2022 March Madness Midwest Region Betting Predictions
Everything is literally big in the Midwest Region of the 2022 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament. Big 12 winners the Kansas Jayhawks headline the group and are pitted against Big Ten standouts Iowa and Wisconsin; not to mention the likes of Auburn and Providence also gunning for the right to represent the group in the Final Four.
NitroBetting is ready to dish out some timely assists to our bettors all throughout the 2022 March Madness season. This time, we’ve come up with three bold predictions for the Midwest Region of the national tournament, as well as the NCAAB odds to win the national title for several of the teams from this stacked group.
3 Big 2022 March Madness Betting Predictions for the Midwest Region
The Midwest Region!#SelectionSunday #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/kCWDKBIHnw
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 13, 2022
READ MORE: 2022 March Madness South Region Betting Predictions
Wisconsin Suffers Abrupt First-Round Exit
Despite securing a No. 3 seed, the Wisconsin Badgers have actually hobbled their way into the national tournament by dropping their last two games, including the disappointing one-point upset to lowly Nebraska in their regular-season finale and a quick exit from the Big Ten tournament at the hands of Michigan State.
Outside of standout guard Johnny Davis (19.7 PPG), the Badgers have not gotten a ton of production from its seemingly stacked roster of talent. Wisconsin will face Colgate in the opening round, with the Raiders being one of only two teams in the country to shoot over 40 percent from three-point range this season. In turn, Wisconsin’s odds to win the Midwest Region have dropped to (+900) having been matched up with a mid-major program riding a 15-game win streak into the Big Dance.
Kansas One Win Short of Final Four Appearance
The top-seeded Kansas Jayhawks, who are the odds-on favorites to win the Midwest at (+120), have real issues come the second round of the tournament with a date against one of two defensively-sound teams in Creighton and San Diego State. However, we still strongly believe that the Jayhawks’ real problems wouldn’t manifest until much deeper into the tournament.
Big 12 Player of the Year Ochai Agbaji (19.8 PPG, 40.3 percent from three-point range) remains at the helm of the offense and has a solid supporting cast in the likes of Christian Braun and Davis McCormack. On the other hand, Kansas’ roster is very top-heavy, as many consider Bill Self’s gang lineup having a virtual six-man rotation. The Jayhawks’ best players could very well be exhausted come the Sweet 16 stage, which means a different team will emerge on top of the group when all is said and done.
Auburn Wins the Midwest Region
If Kansas has a bonafide star in Agbaji, then the second-seeded Auburn Tigers have a nice counter to the Jayhawks’ squad with the one-two punch of Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler. Smith is widely regarded as the projected first-overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft after averaging 17.1 points and seven rebounds per game whilst also shooting a 42.8-percent clip from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Kessler is a beat in the paint with his gaudy numbers of 11.7 points, 8.2 boards, and 4.5 blocks per contest.
That being said, Auburn (+250) has much more flexibility to shift gears between their two stars on both ends of the court. The lack of momentum and a reliable deep-scoring threat outside of Smith are indeed causes for concern, but having Final Four experience in their last trip to the National Tournament in 2019 is also a plus for the Bruce Pearl-led Tigers.
This is just one of the many sports betting guides that you can read here at Nitrobetting news. Stay tuned for more NCAAB game previews and articles and don’t forget to check out the latest Basketball betting odds on the sportsbook.
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