftKings odds to win region (+550)

Duke will go as far as Kyle Filipowski will carry them, and that could easily be a long way in this tournament. The 7-foot Sophomore is averaging 17.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. The Blue Devils average 79.8 points per game, which is good for 48th in the country. Duke will be a little more motivated after losing in the ACC Tournament to eventual champion NC State, and I think that could key the Blue Devils to a deep tourney run. Even though Coach K has been gone, Duke hasn’t missed a beat in being an absolute power in the NCAA Tournament.

#5 Seed Wisconsin Badgers (22-13 record)

DraftKings odds to win region (+1500)

The Wisconsin Badgers can be an interesting team in this region. The Badgers started off Big Ten play on fire, as they looked to possibly unseat Purdue as the best team in the conference at the halfway point. The Badgers went on a horrible stretch of 5 straight losses, starting with blowing a 19-point second half lead at Nebraska, where they eventually fell in overtime. As people were starting to possibly write off the Badgers, they righted the ship just in time for the Big Ten tournament, where they beat Purdue in the semifinals, but lost to eventual champ Illinois. The Badgers seem to be the odds-on favorite however to be the upset pick of the region.

#6 Seed Texas Tech Red Raiders (23-10 record)

DraftKings odds to win region (+1800)

Texas Tech will go as their guards go. The backcourt combination of Sophomore Guard Pop Issacs and Senior Guard Joe Toussaint carried this team to a tie for 3rd place in the Big 12 Conference, and it will be those two in particular who will carry the burden for the Red Raiders in this region. Toussaint brings a massive amount of NCAA Tournament experience, including some deep runs for the Red Raiders throughout his career. Sophomore Guard Darrion Williams leads the team in rebounds at 7.5 per game, so the guards can hit the glass too, which bodes well for this time of year. This team could easily make the sweet 16 if anyone takes them lightly.

#7 Seed Florida Gators (24-11 record)

DraftKings odds to win region (+1500)

The obvious story line coming into this one is how do the Gators now cope with the loss of big man Micah Handlogten, who suffered a horrific broken leg in the SEC Title game against Auburn. Understandably so, the Gators didn’t really recover in time from a mental standpoint to finish the job to win the SEC, but now the shock has gone, and they can reset. The Gators, much like the rest of the SEC it seems, is a high-powered offense. At 85.1 points per game, the Gators rank 9th in the nation. It’s on the glass, however, where the Gators really shine. At 42.7 rebounds per game, they are tied for 1st in the country with Texas A&M, who happens to be the 9 seed in this very region. Colorado is the 10 seed here, and if they don’t hit shots, there aren’t going to be many offensive rebounds. If Florida avoids the upset, don’t be surprised if they can take out Marquette in round 2.

#8 Seed Nebraska Cornhuskers (23-10 record)

DraftKings odds to win region (+1800)

There is no secret how much this opening game means to Nebraska and its fans. The only power 5 team to never win an NCAA Tournament game looms large over their heads, but this may be the best group the Huskers have ever sent. Led by Keisei Tominaga, the Huskers aren’t afraid to live and die by the 3 ball, as they attempt 26.4 per game. That’s good enough to be 29th in the country. If Nebraska is to do any sort of damage, it will have to be from deep, and it can’t blow double-digit halftime leads, which it has done on multiple occasions this season. Nebraska can be Jekyll and Hyde, good enough to be a sweet 16 team, but bad enough to still be waiting for that first NCAA Tournament win.

#9 Seed Texas A&M (20-14 record)

DraftKings odds to win region (+4000)

This team can and will bludgeon you to death on the glass. Texas A&M comes into the NCAA Tournament tied for 1st in the country averaging 42.7 rebounds per game, but more importantly, it’s also 1st in the nation averaging 17.3 offensive rebounds per game. To the entire region, if you don’t block out, they will win. If you do block them out, odds are you will win, as the Aggies are an atrocious 39.9% from the floor, which is tied for DEAD LAST in the country. They will get plenty of looks, but it’s purely a matter of if they do anything with them. I think they lose in the first round to Nebraska.

