March Madness 2009 Regional Breakdowns: Midwest Region (Indianapolis)

(Note 3/16, 1:12 pm: March Madness is here! Each of of these regional primers will be constantly updated with the official brackets and TV schedules, my predictions, ticket resources, game point spreads and odds, plus the results as they pour in over the next two weeks. Just as we did with out conference tournament posts, this series of posts is designed for you to bookmark and come back to anytime you need information on one of the regions in the 2009 NCAA Tournament.)

2009 NCAA Tournament: Midwest Region

Here is the pertinent meta information for the Midwest Region of the 2009 NCAA Tournament:

• Sweet 16 and Elite 8 Location: Lucas Oil Stadium — Indianapolis, IN
• Top 4 Seeds: #1 Louisville, #2 Michigan State, #3 Kansas, #4 Wake Forest

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• Ticket Information for First and Second Round Sites: first round locations are based on pod system. Find the location for each game below, and then follow the links to get ticket information for all first and second round sites in the 2009 NCAA Tournament:
  StubHub: 2009 NCAA Tournament First and Second Tickets
  RazorGator: 2009 NCAA Tournament First and Second Round Tickets

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• Ticket Information for Regional Semifinal and Regional Final Rounds in Indianapolis:
  StubHub: 2009 Midwest Regional Final and Semifinal Tickets – Indianapolis
  RazorGator: 2009 Midwest Regional Final and Semifinal Tickets – Indianapolis

Now, let’s break down the bracket for the Midwest Region of the 2009 NCAA Tournament. First, a few quick notes:

1. This should go without saying, but for any March Madness first-timers: all games are on CBS. You’ll have to check your local listings to find out which games are on in your area. But all games can be viewed live online for free at the following link:
   Watch NCAA Tournament Games Online at March Madness On Demand
2. If you want to view the schedule in actual bracket form, there is a link underneath the table.
3. The table below provides the following details on a game-by-game basis: date, time, location, announcers, and the point spread.
4. I will add/update the information as it becomes available. If any piece of information is missing and you know it, or know where it is, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment. I’ll appreciate it. I promise.
5. #1 seed Louisville will play the winner of the opening round play-in game between Alabama State and Morehead State. That game will take place Tuesday night, 3/17, at 7:30 ET. Morehead State is favored by 2.5 points.
6. All spreads are as of 3/16 and provided by Sportsbook.com via DocSports. Follow the links for the most current spread info. Announcer schedules courtesy of Awful Announcing.

And now, here is the schedule breakdown for the 2009 NCAA Tournament Midwest Region (all times ET):

Midwest Regional Bracket, TV Schedule, Sites, Announcers

Game	Matchup	Date	Time	Location	Announcers	Spread
	FIRST ROUND
1	#1 Louisville def. #16 Morehead St 74-54	Fri, 3/20	7:10 PM	Dayton	Lundquist-Raftery	LOU -20 1/2
2	#9 Siena def. #8 Ohio State 74-72	Fri, 3/20	9:40 PM	Dayton	Lundquist-Raftery	OSU-3.5
3	#13 Cleveland St. def. #4 Wake Forest 84-69	Fri, 3/20	9:40 PM	Miami	Eagle-Spanarkel	WFU -8
4	#12 Arizona def. #5 Utah 84-71	Fri, 3/20	7:10 PM	Miami	Eagle-Spanarkel	AZ -1
5	#2 Michigan St. def. #15 Robert Morris 77-62	Fri, 3/20	9:50 PM	Minneapolis	Johnson-Elmore	MSU -17
6	#10 USC def. #7 Boston College	Fri, 3/20	7:20 PM	Minneapolis	Johnson-Elmore	USC -2
7	#3 Kansas def. #14 N. Dakota St. 84-74	Fri, 3/20	12:30 PM	Minneapolis	Johnson-Elmore	KU -10
8	#11 Dayton def. #6 West Virginia 68-60	Fri, 3/20	3:00 PM	Minneapolis	Johnson-Elmore	WVU -8.5
	SECOND ROUND
9	#1 Louisville def. #9 Siena 79-72	Sun, 3/22	5:20 PM	Dayton	Lundquist-Raftery	UL -11 1/2
10	#12 Arizona def. #13 Cleveland State 71-57	Sun, 3/22	2:40 PM	Miami	Eagle-Spanarkel	AZ -3 1/2
11	#2 Michigan State def. #10 USC 74-69	Sun, 3/22	5:00 PM	Minneapolis	Johnson-Elmore	MSU -4 1/2
12	#3 Kansas def. #11 Dayton 60-43	Sun, 3/22	2:30 PM	Minneapolis	Johnson-Elmore	KU -7 1/2
	SWEET 16
13	#1 Louisville def. #12 Arizona 103-64	March 27	7:07 PM	Indianapolis	Johnson-Elmore	UL -9 1/2
14	#2 Michigan State def. #3 Kansas 67-62	March 27	9:37 PM	Indianapolis	Johnson-Elmore	MSU -2 1/2
	ELITE 8 - REGIONAL FINAL
15	#2 Michigan State def. #2 Louisville 64-52	March 29	2:20 PM	Indianapolis	Johnson-Elmore	UL -7

Follow the link for a PDF of a printable 2009 NCAA Tournament Bracket, delivered by CollegeHoopsNet.com.

