Despite losing in the ACC Tournament final, the Virginia Cavaliers were rewarded for a stellar season with the No. 1 seed in the Midwest region. It’s a curious decision by the committee, making the Cavaliers fly out to Des Moines for the early rounds. The Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight matchups take place in Chicago in this region.
NCAA bracket 2016: Virginia, Michigan State lead Midwest Region
Virginia and Michigan State are set for a potential collision course in the Midwest.
Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
The Cavaliers finished the regular season 24-6 and 13-5 in conference play, earning the No. 2 seed in the ACC tourney. They blew past Georgia Tech by 20 points and edged out Miami by five before eventually falling to North Carolina in the championship round. North Carolina won the No. 1 seed in the East region.
The No. 2 seed is Michigan State, which strangely didn’t get a top seed after winning the Big Ten Tournament. The region is set up for a potential collision course between the Spartans and Cavaliers in the Elite Eight. But first, both teams will have to get past some tricky opponents. Teams like Purdue, Iowa State and Utah all have the talent to make deep runs, while Arkansas-Little Rock is looking to make some noise as the resident mid-major darling.
Here’s the complete bracket for the Midwest region.
1. Virginia
16. Hampton
8. Texas Tech
9. Butler
5. Purdue
12. Arkansas-Little Rock
4. Iowa State
13. Iona
6. Seton Hall
11. Gonzaga
3. Utah
14. Fresno State
7. Dayton
10. Syracuse
2. Michigan State
15. Middle Tennessee
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