2015 NCAA Pre-Tournament All-Midwest Regional Teams
Every year there is plenty of talented college basketball players that use the NCAA Tournament to show their craft. The Midwest Region is loaded with star players as they are led by Kentucky. Many teams in the Midwest bracket are led by top guards including West Virginia, Indiana, and Wichita State.
Here are five players to keep your eye on throughout the Midwest Regional games.
Midwest Region
Kentucky center Willie Cauley-Stein
Cauley-Stein is arguably the heart and soul of this Wildcats team. He may not lead the team in any major category but he always makes the play that needs to be made at any given team. The junior from Olathe, KS is looking to lead undefeated Kentucky to the National Title.
Kansas forward Perry Ellis
Perry Ellis has been the Jayhawks best player all year. Ellis averages 13.8 points per game and seven rebounds per game. He suffered a knee injury at the end of the season and didn’t play to his full potential during the Big 12 Conference Tournament so it will be interesting to see how he leads Kansas going forward.
Buffalo forward Justin Moss
Buffalo’s star is the dark horse in this region. Moss leads his team with 17.7 points and nine rebounds per game. The Bulls have played well all year including holding halftime leads over Kentucky and Wisconsin. Moss can potentially lead his team well past the first round in their first tournament appearance.
Wichita State guard Fred Van Vleet
Van Vleet is the general on the floor for the Shockers. The junior is making his third straight NCAA appearance including a trip to the 2013 Final Four so he and his team have the experience to make another run deep into March. Van Vleet averages 12.7 points and five assists per game.
Notre Dame guard Jerian Grant
Grant has been the star of the Notre Dame team all year. The senior scored 16.5 points and six assists per game leading the Fighting Irish to an ACC Tournament championship. With a great guard like Grant, Notre Dame can very well make a run at the Final Four.
Written by Charlie Beuttel
Photo credit: bleacherreport.com; No. 23 Fred Van Vleet and No. 31 Ron Baker look to take Wichita State back to the Final Four in 2015.