2022 NCAA Tournament: Kansas, Auburn headline Midwest Region

Midwest Pod B – Buffalo, New York

(5) Iowa vs. (12) Richmond

Iowa and Richmond both won their respective conference tournaments on Sunday afternoon just before the selection show. Richmond was one of just a few bid stealers this year, taking down Davidson in the Atlantic 10 Championship. The team it unknowingly knocked out was its A10 rival in Dayton — the first team left out of the field.

Richmond returned multiple super-seniors this year including Grant Golden, Jacob Gilyard, and Nathan Cayo, the team’s second, third and fourth-leading scorers. The problem for the Spiders is that Iowa is arguably the hottest team in the country, ranking second on Torvik since Feb. 1 and fresh off of a Big Ten Championship.

Richmond has struggled defensively this season which is not a great recipe for upsetting Keegan Murray and this Iowa team, which ranks second in the country in offensive efficiency, per KenPom.

Prediction: Iowa

(4) Providence vs. (13) South Dakota State

Providence is 17-2 in games decided by 10 points or less this season. The metrics and Las Vegas say they’re overrated. Their resume says otherwise.

Some say they’re lucky, some say they’re winners. I say…why not both? Most of the best winners are lucky.

The issue here is that South Dakota State is also a winner as evidenced by its 21-game winning streak entering the NCAA Tournament. This is a team that has offensive firepower that very teams in the country can match.

Providence’s level of physicality with Nate Watson in the paint is concerning, but South Dakota State’s offensive execution in the half-court has proven to be more consistent than the Friars’ this season which keeps me on the Jacks to pull off the upset on Thursday afternoon.

Prediction: South Dakota State