2024 NCAA Tournament Midwest Region bracket strategy: Will Purdue advance? Bracket busters and more

The Midwest region may as well be called the "Prove It" region. The top two seeds -- Purdue and Tennessee -- both have a lot of pressure to buck recent March Madness failures and finally make a Final Four run. 

You may remember, Purdue was a one-seed last season. However, the Boilermakers had a bump in the road on their way to the Final Four. That bump was called Fairleigh Dickinson. The Knights became just the second 16-seed to knock off a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. 

Zach Edey and Purdue should come in motivated but the question remains: Are the Boilermaker guards good enough? I'm not so sure. 

Tennessee has been one of the top teams in the country all season. But we all know about the Rick Barnes narrative. Barnes has never gone past the Sweet 16 as head coach of Tennessee. It should be noted though that Barnes did make two Elite Eights and a Final Four at Texas. 

And then there is Kansas. The traditional power enters the tournament dealing with key injuries to Hunter Dickinson and Kevin McCullar. The Jayhawks also struggle to shoot the basketball, ranking 210th in three-point percentage, according to KenPom. Can Bill Self find some March magic?

There are a lot of questions in the Midwest region heading into the NCAA Tournament. The team that answers those questions will likely reach the Final Four. 

Odds to win Midwest Region (FanDuel)

• Purdue +165
• Tennessee +360
• Creighton +480
• Gonzaga +1000
• Kansas +1200
• Texas +1800
• TCU +2500
• South Carolina +3500
• Oregon +3500
• Utah State +4500
• Colorado State +6000
• McNeese State +7500
• Samford +10000
• Virginia +10000
• Akron +17000
• Saint Peter's +25000
• Grambling +25000
• Montana State +25000

Which team will win the Midwest Region? And which upset could bust brackets? Join SportsLine right now to see Midwest Region bracket strategy, all from the expert who is on a 20-3 ATS run at SportsLine, returning $1,663 to $100 bettors!