2023 March Madness 1st round bracket breakdown: Midwest Region

No. 1 Houston vs. No. 16 Northern Kentucky

The Cougars (31-3) are coming off Elite Eight and Final Four appearances in the last two seasons and are led by senior Marcus Sasser, who averages 17.1 points. However, the team could be without him after he injured his groin in the AAC Conference Tournament matchup against Cincinnati. Kelvin Sampson’s squad could look to freshman Jarace Walker or AAC Defensive Player of the Year Jamal Shead if he’s out.

Northern Kentucky, the Horizon League champion, comes into the tournament led by junior Marques Warrick, who averages 19.1 points and shoots 39% from behind the arc. The Norse will also look for contributions from Chris Brandon, who averaged nearly 10 rebounds during the season. However, No. 16 seeds have just one win against No. 1 seeds, which came back in 2018 when UMBC beat Virginia 74-54.