March Madness Midwest Region Predictions | Odds & Best Bets

The March Madness Midwest region is going to be a gauntlet.

It starts at the top with Houston, the favorite to navigate through the region to win it all with a veteran-led group and a fantastic defense.

Outside of Houston, it is a stacked region full of excellent guard play and exciting teams. Consisting of three teams from Texas and three from Iowa, this region has plenty of storylines and matchups you won’t want to miss in the first round and throughout. But, can anyone take down the Cougars?

Let’s go through the Midwest region of the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

March Madness Midwest Region Best Bet

Read on for more NCAA Tournament Midwest Region betting tips for 2023 March Madness.

March Madness Midwest Region Schedule 2023

• Round 1:
  • Thursday, March 16
    • Legacy Arena at BJCC, Birmingham, Alabama
      • No. 8 Iowa vs No. 9 Auburn, 6:45 p.m., TNT
      • No. 1 Houston vs No. 16 Northern Kentucky, 9:15 p.m., TNT
    • Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, Iowa
      • No. 2 Texas vs No. 15 Colgate, 6:25 p.m. TBS
      • No. 7 Texas A&M vs No. 10 Penn State, 8:55 p.m., TBS
  • - Friday, March 17
    • Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina
      • No. 3 Xavier vs No. 14 Kennesaw State, 11:40 p.m., truTV
      • No. 11 vs No. 6 Iowa State, 2:10 p.m., truTV
    • MVP Arena, Albany, New York
      • No. 5 Miami (FL) vs No. 12 Drake, 6:25 p.m., TBS
      • No. 4 Indiana vs No. 13 Kent State, 8:55 p.m., TBS
• Round 2:
  • Saturday, March 18
    • Legacy Arena at BJCC, Birmingham, Alabama
      • No. 8 Iowa/No. 9 Auburn vs No. 1 Houston/No. 16 Northern Kentucky, TBA
    • Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, Iowa
      • No. 2 Texas/ No. 15 Colgate vs No. 7 Texas A&M/No. 10 Penn State, TBA
  • Sunday, March 19
    • Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina
      • No. 3 Xavier/No. 14 Kennesaw State vs No. 11 vs No. 6 Iowa State, TBA
    • MVP Arena, Albany, New York
      • No. 5 Miami (FL)/No. 12 Drake vs No. 4 Indiana vs No. 13 Kent State
• Sweet 16:
  • Friday, March 24, T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, MO
• Elite 8:
  • Sunday, March 26, T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, MO

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Track the latest March Madness Midwest Region Odds with our CBB lines comparison:

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March Madness Midwest Region Teams Seeded

1. Houston Cougars
2. Texas Longhorns
3. Xavier Musketeers
4. Indiana Hoosiers
5. Miami Hurricanes
6. Iowa State Cyclones
7. Texas A&M Aggies
8. Iowa Hawkeyes
9. Auburn Tigers
10. Penn State Nittany Lions
11. Mississippi State/Pittsburgh
12. Drake Bulldogs
13. Kent State Golden Flashes
14. Kennesaw State Owls
15. Colgate Raiders
16. Northern Kentucky Norse

March Madness Midwest Region Top 4 Seeds

1. Houston Cougars

Houston has been the favorite to win it all according to the March Madness winner odds for a majority of the season. Houston went 31-3 with a couple of impressive wins but fell short in the AAC tournament final, although they were missing star point guard Marcus Sasser due to a groin injury. He was day-to-day for the final, and should be good to go for the tournament.

The Cougars have made back-to-back Elite 8s and are experienced, deep, and boast one of the best defenses in the country. This could be the year the Cougars break through and win it all, especially with a home Final Four.

2. Texas Longhorns

Texas has sort of flown under the radar in terms of national-title contenders for a majority of the season, in part due to a turbulent midseason firing of Chris Beard. But this team is talented and battle-tested, navigating the Big 12 to a 26-8 record, including winning the Big 12 Tournament.