#10 Seed Colorado Buffaloes (25-10 record)

DraftKings odds to win region (+2000)

Fresh off of their 60-53 first four win over Boise State, the Buffaloes will now draw the 7 seed Florida Gators. Colorado averages a solid 79.3 points per game but will need to control Florida on the glass if it wants to pull off an upset. Just put in the same defensive effort against the Gators and I like the Buffaloes’ chances of doing just that. If any 10 seed makes the sweet 16, I think it is this one. KJ Simpson is going to be one of the more dynamic guards in this region, and the Buffaloes will rely heavily on his offensive prowess and leadership.

#11 Seed North Carolina State Wolfpack (22-14 record)

DraftKings odds to win region (+5500)

If you look at this Wolfpack team and think not much jumps off the page at you, you’d be correct. This team isn’t really anything to be overwhelmed by, with the exception of the massive gauntlet it just went through to get here. 5 wins in 5 days in the ACC Tournament is absolutely brutal, but I like to think NC State can ride that heater into the round of 32 with an upset of Texas Tech. DJ Horne will have to continue his fantastic postseason to carry the Wolfpack to a win.

#12 Seed James Madison Dukes (31-3 record)

DraftKings odds to win region (+7500)

This is the team destined to be the most popular 12 seed to pull off an upset in the NCAA Tournament. I know it’s best win is at Michigan State, albeit REALLY EARLY in the year, but this team can score buckets without much issue. Averaging 84.4 points per game is fantastic, and I don’t believe Wisconsin has a strong enough defense to keep the scoring low, little lone Bo Ryan-style low. The real question for Terrance Edwards Jr. and T.J Bickerstaff is can they compete with Duke in round 2? Probably not, but if that matchup happens it will be really fun.

#13 Seed Vermont Catamounts (28-6 record)

DraftKings odds to win region (+13000)

Vermont breezed through the American East Conference this year by going 15-1 during the regular season, but I don’t know if this group is battle tested enough to go toe-to-toe with a blue-blood in Duke. The Catamounts have 10 guys who average over 10 minutes a game, so fresh bodies aren’t the issue here, but more of can any 5 guys they have on the floor be good enough to stop Kyle Filipowski and co? I don’t think so here, so despite picking your bracket purely on mascot name, Vermont goes out in round 1.

#14 Seed Oakland Golden Grizzlies (23-11 record)

DraftKings odds to win region (+15000)

Oakland might not have a flashy record, but they are definitely battle tested. They played 4 teams who made the NCAA Tournament, with the biggest loss being 24 points to Dayton. A 17-point loss to Michigan State, and close losses to Drake and Illinois means these guys can hang with the bigger fish, but they run into a very good offense in Kentucky. The Golden Grizzlies give up 72.9 points per game, and I think here they could have a shot if they can keep the Wildcats under 80. I don’t think that happens though, and round 1 is as far as they go.

#15 Seed Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (22-11 record)

DraftKings odds to win region (+10000)

A team that is in the top 40 in the country in points scored and rebounds per game, this is probably one of the more dangerous 15 seeds you will find in the tournament. I don’t see them going full St. Peters and winning, but this one could be closer than you think with Marquette. Marquette is not a very good rebounding team, so Western Kentucky will look to cause issues on the glass. If they give up slightly above their average of 74 points per game, however, look for Marquette to run away with this. I don’t quite see WKU pulling this off.

#16 Seed Longwood Lancers (21-13 record)

DraftKings odds to win region (+50000)

The ONLY way that Longwood knocks off Houston is if the Cougars play exactly like they did in the Big 12 title game. Longwood is fairly decent on the glass, averaging 38.4 rebounds per game, which is 66th in the nation, but probably can’t cope with the size Houston will bring. Only two 16-seeds have ever beaten a 1-seed, and that has started in a five-year cycle. This is only year one of the new cycle, so Longwood will probably lose by 25+