A surprising entrant made it to the Sweet 16 in the Midwest Region, but if you’ve been following the Michigan Wolverines the last couple weeks, many would say it was expected. Regardless, the No. 7 seed sits only behind the top seeded Kansas Jayhawks to reach the Final Four making this region one of the toughest to get a handle on with Oregon and Purdue each having just as good a shot as any to advance.
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ODDS TO WIN MIDWEST REGION
Kansas +100
Michigan +355
Oregon +405
Purdue +405
Kansas Jayhawks +100
The Jayhawks made the BOK Center their home away from home this past weekend by demolishing both UC Davis and Michigan State to reach the Sweet 16 for the second straight season. Their reward, a trip to Kansas City which is just 30 minutes away from Lawrence. The trio of Devonte’ Graham, Josh Jackson and Frank Mason simply chewed up and spit out an overmatched Spartans side by taking it to the rack and letting it fly from beyond the arc. KU owned huge advantages over both opponents on the glass, but that won’t be the case against Purdue nor Oregon if both teams advance on Thursday. A tilt with Michigan would once again see them hold the rebounding advantage, but the Jayhawks have a huge chore ahead of them first in the form of Caleb “Biggie” Swanigan who could eat KU’s interior defense up alive. Still, KU is the odds on favorite to win this region.
Michigan Wolverines +355
How about them Wolverines! The story this squad is in the midst of writing is simply unbelievable. It found itself on the bubble when it boarded the plane that was supposed to take them to Washington, D.C. for the Big Ten tournament. That plane never made it into the air, and the experience of going through that near catastrophe has brought this team together in a big way. It’s won each of its last six games and only came a last second meaningless 3 ball away from covering all of them. John Beilein has got this team believing its invincible right now, and the odds to win the Midwest Region reflect just that. Last week, Big Blue was a +1200 dog to win the region. Now, they sit only behind KU at +355 and are favored to advance to the Elite 8 over Oregon. What an unbelievable turnaround!
Oregon Ducks +405
Looking to smash the glass slipper stuck on Michigan’s foot will be the Pac-12 regular season co-champion Ducks who made it through the first weekend to punch their ticket to the Sweet 16 for the second straight year and third in the last five. It just partook in what I believe was the game of the 2017 NCAA Tournament on Sunday when it battled back from a deficit seemingly the entire game to steal one from the Rhode Island Rams in the closing seconds. Dillon Brooks and Tyler Dorsey each came up with some huge shots to make the comeback a reality. The team has represented well in each of its games played sans Chris Boucher, and I expect that to continue being the case for as long as they remain in this tournament. This is a club that’s lost five games all season, so there’s tremendous value on them to reach the Final Four at over 4-1.
Purdue Boilermakers +405
Only up a single point against Vermont at halftime, the Boilermakers nearly gave their fan base and those that bet on them a heart attack due to their inability to separate themselves from their lesser opponent. But once the Catamounts got into foul trouble, Purdue was able to impose its will to avoid getting run from the tourney in the first round for the third straight time. Purdue bettors looked like they were in for a carefree walk in the park against Iowa State with it up 13 at the break and up 19 deep into the second half. Then all of a sudden, the Cyclones went on a run and closed to within three with minutes remaining. Purdue was able to see it all the way through however to set up a revenge bout with the Jayhawks. I think the Boilers have it in them to upset Kansas on Thursday, but it’s just so hard to get a handle on how this team will perform every time it takes to the hardwood.
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