2024 NCAA Tournament: Midwest Region Round of 64

Dude…

Our final round of 64 predictions came out just before the brackets lock!!! The Midwest region is our final stop. The Purdue Boilermakers looks to redeem themselves after being the second team in history to lose to a 16 seed last year. Zach Edey is still as dominant, and the backcourt in Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer are a year older. Will they pull a Virginia and win the Tournament? They need to make it out of the first round. The Dudes have your prediction right now!!!!

#1 Purdue vs. #16 Grambling State- Will we see another upset at the #1 seed level? I doubt that Matt Painter allows this to happen for a second consecutive year. However, you never know with Purdue. Matt Painter has never been to a Final Four. The lack of accolades gives concern for Purdue to make a deep run. Zach Edey will not allow this upset to happen again. He should go off, and hopefully Braden Smith plays like he has been all year. I have Purdue advancing and avoiding the dreaded upset.

#8 Utah State vs. #9 TCU- Mountain West disrespect is all over the map, but this may be the worst out of them all. They won the Mountain West regular season and you have them as an 8?? What’s up with that? Danny Sprinkle was a contender for coach of the year. The Aggies have been playing some extremely effective and efficient basketball. Since they got disrespected, they matched up with a tough TCU Team. This TCU team has been in the gauntlet of the Big 12 and has proven they can hang with the big dogs. However, Utah State is going to prove why they should be ranked higher, and dismantle the Horn Frogs.

#5 Gonzaga vs. #13 McNeese State- WCC teams are so hard to evaluate. The conference just stinks. There are two good teams and that’s it. They lost to St. Mary’s in the WCC Championship, but Graham Ike and company is trying to will Gonzaga to another Sweet Sixteen appearance. This team has to face a really tough McNeese State team who blazes up and down the court like a rocket. They have playmakers all over the floor and prove to be a legit treat to the Bulldogs of Gonzaga. Here I believe we see another upset as the Zags aren’t what they use to be. McNeese State completes the upset and moves onto the next round.

#4 Kansas vs. #12 Samford- Oh boy. I hate to say this. It hurts me deep in my soul, but I don’t think Kansas is going to come out with a win. KU has their best scorer out in Kevin McCullar (he’s sitting out even though he is medically cleared, pussy mentality, glad he’s not going to be a Jayhawk anymore). Hunter Dickinson dislocated his shoulder in the Big 12 Tournament so he’s not going to be 100%. Samford plays a style of basketball called Bucky Ball. Named after their head coach Bucky McMillan, the Bulldogs of Samford play full court press and only shoot threes. This style will give Kansas fits, especially on the offensive end when no one can shoot the basketball. If Furphy shows up, Kansas has a shot. If not, they have no shot. I think Furphy stays cold and Kansas loses, making it one of the worst seasons in the Bill Self Era.

#6 South Carolina vs #11 Oregon- This should be a good matchup. The 6 seeded South Carolina Gamecocks are trying to pull off some magic and make a deep run this year. They finished 5th in the SEC and showed some bright moments throughout the year. Meechie Johnson balls out every night, but the lack of support around him is concerning. The Oregon Ducks didn’t look like a tournament team before winning the Pac-12 Tournament. They’re rolling, hotter than any team right now, and have a veteran coach in Dan Altman. Give me the Ducks in a really close game.

#3 Creighton vs. #14 Akron- Creighton out of the Big East is scary. Baylor Schiermann, Trey Alexander, and Ryan Kalkbrennar are an elite trio that gave UConn fits all year. This Blue Jays team is competitive and hungry. They take on Akron who barely scraped into the tournament after one of the most bogus fouls by Kent State I have ever seen. I think this turns into a blowout quickly as Creighton demonstrates why they are a huge threat to make it Phoenix for the Final Four.

#7 Texas vs. #10 Colorado State- It's an upset city in the Midwest as Texas takes on Colorado State. Texas has been an up and down team this year. Max Abmas has the experience needed to win a few games for them in the tournament. However, Colorado State is on a warpath. After EMBARRASSING Virginia in the First Four (no reason Virginia should have made it anyway, but I’m not an expert so what do I know). This Colorado State team is motivated due to the terrible seeding, and I think Max Abmas will choke in the clutch to have another upset happen in the Midwest Region. I’m taking the Rams of Colorado State.

#2 Tennessee vs. #15 St. Peter’s-  Insert Peacock noises Yes, the Cinderella from 2022 is back and is looking to have the glass heel to be slipped on their feet once again. St. Peter’s won the Metro Atlantic Conference Tournament Championship and I can’t be more excited to see the Cocks dancing once again. In the same situation, they face a great #2 seed that looks to make a deep run. Tennessee was the SEC regular season champion. Dalton Knecht is awesome to watch and the supporting cast in Vescovi and Zigler look to help the Volunteers avoid the upset. As much as I want to pick the Peacocks, I can’t. Tennessee is too good this year and should handle the Peaco