Kelvin Sampson Spent Years Building Houston For This Moment - 2025 NCAA Tournament Region (Midwest) Breakdown, Preview And Picks
I've done this every year since I've been at Barstool and we roll on in 2025. I'll be looking at each region to get everyone ready for the NCAA Tournament. Not the First Four, the real field of 64. We'll look at matchups, previews, players to watch and what could be a sleeper team to come out of each region.
Previous Blogs
Storylines
1. Houston has been waiting for this year - This is the best Houston team we've seen. J'Wan Roberts is injured and we need to wait and see what happens for him. The first round game shouldn't matter obviously, but long term here. This isn't the same Houston team we're used to seeing. They are still the best defense in the country. But they can shoot. They have 3 guards in Uzan, Sharp and Cryer that are damn good, might be the best guard combo in the country. It's not just bailing out and hoping to win in the 50s. They can score when they have to and that's the difference. It's also been a run of bad luck for Sampson. They got beat the buzzer by Jordan Poole in the Round of 32 and then Tyler Herro buried them in the Sweet 16 and then you had the Jamal Shead injury last year. They are made for the run.
2. Lamont Butler's injury - It's my blog, this is the biggest storyline for me. It's no secret Kentucky is not good defensively. However, Lamont Butler changes all of that. He's he head of the snake who can get after other guards. He's also the only lead guard who isn't out for the season right now for Kentucky. You get a guy like that close to 80% or so with that shoulder injury and the outlook for Kentucky can change.
3. Can Tennessee finally make a Final Four - This is going to be the story every year until they actually do it. Reminder, Tennessee has never made a Final Four. Ever. Just wanted to throw that out there. They've had top seeds, they've had collapses, devastating losses, you name it. But now it's another year with a 2 seed and if Tennessee can finally have some sort of consistent offense to win 4 in a row.
4. Gonzaga's run at history - Gonzaga is sitting on 9 straight Sweet 16s. They got underseeded as an 8 seed and will draw Houston in the round of 32 assuming they beat Georgia. It's worth noting that Gonzaga is a top-10 KenPom team. It's by far the worst draw as a 1 seed in the Round of 32. Yeah, Auburn would have Louisville in Rupp and UConn has Hurley magic, but Gonzaga is by far the best 8 seed. I've seen a lot of people say the winner of that game feels like the Final Four team.
5. What Purdue shows up - Purdue finally did what everyone was waiting for. They made the title game a year ago. Now without Zach Edey and an up-and-down year, they find themselves back as a 4 seed. The running joke for some time was the brutal losses Purdue had, especially to mid-majors.
Players to Watch
There are a couple of ways to look at this, but I'm looking at this strictly as an intrigue factor. These are players that could be lottery picks in the NBA Draft, could put a team on their back or are just flat out good. We're trying to avoid the obvious ones or All-Americans like Braden Smith or Tre Johnson here.
1. Milos Uzan (Houston) - I love everything about Uzan's game. Sharp gets attention for the shooting, Cryer for the scoring, Roberts is the heart and soul of the team, but Uzan made them arguably the best team in the country. This team ran through the Big 12, they have one loss in regulation all year and Uzan has embraced the lead guard role perfectly for Houston. If they win the title, it's because of Uzan.
2. Will Riley (Illinois) - Very few teams have an NBA talent and scorer that spent most of the year coming off the bench. Illinois has that with Will Riley (who has started recently). He's a big guard who when on fire opens up Illinois' offense. They've been known as the team who can't shoot but doesn't stop shooting. All it takes is one decent game and everything changes.
3. Otega Oweh (Kentucky) - Oweh has turned into Kentucky's best player. He's the go-to scorer and the one player on the roster who looks to attack downhill first. There's no Jaxson Robinson, there's no Kerr Kriisa and a banged up Lamon Butler. Oweh i going to be asked to do more as a secondary ball handler. He's won games for Kentucky.
4. Eric Daily (UCLA) - UCLA is somehow just sitting there as a 7 seed. They are a weird team in the sense of no one talking about them, hitting the lows before Cronin called out their team and they responded. Dailey is a unique guy. They need to get him going. He's a guy that can score for them and look the part from time to time of being a star.
5. Igor Milicic (Tennessee) - We know Ziegler and Lanier but Milicic is the dude who scares me. Maybe it's the fact I saw him bury a bunch of threes against Kentucky (both losses) and be a mismatch. They need someone else to show up if they want to win 4 in a row. He's the guy. It has to be him or Gainey but Milicic is the bigger mismatch.
Honorable Mention: Ryan Conwell (Xavier), Chase Hunter (Clemson), Tramon Mark (Texas), CJ Cox (Purdue), Braden Huff (Gonzaga)
My Favorite Bet to Make the Final Four (odds here)
Houston +105
Longshot: Gonzaga +950
I don't know how to pick against Houston here. They are basically a better Tennessee. Kentucky is injured, Illinois can't be trusted, Clemson lost Dillon Hunter to injury, Purdue is inconsistent. Gonzaga is the only longshot I can see here or willing to take at all. They have the top-10 KenPom ranking so they are good. It just feels like Houston's year. There's no other way to look at this and I can't see a true longshot coming out here, even if you consider Gonzaga a longshot 8 seed.
Matchup you want to see: Kentucky vs Tennessee in the Sweet 16. Give me the rivalry. Give me the blood. Give me the third win.