We’ve made it to Part 4 of our ReCover 3 Bracket Breakdown series. After dissecting the South, West, and East regions, we’re closing it out with the Midwest — a bracket stacked with elite defenses, explosive scorers, and a brutal bottom half full of blue-bloods.
As always, we’re using our proven 3-step model: Data-driven research 📊, trends analysis 📈, and AI insights 🤖.
On top of that, we’ve curated expert picks and trends from dozens of analysts and betting sources to help finalize our bracket. Let’s wrap it up.
1st Round
(1) Houston over (16) SIUE — No surprise here. Houston’s physicality and defense overwhelmed SIUE from the opening tip.
(8) Gonzaga over (9) Georgia — Gonzaga’s tournament experience gave them the edge in a close battle. Georgia struggled to hit shots in crunch time.
(5) Clemson over (12) McNeese — McNeese was a trendy upset pick, but Clemson’s defense stepped up, and their depth made the difference.
(4) Purdue over (13) High Point — Zach Edey and the Boilermakers rolled here. High Point had no answer for Purdue’s size and execution.
(11) Texas/Xavier over (6) Illinois — We went with the 11-seed upset. Illinois had trouble with turnovers and couldn’t capitalize in transition.
(3) Kentucky over (14) Troy — Kentucky’s athleticism was too much for Troy. This one got out of hand early and stayed that way.
(7) UCLA over (10) Utah State — UCLA executed in the halfcourt and hit timely threes down the stretch. Utah State couldn’t keep up with the tempo late.
(2) Tennessee over (15) Wofford — Tennessee’s defense shut Wofford down. Easy win for the 2-seed.
2nd Round
(1) Houston over (8) Gonzaga — Gonzaga made a push, but Houston’s defensive pressure wore them down. Big stops in the final minutes sealed it.
(4) Purdue over (5) Clemson — Clemson kept it close, but Purdue’s size and interior play gave them the edge in the second half.
(3) Kentucky over (11) Texas/Xavier — The Wildcats had too much firepower. Their guard play controlled the pace and kept the 11-seed comeback at bay.
(2) Tennessee over (7) UCLA — Tennessee locked in defensively and made life miserable for UCLA’s shooters. Their halfcourt execution was sharp.
Sweet 16
(1) Houston over (4) Purdue — A heavyweight matchup. Houston’s ball pressure and rebounding edge helped them contain Purdue’s bigs and advance to the Elite 8.
(2) Tennessee over (3) Kentucky — In a huge SEC showdown, Tennessee’s defense carried the day. They controlled tempo and made every Kentucky bucket a grind.
Elite 8
(1) Houston over (2) Tennessee — Tennessee made a strong push, but Houston’s perimeter defense and clutch rebounding helped them survive. The Cougars advance to the Final Four.
Final Four Pick: Houston
Houston reaches the Final Four out of the Midwest — but their run ends there. In the national semifinal, we have Houston falling to Duke, who then moves on to the title game before ultimately losing to Florida in our projected championship.
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📍 Missed the other regions?
➡️ South Region
➡️ West Region
➡️ East Region
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