NCAA Tournament: UNC, Kentucky, Houston, and Auburn left in Midwest

NCAA Tournament: UNC, Kentucky, Houston, and Auburn remain in Midwest Region

By TJ Miller | Mar 26, 2019

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - MARCH 23: Jared Harper #1 of the Auburn Tigers reacts to a play against the Kansas Jayhawks during their game in the Second Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 23, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

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TULSA, OKLAHOMA – MARCH 24: Corey Davis Jr. #5 of the Houston Cougars celebrates after winning the second round game 74-59 over the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at BOK Center on March 24, 2019 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

The NCAA Tournament Midwest Region will resume action Friday night in Kansas City. North Carolina and Kentucky headline as the top seeds but don’t forget about Houston and Auburn.

Just four teams remain after Thursday through Sunday action as only North Carolina, Auburn, Kentucky and Houston have a shot at coming out of Kansas City as the NCAA Tournament Midwest’s final four team. But twelve other teams competed in this region with varying degrees of success. So let’s take a look at what transpired before focussing on Friday’s games.

Auburn and New Mexico State kicked off action Thursday for the Midwest region. The Tigers held a comfortable lead most the game nearly blowing it at the end as it barely held on for a 78-77 win. The other two games Thursdays resulted in an easy win for Kansas facing Northeastern and a relatively nerve-free victory for Wofford over Seton Hall.

Friday gave viewers the first upset of the Midwest region as Ohio State prevailed over Iowa State in the 6 vs.11 game. Favorites Kentucky, Houston, and Washington advanced into the round of 32 by capturing double-digit wins. Surprisingly, 16 seed Iona had North Carolina on the ropes with a five point lead before the Tar Heels dropped 55 points in the second half on their way to a 88-73 victory.

Saturday gave us an entertaining afternoon matinee of Kentucky vs. Wofford. The Wildcats managed to stave off the Terriers as Fletcher Magee just couldn’t get going. Auburn dominated Kansas Saturday night knocking down 13 three pointers in a 89-75 mini upset. Anyone craving some Sunday drama didn’t find much in UNC’s impressive beatdown of Washington, and Houston’s triumph over the Buckeyes was only slightly closer.

Much like the 2019 NCAA Tournament as a whole, the Midwest region only supplied brief moments of drama. However, North Carolina vs. Auburn and Kentucky vs. Houston are the kind of games that should provide plenty of high quality basketball and hopefully some dramatic finishes.

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