Strictly geographically speaking, Cincinnati could rightfully call themselves the center of the Universe when it comes to basketball. Problem is, we all know most of the basketball lore from Cincy is via an Indianapolis-native briefly providing his talents in the late 50s. The same man who the NCAA later named their Player of the Year trophy after: Oscar Robertson.
Besides that, there's not much to say about Tri-State Hoops being the capital. Much of the collegiate success over recent decades have spread out to neighboring schools Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Louisville, Michigan State... the list goes far beyond just bluebloods and powerhouses - Dayton was a top-5 school just as March Madness was about to begin, until the damn panic shut it down. Creighton was contending for a top-10 spot. Iowa & Illinois were ranked in the top-10.
I might be so bold as to say that in any given year, at least half the ranked teams are from the Midwest. Yep, that includes NET, RPI, Sagarin, and KenPom rankings.
So I thought, let's put together a crude lil map and then check every now and then to see how well the prediction holds up.
2021 Update: Naturally, the NCAA chose Indianapolis, and Indiana to host the entire Men's Basketball tournament this March with most games (including all elite8+ games) within covered-walking distance of Circle Center in the Circle City, just south of Carmel aka Roundabout City, which is quick drive to anywhere else around Indy, thanks to Interstate-465 highway, a circle around the city known for driving in circles (ovals). Get it yet? 🎯