One could make the case that the entire 2021 NCAA men’s basketball tournament will take place in the “Midwest Region.”

1. Odds To Win Region Ncaa Tournament 2019
2. Odds To Win Region Ncaa Tournament

2021 NCAA Tournament: West Region Bracket odds. West Region bracket odds will be posted on Selection Sunday. National Championship futures are already posted at top US sportsbooks. Hover over the odds you like below and click on the corresponding tab to place a bet on a team to win this year’s title. NCAA March Madness odds: 2021 NCAA Tournament winner betting. The Bulldogs lost to Texas Tech in the regional final last time out by a score of 75-69, however given how they're fairing so far.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all March Madness games this year will be played in the state of Indiana. Of course, Indiana is the epicenter of Midwest basketball.

Nonetheless, the Big Dance will be broken down into four regions per usual. Here we will look at the 2021 Midwest field, odds for region, and the region’s history.

2021 NCAA Tournament: Midwest Region Bracket odds

Midwest Region bracket odds will be posted soon at top US sportsbooks. If you’re itching for futures beforehand, check out the NCAA title odds below. Hover over the price(s) you like and click to place a wager.

To view more college hoops futures and game lines, go to DraftKings Sportsbook, FanDuel Sportsbook and/or PointsBet.

Midwest Region: What happened last time?

Auburn, the 5 seed, emerged as the Midwest Region champ in 2019, beating Kentucky 77-71 in OT in the Regional Final. What the Tigers accomplished two years ago was mighty impressive considering they had to topple traditional college basketball powers like Kansas, North Carolina and Kentucky along the way. The Jayhawks, Tar Heels and Wildcats all had better seeds than Auburn.

The Tigers’ journey ended on Final Four Saturday as they were edged by eventual National Champion Virginia, 63-62. As far as upsets in the Midwest in 2019, No. 11 Ohio State pulled off the biggest stunner – knocking off No. 6 Iowa State in the first round. No. 9 Washington also beat No. 8 Utah State.

The 2019 Regional semi-finals and final was played in Kansas City.

Midwest Region history: First round upsets

Call this the “feast or famine region” when it comes to upsets. In 2015, for instance, the region did not have a single first round upset. The next year, 2016, a 15 knocked off a 2 seed, a 12 beat a 5, an 11 toppled a 6, a 10 beat a 7 and a 9 upended an 8.

Middle Tennessee was the 15 seed in the Midwest in that crazy tournament five years ago. They toppled No. 2 seed Michigan State.

In the past 21 years, there have also been two 14 seeds that have shocked the world. Mercer took down No. 3 seeded Duke in 2014 and No. 14 Ohio upset No. 3 Georgetown in 2010. The Midwest region has been kind to Ohio as two years after the Bobcats beat the Hoyas, they knocked off Michigan as a 13 seed.

Here is a list of upsets in the Midwest since 2000:

