Combine the other three regions in this year's NCAA men's tournament, and the Midwest can probably match it.
The last two national champions, Wally Szczerbiak, last year's national runner-up, a No. 1 seed with an 18-game winning streak, a No. 2 who has won 22 straight, more than half of its teams coming off conference championships; the Midwest has it all.
All of which means finding a Final Four team isn't easy. At the top is Mateen Cleaves and Michigan State, winners of the aforementioned 18 straight and a Big Ten title. Right behind you find Utah and Kentucky, who just happened to square off in last season's national championship.
For an encore, Utah has gone out and won 22 straight with Andre Miller at the helm, while Kentucky shook off a shaky end to the regular season by rolling through the SEC tournament last weekend.
The Utes still face the yearly question of how much a 27-4 record means coming from the WAC, and the Wildcats lost more regular season games than they had in nine years before pulling together in their conference tourney.
"We all wish we could have jelled quicker, but we're starting to jell now," said Scott Padgett, Kentucky's senior leader.
This region, however, isn't just strong at the very top. Look all the way down to No. 12 and there's Rhode Island, who beat Temple Saturday on a Lamar Odom three-point buzzer-beater and has last year's Elite Eight appearance as a recent memory.
Then there's speedy Arizona, who is certainly not as loaded as it was a year ago, but still has Jason Terry and A.J. Bramlett. No. 5 UNC-Charlotte might be the third best team in the state of North Carolina right now, especially after knocking off Cincinnati twice in Conference USA this season.
And Miami, Ohio is just a 10th seed, but Szczerbiak could be worth an upset or two if the RedHawks can shake Washington, who won two games in last season's tournament.
One team not accustomed to its position is Kansas. The Jayhawks, at No. 6, are in their lowest position in 11 years. At least this year, an upset in the second round wouldn't be an upset for Kansas.
It would, however, be an upset if the Spartans lose early. At 29-4, Michigan State has set a school record for wins and has its sights set on nothing less than St. Petersburg.
If the Spartans make it through this region, respect certainly won't be an issue anymore.
"It's going to be tough, so we've got to go home this week and get ready to play," Cleaves said after the Big Ten tournament sent Michigan State to Milwaukee. "Being close to home is great."
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