NCAA Tournament Midwest Region breakdown: Cinderella, bracket buster, Final Four pick

SportsLine expert Thomas Casale, who's on an incredible 57-32 run with his official CBB picks, analyzes the Midwest—including sharing his top upset pick in the region

Thomas Casale
Updated: Mar 18, 2025 5:32pm . 1 min read

The Midwest has the looks of a chalk region in my opinion. Houston is a very strong team and Tennessee is my highest-rated two seed.

This year's Midwest bracket reminds me of last season, where Purdue and Tennessee were the two top seeds. I felt like both teams were on a collision course to an Elite Eight matchup. I see the same thing happening this year with Houston and Tennessee, but there still may be a surprise along the way. 

Is there a sleeper in the Midwest region? What about a bracket buster? We break down the Midwest region to find out. 

Who does SportsLine expert Thomas Casale have as his Final Four pick out of the Midwest Region? What about a team to make a potential Cinderella run? Join SportsLine right now to see get the full breakdown from each region, all from an expert who is on a 57-32 ATS run at SportsLine!