• 2019: No. 11 Ohio State over Iowa State, No. 9 Washington over No. 8 Utah State
• 2018: No. 11 Syracuse over No. 6 TCU
• 2017: No. 11 Rhode Island over No. 6 Creighton, No. 9 Michigan State over No. 8 Miami
• 2016: No. 15 Middle Tennessee over No. 2 Michigan State, No. 12 Little Rock over No. 5 Purdue, No. 11 Gonzaga over No. 6 Seton Hall, No. 10 Syracuse over No. 7 Dayton, No. 9 Butler over No. 8 Texas Tech
• 2015: None
• 2014: No. 14 Mercer over No. 3 Duke, No. 11 Tennessee over No. 6 UMass
• 2013: No. 12 Oregon over No. 5 Oklahoma State
• 2012: No. 13 Ohio over No. 4 Michigan, No. 12 South Florida over No. 5 Temple, No. 11 North Carolina State over No. 6 San Diego State, No. 10 Purdue over Saint Mary’s
• 2011*: N/A
• 2010: No. 14 Ohio over No. 3 Georgetown, No. 10 Georgia Tech over No. 7 Oklahoma State, No. 9 Northern Iowa over No. 8 UNLV
• 2009: No. 13 Cleveland State over No. 4 Wake Forest, No. 12 Arizona over No. 5 Utah, No. 11 Dayton over No. 6 West Virginia, No. 10 USC over No. 7 Boston College, No. 9 Siena over No. 8 Ohio State
• 2008: No. 13 Siena over No. 4 Vanderbilt, No. 12 Villanova over No. 5 Clemson, No. 11 Kansas State over No. 6 USC, No. 10 Davidson over No. 7 Gonzaga
• 2007: No. 11 Winthrop over No. 6 Notre Dame, No. 9 Purdue over No. 8 Arizona
• 2006: No. 12 Montana over No. 5 Nevada, No. 11 UW-Milwaukee over No. 6 Oklahoma
• 2005: No. 12 UW-Milwaukee over No. 5 Alabama, No. 11 UAB over No. 6 LSU, No. 9 Nevada over No. 8 Texas
• 2004: No. 12 Pacific over No. 5 Providence, No. 10 Nevada over No. 7 Michigan State, No. 9 UAB over No. 8 Washington
• 2003: No. 13 Tulsa over No. 4 Dayton, No. 9 Utah over No. 8 Oregon
• 2002: No. 12 Creighton over No. 5 Florida
• 2001: No. 10 Butler over No. 7 Wake Forest, No. 9 Charlotte over No. 8 Tennessee
• 2000: None

*In 2011, the NCAA Div. 1 men’s basketball tournament did not feature a traditional Midwest Region. It instead had an East, West, Southeast and Southwest Region.

NCAA Champions from the Midwest Region

There have been eight NCAA champions from the Midwest Region since 1990, tied for the second most. The South Region has produced nine title teams and the East Region has also had eight teams win it all in that time.

Odds To Win Region Ncaa Tournament 2019

It has been a while since the NCAA champ came from the Midwest. You’d have to go back to 2013 when Louisville won it all.

The “glory years” for the region came in the 2000s when teams from the Midwest won three titles in a row. The Florida Gators won in 2006 and 2007, and then Kansas cut the nets in 2008.

Here is a list of March Madness champions by region and seed going back to 1990:

How the Midwest Region is selected

Seeding is the first priority for the Selection Committee each year. For instance if there are four clear-cut No. 1 seeds but two of them are from East Coast, one is from the South and the other is from the West Coast – an East Coast team might wind up as the top seed in the Midwest Region.

Odds To Win Region Ncaa Tournament

Typically, though – the Midwest is represented at the top of the bracket by a team geographically close to the Midwest. For instance, Kansas was the top seed in 2017 and 2018 and Wichita State was the 1 seed in 2014.

How will the West be won this year? We’re about to find out now that it’s March.

There will be no NCAA tournament games played on the West Coast in 2021 as the entire tourney will be played in the state of Indiana. But the West will be well-represented in this year’s Big Dance.

Gonzaga has been atop odds boards to win the 2021 NCAA Div. 1 men’s basketball National Championship for months. Here, we’ll look at the odds for the Bulldogs, break down the seeding in the West Region bracket, and examine the history of this March Madness region.

2021 NCAA Tournament: West Region Bracket odds

West Region bracket odds will be posted on Selection Sunday. National Championship futures are already posted at top US sportsbooks. Hover over the odds you like below and click on the corresponding tab to place a bet on a team to win this year’s title.

View more National Championship odds at DraftKings Sportsbook, FanDuel Sportsbook and PointsBet.

West Region: What happened last time?

Texas Tech was the winner of the West Region in 2019 as it toppled 1 seed Gonzaga in the Elite 8, 75-69. The Red Raiders then beat Michigan State in the National semi-finals before losing to Virginia in the National Championship game, 85-77 in overtime.

The West was chalk in 2019 as far as the Regional Final goes as 2 seed Michigan and 4 seed Florida State joined Gonzaga and Texas Tech.

First round upsets in the West two years ago included No. 12 Murray State upending No. 5 Marquette, No. 10 Florida dumping No. 7 Nevada, and No. 9 Baylor beating No. 8 Syracuse.

