Can Doug McDermott and Creighton go on a Cinderella run? (Creighton University Athletic Department)

Top Story Lines:

•    Louisville’s tough road for back-to-back championships: The Midwest plays host to top-seed Wichita State, No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Duke and then (finally) No. 4 Louisville. Toss in some tough middle seeds like No. 8 Kentucky and No. 6 UMass, and Louisville is guaranteed to have its hands full.

•    Wichita State’s assault on undefeated greatness: 34-0; let that sink in. Maybe it wasn’t in a power conference, but the Shockers are done trying to surprise the tourney field. They’ll have a tough time getting through a stacked Midwest, but this team still feels it has something to prove to the NCAA.

Top Upset Candidates:

•    No. 12 North Dakota State University: They lead the nation with a 50.9 percent FG clip and Taylor Braun shoots the lights out from beyond the arc, knocking down 44 percent of his three-attempts. No. 5 Oklahoma scores in a hurry, but struggles on defense. The Bison could take this one in a shootout.

•    No. 12 North Carolina State: The Wolfpack are for real. Close losses to UNC and Duke and wins over Pittsburgh and Syracuse have prepared this team for tournament competition. They still need to win a play-in game against Xavier, but then could find a favorable matchup with a struggling St. Louis squad.

First Top Seed To Fall:

•    Wichita State: Arizona is actually the weakest top-seed, but has the easiest road to the Elite Eight, by far. The Midwest is brutal. Even if the chalk holds, potential matchups against No. 8 Kentucky, No. 4 Louisville and then the winner of No. 2 Michigan and No. 3 Duke make their path to the Final Four a veritable mine field.

Ideal Matchup:

•    No. 1 Virginia versus No. 2 Villanova: Sports fans everywhere should be rooting for the Cavaliers and the Wildcats to meet in the Elite Eight. This matchup presents the ultimate battle between a lockdown defense and a high-flying offense. Villanova is a legitimate title contender if its shooting beyond the arc gets hot, but don’t expect Virginia’s methodical defense to allow the Wildcats to try to have that much fun.

Player To Watch:

•    Doug McDermott, Creighton: The front-runner for the Wooden Award, senior McDermott only has one thing left to prove in his college career: that he can carry his team to a NCAA Championship. Is this his year? It could be. The Bluejays have the talent and the will to be a title contender.

You can reach Matthew Tufts here or follow him on Twitter.