March Madness bracket 2022: The contenders with the easiest and most difficult

At long last, the 2022 NCAA Tournament is upon us, and debate is raging in the final days leading up to the first round action over how the bracket shapes up. Ultimately, the twists and turns of the event end up creating unforeseen matchups, and a single upset can open the door for utter chaos in a given region.

But until the ball is tipped, it’s impossible to know who is going to get the breaks that will help facilitate a deep run. As things stand before Thursday’s action, the best we can do is look at the bracket and see whose path looks the easiest and whose looks most difficult.

In the West Region, for example, a potential Sweet 16 matchup with No. 4 seed Arkansas or No. 5 seed UConn looks like it could be tough for No. 1 overall seed Gonzaga. But what if No. 13 seed Vermont becomes the darling of the Big Dance and knocks off the Razorbacks and the Huskies to reach the Sweet 16? The Zags and their front court duo of Drew Timme and Chet Holmgren would match up quite favorably against the undersized Catamounts, and their path to the Final Four would all of the sudden become easier.

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Never say never. But while we wait for the hypotheticals to play out, here is a look at some of the easiest and toughest potential paths in the 2022 NCAA Tournament as things stand before the chaos.

Easiest paths

(1) Kansas

• First round: vs. (16) Texas Southern/Texas A&M Corpus-Christi winner
• Second-round possible opponents: (8) San Diego State vs. (9) Creighton winner
• Sweet 16 possible opponents: (4) Providence | (5) Iowa | (12) Richmond | (13) South Dakota State 

The Jayhawks have the shakiest case to be a No. 1 seed yet managed to land the easiest path of the group. There should be little fear in facing the winner of No. 8 San Diego State and No. 9 Creighton. The Bluejays reached the Big East Tournament title game but have lost three of their past six in total and are missing starting point guard Ryan Nembhard due to injury. San Diego State’s stout defense will require KU’s attention, to be sure, but the Aztecs’ double-digit losses to USC and Michigan from earlier this season suggest the talent gap will be too steep to for the Aztecs to overcome.

From there, potential Sweet 16 matchups with Providence and Iowa are quite favorable for KU from an advanced statistics standpoint. While the Hawkeyes are unquestionably entering the Big Dance as one of the nation’s hottest teams, their defense still lags behind at No. 77 nationally, according to KenPom.com. Iowa star forward Keegan Murray can’t be stopped entirely, but KU forward Jalen Wilson is equipped with the right combination of size and athleticism to at least contain him.

Providence has been a team of destiny at times this season and has a Big East regular season title to prove it. But it’s well-documented that the Friars have charted well in the “luck” category by repeatedly squeaking out victories in close games. From there, anything can happen. But even potential Elite Eight matchups with Auburn and Wisconsin are not daunting. The Badgers lost at home to lowly Nebraska on March 6 and then bowed out of the Big Ten Tournament after one game. Then there’s Auburn, which enters playing the worst basketball of anyone with a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the bracket.

(2) Auburn

Auburn is just 5-4 over its last nine games since a 22-1 start that catapulted it to No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for the first time in program history. But the Tigers were gift-wrapped a spot in the manageable Midwest Region and should be able to plod their way through the first weekend while looking to regain their January form. An opening round contest against No. 15 seed in-state foe Jacksonville State could prove testy, but the Tigers are superiorly talented. A second round matchup with No. 10 seed Miami might be more challenging for Auburn than playing No. 7 seed USC. The Hurricanes’ savvy guards can give Auburn problems, but Miami has no one capable of containing Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler in the front court.

Once in the Sweet 16, Auburn would be likely to face No. 3 seed Wisconsin or No. 6 seed LSU. The Badgers’ plight is mentioned above, and LSU is a team Auburn beat in the regular season that has since lost its coach. Then, it could come down to a meeting with Kansas, and the Jayhawks are the weakest of this year’s four No. 1 seeds.

(3) Texas Tech

As the No. 3 seed in the West Region, the Red Raiders would play Alabama or the winner of Wednesday night’s First Four game between Rutgers and Notre Dame in the second round. None of those three teams are entering this tournament playing particularly well.

While Texas Tech’s offense can go cold at times, its defense travels and will make it a difficult team for opponents to prepare for on…