The 2019 West Regional semi-finals and final was held in Anaheim, California.

West Region History: First Round upsets

The West Region has had some of the more memorable first round upsets in March Madness history. In 2001, No. 15 Hampton toppled No. 2 Iowa State. Another 15 over 2 seed upset in the West occurred in 2012 when Norfolk State stunned Missouri.

The West has also had 14 seeds take down 3 seeds as Harvard did the deed in 2013 with a win over New Mexico, and in 2015 Georgia State shocked Baylor.

Here are more upsets that took place in the West over the past 21 years:

• 2019: No. 12 Murray State over No. 5 Marquette, No. 10 Florida over No. 7 Nevada, No. 9 Baylor over No. 8 Syracuse
• 2018: No. 9 over No. 8 Missouri
• 2017: No. 11 Xavier over No. 6 Maryland
• 2016: No. 12 Yale over No. 5 Baylor, No. 11 Northern Iowa over No. 6 Texas, No. 10 VCU over No. 7 Oregon State
• 2015: No. 14 Georgia State over No. 3 Baylor, No. 10 Ohio State over No. 7 Virginia Commonwealth
• 2014: No. 12 North Dakota State over No. 5 Oklahoma
• 2013: No. 14 Harvard over No. 3 New Mexico, No. 13 La Salle over No. 4 Kansas State, No. 12 Mississippi over No. 5 Wisconsin, No. 10 Iowa State over No. 7 Notre Dame, No. 9 Wichita State over No. 8 Pittsburgh
• 2012: No. 15 Norfolk State over No. 2 Missouri, No. 9 Saint Louis over No. 8 Memphis
• 2011: None
• 2010: No. 13 Murray State over No. 4 Vanderbilt
• 2009: No. 10 Maryland over No. 7 California, No. 9 Texas A&M over No. 8 BYU
• 2008: No. 13 San Diego over No. 4 UConn, No. 12 Western Kentucky over No. 5 Drake, No. 9 Texas A&M over No. 8 BYU
• 2007: No. 11 VCU over No. 6 Duke
• 2006: No. 13 Bradley over No. 4 Kansas, No. 10 Alabama over No. 7 Marquette, No. 9 Bucknell over No. 8 Arkansas
• 2005: None
• 2004: None
• 2003: No. 11 Central Michigan over No. 6 Creighton, No. 10 Arizona State over No. 7 Memphis, No. 9 Gonzaga over No. 8 Cincinnati
• 2002: No. 12 Missouri over No. 5 Miami, No. 11 Wyoming over No. 6 Gonzaga
• 2001: No. 15 Hampton over No. 2 Iowa State, No. 13 Kent State over No. 4 Indiana, No. 11 Georgia State over No. 3 Maryland, No. 10 Georgetown over No. 7 Arkansas, No. 9 St. Joe’s over No. 8 Georgia Tech
• 2000: No. 10 Gonzaga over No. 7 Louisville

NCAA Champions from the West Region

The West Region has had the longest drought when it comes to having a team win it all. Kemba Walker’s 2011 UConn Huskies were the last team from the West Region to cut down the nets in early April. UConn accomplished the feat that season as a 3 seed.

The Huskies, despite being an East Coast school, have had great success whenever they’ve been placed in the West. UConn also captured the title in 2004 and 1999 after coming out of the West.

The 1995 UCLA Bruins and 1990 UNLV Runnin’ Rebels are the only other two programs to win the championship out of the West Region in the past 31 years. The West has produced the least amount of champions (five) out of any NCAA tournament region during that time.

Here is a list of NCAA tournament champions over the past three decades.

How the West Region is selected

Thirty-two NCAA teams receive automatic bids into the NCAA tournament. The rest of the field is chosen by the NCAA Div. 1 men’s basketball “Selection Committee,” headed by Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart. The committee chooses at-large teams via their season record, strength of schedule, scoring margin, location of wins and losses, net offensive and defensive efficiency, and quality of wins and losses.

Top teams will be placed in tournament regions that are geographically close to where they are from. Teams that barely squeak into the tourney might have to do some traveling.