2021 NCAA Tournament Midwest Region roundtable, key questions

4. Which first-round game are you most looking forward to?

Kay

Loyola Chicago and Georgia Tech. Both teams deserved to be No. 7 seeds but like Michigan State, they received a lower seed than expected. This game may go into overtime and whoever wins should use it as momentum going into next season because whoever wins will lose to Illinois.

Mumm

#8 Loyola-Chicago vs. #9 Georgia Tech – Josh Pastner’s Yellow Jackets have been amongst the hottest teams in the ACC over the last several weeks and have played themselves into at-large consideration even before the conference tournament kicked off.

However, Georgia Tech’s run did not stop there, and instead, this stingy defensive team had other plans to bring home the conference tournament title. Many teams are not going to want to see this group on the other bench during the tournament, however, Loyola-Chicago is a talented mid-major out to prove they not only belong in the field of 68 but can do some damage of their own.

The Ramblers will best be known for their tournament run several years ago, but as a shock to plenty, this group is top-30 in both offensive and defensive rating nationally. They aren’t a joke or a pushover by any means, despite not being a bigger brand in college basketball. In fact, the Ramblers have held opponents to 60 points or less in 23 of their 28 games this season and could be the water to douse the Yellow Jackets hot streak.

Walter-Warner

Loyola-Chicago vs. Georgia Tech. Neither of these teams is particularly sexy, but both may have deserved a slightly better seeding in the NCAA Tournament. They are both led by seniors and both will have to avoid looking ahead to the buzzsaw that is Illinois. If nothing else, this should probably be the closest First Round game in the region.

Heiser

While the 8-9 matchup is definitely intriguing to evaluate how legit Loyola Chicago will be this year, I’m most excited for the San Diego State-Syracuse game. Some people didn’t put the Orange in the tournament field, and a lot of people don’t think they deserved to avoid a First Four game.

Jim Boeheim’s teams like to overperform in March and here they get a chance to prove the doubters wrong against a quality opponent. This game pits a very efficient defensive side in the Aztecs against a Syracuse team that stays in games with their offense.

Diamantis

I believe the No. 6 San Diego State vs. No. 11 Syracuse matchup is the most intriguing of the First
Round games in the Midwest Region. The Orange have been led by the red-hot Buddy Boeheim and were denied at the last second by a last-second jumper against Virginia in the ACC Tournament.

When Syracuse is sitting on the bubble heading into Selection Sunday, it’s hard for the committee to not include them in the field, knowing just how successful they’ve been as the underdog. San Diego State is one of the most dangerous mid-major teams entering the tournament. Brian Dutcher’s team has not lost a game since January and they have racked up comfortable wins against UCLA and Arizona State. They can certainly make a run into the Sweet 16 as well.