This article is part of our NCAA Tournament Preview series.
West Region Preview
South Region Preview
East Region Preview
MIDWEST REGION PREVIEW
The Midwest Region looks like the most difficult region in the 2013 NCAA Tournament. No. 1 seed Louisville is one the hottest teams in the country and the top overall seed in the entire tournament. The stars of the region may well be the coaches, with Lousville's Rick Pitino, Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and Michigan State's Tom Izzo taking center stage. One of the feel-good stories in the country is also in this region, with No. 4 seed Saint Louis overcoming the death of coach Rick Majerus to win 27 games and take home the Atlantic-10 tournament title. Quite simply, the 2013 national champion may come out of the Midwest Region.
THE FAVORITES
No. 1 Louisville - The Cardinals have won 10 games in a row and 13 of their last 14, the only blemish during that time a five-overtime loss to Notre Dame on Feb. 9. Senior Peyton Siva and junior Russ Smith comprise one of the most experienced backcourts in this year's field, and forwards Gorgui Dieng and Chane Behanan are key frontcourt pieces. It will not be easy to keep up the late-season momentum, but Louisville could find itself in the Final Four for the second straight year.
No. 2 Duke - The Blue Devils stayed in the conversation for a No. 1 seed all season despite losing forward Ryan Kelly to a foot injury for nearly two months. A disappointing loss to