2022 NCAA Tournament: Kansas, Auburn headline Midwest Region

Midwest Pod A – Fort Worth, Texas

(1) Kansas vs. (16) Texas Southern/Texas A&M–Corpus Christi

Texas Southern and Texas A&M–Corpus Christi will play in the First Four in Dayton on Tuesday night at 6:40 p.m. ET in what is technically the first game of the 2022 NCAA Tournament. The winner gets the privilege of flying to Forth Worth to take on top-seeded Kansas.

Kansas is going to win this game easily, but Texas Southern deserves some credit for pretty much becoming a mainstay in March by making six of the last eight NCAA Tournaments.

Texas A&M–Corpus Christi also deserves a shoutout for making the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007 and — perhaps more importantly — for being the only Texas A&M that can say they’re playing in the NCAA Tournament this season.

Prediction: Kansas

(8) San Diego State vs. (9) Creighton

San Diego State is back in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in five years under Head Coach Brian Dutcher, but their offense is a serious concern. This is a team that ranks second in the country in defensive efficiency with their swarming style and an elite shot blocker in Nathan Mensah but is sub-150 in offensive efficiency.

Matt Bradley almost single-handedly carries the scoring load for the Aztecs which is a concern in March when the game slows down, more fouls are called and half-court offense is necessary for survival.

On the other hand, Creighton is one of the hottest teams in the country, beating Marquette and upsetting top-seeded Providence on its way to the Big East Championship where it lost a close game to Villanova. Greg McDermott has done a phenomenal job with a team that had relatively low expectations coming into the season.

Prediction: Creighton