Midwest Region
(1) Kentucky vs. (16) Bucknell
(8) Baylor vs. (9) St. John’s
(4) Maryland vs. (13) Yale
(5) Florida State vs. (12) Utah State/Alabama
(6) Virginia Tech vs. (11) UCF
(3) Texas Tech vs. (14) South Dakota State
(7) Cincinnati vs. (10) VCU
(2) Michigan State vs. (15) Loyola-Chicago.
Team to watch: VCU Rams
While Buffalo and Wofford have rightfully received their fair share of attention as mid-major contenders for at-large bids, VCU needs more credit for its play as of late. With a 21-6 (12-2 A10) record, the Rams are more than deserving of consideration for an at-large bid and they also are currently riding an eight-game winning streak. Head coach Mike Rhoades has instilled a tremendous system and has players have completely bought into staying engaged on that end of the floor. With four regular-season games remaining, VCU holds the fourth-best adjusted defensive efficiency rating and that is very difficult to argue with. They defend the three, block shots in the paint, and force a lot of turnovers. The Rams are a bit too opportunistic on the defensive end at times but it would be a mistake to think scoring on them will ever be easy.