FYI, the in-studio hosts for CBS’ coverage of the 2009 NCAA Tournament this year will be Greg Gumbel, Greg Anthony, and Seth Davis. Here are the 8 announcer pairings for the first and second round games:

• Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg (will handle Final Four)
• Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery
• Dick Enberg or Carter Blackburn and Jay Bilas
• GUS JOHNSON!!! and Len Elmore
• Kevin Harlan and Dan Bonner
• Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel
• Craig Bolerjack and Bob Wenzel
• Tim Brando and Mike Gminski

If there is anything specific you’d like to know but don’t feel like looking up for yourself, just ask in the comments. We’re all about on-demand information here at MSF.

UPDATE 3/17: It’s time for some predictions.

Earlier today, I posted my official one-and-only NCAA Tournament bracket predictions. I actually devised what I call a subjective-objective metric-based approach to my predictions this year. For a complete explanation of the metrics I used and how the system worked, read the complete Mens Tournament Bracket Prediction post. (FYI: Some of the analysis-based verbiage below may not make complete sense without reading the explanation in the bracket prediction post.)

Here is the section specific to the Midwest region:

Midwest Region Predictions

First Round Picks – Midwest Region

• #1 Louisville
• #9 Siena over #8 Ohio State
• #5 Utah over #12 Arizona
• #4 Wake Forest over #13 Cleveland State
• #6 West Virginia over #11 Dayton
• #14 North Dakota St over #3 Kansas
• #7 Boston College over #10 USC
• #2 Michigan State over #15 Robert Morris

Siena and Ohio State were actually pretty evenly matched up, with Siena having a slight 3-2-1 advantage. Siena has a much better record on the road and more experienced guards, so I feel comfortable about that one. But it’s an 8/9 game so who the hell knows.

The one that will jump off the page is #14 North Dakota State over #3 Kansas. NDSU went 10-4 on the road this year, makes just under 74% of their free throws, has all senior guards, and only turns the ball over 11.3 times. Their Strength of Schedule is obviously not very good, but they played outstanding against their level of competition. Considering Kansas’ poor play very late in the season, and their relative youth, I am not afraid of this upset pick. If I had to bet money, I’d obviously put it on the Jayhawks, but now I won’t be at all shocked if they go down, much to the dismay of Bill Self.

Second Round Picks – Midwest Region

• #1 Louisville over #9 Siena
• #5 Utah over #4 Wake Forest
• #14 North Dakota State over #6 West Virginia
• #2 Michigan State over #7 Boston College

I like Utah over Wake Forest because of the experience factor, the fact that Utah turns the ball over more than two times per game less, and Utah’s ability to hit free throws at a 78.2% clip. Wake Forest clearly has the more talented team though; so again, this is a game where me being wrong would not be surprising at all.

And once again, you see my tourney darkhorse North Dakota State winning again. Considering the numbers I stated above, does this surprise you? West Virginia shoots less than 70% from the line, has relative inexperience at the guard position (a 2.5 score to NDSU’s 4) and turns the ball over slightly more.

Sweet 16 Picks – Midwest Region

• #1 Louisville over #5 Utah
• #2 Michigan State over #14 North Dakota State

Louisville beats Utah across the board, except for free throw shooting. The Michigan State-North Dakota State game was actually a tie by the categories. Michigan State wins in road record, seed, and strength of schedule, but falls short in FT shooting, guard experience, and TO/game. Non-adjacent favored seeds win out though, so NDSU’s Cinderalla story comes to an end.

Elite 8 Pick – Midwest Region

• #2 Michigan State over #1 Louisville

Honestly, this surprised me a little bit. When I first sat down to look at the brackets, the Spartans were a team I looked at as potentially being ripe for an early upset. But looking deeper, many of their metrics, at least with respect to my personal basketball biases, make them a tournament-ready team. Add in the extra motivation of the Final Four being in Detroit, and I can see this happening.

The Spartans win 3-2-1, with the teams tying in guard experience and Louisville besting Michigan State in seeding and TO/game. Michigan State’s other advantages were by slim margins, which is to be expected. I think this would be a great regional final that could go either way (a refrain you will probably hear repeated as we move forward), but as a Big Ten fan I would love to see Tom Izzo and the boys make it to Detroit.

Tags: 2009 NCAA Tournament, indianapolis, Lucas Oil Stadium, march madness, Midwest Region

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