Busting Brackets
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Bracketology 2023 projected field: Alabama joins the No. 1 seeds

By Jason Burgess

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - APRIL 02: Exterior picture of the JW Marriott Hotel which has the entire bracket of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament hanging on its building on April 03, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - APRIL 02: Exterior picture of the JW Marriott Hotel which has the entire bracket of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament hanging on its building on April 03, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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Bracketology Southern California Trojans guard Boogie Ellis UCLA Bruins guard Tyger Campbell Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Bracketology Southern California Trojans guard Boogie Ellis UCLA Bruins guard Tyger Campbell Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

Midwest Region (Kansas City)

(1) Kansas vs. (16) Fairleigh Dickinson/Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
(8) North Carolina State vs. (9) Charleston
(5) Marquette vs. (12) Bradley
(4) Arkansas vs. (13) Oral Roberts
(6) Providence vs. (11) Pittsburgh
(3) Gonzaga vs. (14) Yale
(7) Wisconsin vs.(10) Memphis
(2) UCLA vs. (15) UNC-Greensboro

It’s the middle of January and the defending champs are the overall No. 1 seed in the Midwest region. The Kansas Jayhawks find themselves with six quad 1 wins (three on the road) and 11 over the top two quadrants, with the only blemish being their November loss to Tennessee. The Jayhawks are in the top 10 in every metric and are the top team in both SOR and KPI. With the juggernaut that is the Big 12, chances abound for them to continue to bolster their resume.

Every year there is a “region of death” that seems like an impossible gauntlet for the No. 1 seed. Well, we can label the Midwest region the “region of defense” with eight of the teams in the region ranking in the top 50 in KenPom’s defensive efficiency as of Sunday morning. No. 2 seed UCLA leads four teams from this region in the defensive top 25 including Kansas, Wisconsin, and Arkansas, so if you enjoy defensive battles, grab your popcorn and feast on the Midwest.

One team to keep an eye on in this region is the Marquette Golden Eagles who have steadily been climbing the seed ladder over the last few weeks. Since losing to Mississippi State before Thanksgiving they have gone 11-3, losing games to Wisconsin, Providence, and Xavier by an average of four points. Before Sunday’s loss to Xavier, Marquette had the second-best offensive efficiency team in the country and their 60% two-point field goal percentage was the nation’s best.

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