• Check out our full March Madness bracket for every matchup.

3. Xavier Musketeers

Xavier was tested early in the non-conference schedule, and after a 4-3 start, rattled off 11 straight wins at the beginning of Big East play. They have impressive wins including over Marquette, beating UConn twice, and winning two of three against Creighton.

Despite the injury to star forward Zach Freemantle, the Musketeers made a run to the Big East Tournament final, where they lost to Marquette.

4. Indiana Hoosiers

The Hoosiers are led by Trayce Jackson-Davis, one of the best players in the country, and swept Big Ten champion Purdue. Indiana fizzled late in the year, going 4-4 in their last eight games, and finished 22-11 in the Big Ten.

They are long and tall across the board – all five starters are over 6-foot-4 and they’re 20th in KenPom’s Average Height metric – which will cause problems for this region.

March Madness Midwest Region Cinderella

10 Penn State

Although the Nittany Lions drew a tough opening-round game against an underseeded Texas A&M team, they’re talented enough to win that game and go on a run. The Nittany Lions fell just short in the Big Ten Championship, but have won eight of their last 10.

Penn State is the most experienced team in the country according to KenPom, and senior Jalen Pickett is a nightmare to guard with his overwhelming strength for a point guard. It’s not a dream draw, but this is a stacked region and having a do-it-all guard could be enough to lift this team to a Cinderella run.

My other favorite Midwest Region Cinderella candidate is Drake. You always have to watch out for the 5/12 game, and although an experienced Miami team is a tough matchup for the Bulldogs, they’re balanced scoring and solid defense could be enough to pull off the upset.

• Get the best March Madness betting promotions and bonuses to give your bankroll a boost for the tournament.

March Madness Midwest Region First-Round Upset

10 Penn State defeats 7 Texas A&M

Penn State, and specifically Jalen Pickett, is a matchup nightmare for anybody they’ll play, and Texas A&M is no different. It’s unfortunate that Texas A&M was underseeded and was matched up against a tough Penn State unit because they’re a fantastic team that won eleven of their last fourteen games.

Texas A&M is 352nd in the nation in 3PA/FGA according to KenPom which means they’re defending the paint and allowing opponents to shoot the three, and Penn State will happily oblige as one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country.

Also consider picking these Midwest Region Round 1 upsets:

• 12 Drake defeats 5 Miami (FL)
• 11 Mississippi State defeats 6 Iowa State

March Madness Midwest Region Winner Prediction

1 Houston defeats 2 Texas to win Midwest Region

It’s chalky, but Houston is No. 1 in KenPom and has been all season. They’re an impressive unit led by their experienced guard play, have made a run before, and match up well with the rest of the Midwest region.

Texas could face their toughest test early with Colgate, a solid mid-major with a ton of size and the ability to knock down the three, but assuming the Longhorns survive, they should be able to cruise to the Elite 8, setting up a fantastic matchup with Houston.

• Read about more NCAA Tournament predictions and get the most up-to-date information on this year’s tournament.

March Madness Midwest Region Best Bets

CBB odds are updated as of Monday, March 13, at 12:30 ET, and courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.

Houston to Win Midwest (+150) | DraftKings Sportsbook

WAGER: 1 Unit

In a tournament with such unpredictability, it’s rare to see continued success like Kelvin Sampson has had at Houston. They’ve made a Final Four and Elite 8 in the last two years, are ferocious defensively, and have good enough guard play to win it all.

If Sasser is healthy, they’re the best team in the country and will prove it by steamrolling the Midwest on the way to a home Final 4.

Indiana to Reach Sweet 16 (+130) | DraftKings Sportsbook

The Hoosiers have one of the best players in the country in Trayce Jackson-Davis and match up well with Miami, assuming both advance past the first round. Some may look at the guard play as an area of concern, but Jalen Hood-Schifino is one of my March Madness breakout candidates.