West Region Breakdown

In the West region we have the controversial 1-seed Gonzaga.  The biggest knock on the Bulldogs is they didn't beat anybody to deserve a top seed as their 96th ranked strength of schedule proves that.  In my opinion this is the weakest bracket as far as top seeds, which then makes this the most difficult to choose.  Ohio State will likely get the bulk of the picks to come out because they seem to be hitting their stride and Aaron Craft is giving Deshaun Thomas the scoring help he needs.  But, don't be surprised to see a lot of teams crossed out on this side of your bracket once we reach the Final Four.

Top Seeds
1. Gonzaga
2. Ohio State
3. New Mexico
4. Kansas State

Sleepers
Like I said, anything can happen in this bracket so of course there's going to be sleepers.  Analysts have mentioned Belmont and Iowa State but the biggest is Pittsburgh.  Ranked seventh in Ken Pomeroy's overall rankings, the Panthers have size and athleticism to compete with anybody in their region.  Offensively they rank 18th in FG% and defensively they hold opponents to only 55.4 points per game.  Tray Woodall is the type of senior leader that can guide this team to a deep run in the tournament.

First Round Upset Alerts
4 Kansas State vs 13 LaSalle/Boise State - K-State better not take its play-in opponent lightly.  Depending if LaSalle or Boise State win, they both have potential to upset the Wildcats.  The Explorers have wins over Butler, VCU and Villanova and Ramon Galloway can go off on any night.  As for the Broncos, they pushed MSU at the Breslin only losing by four and beat Creighton on the road by 13.  Anthony Drmic and Derrick Marks both average over 16 points.

5 Wisconsin vs 12 Ole Miss - Wisconsin was the surprise of the Big Ten but that's typical for Bo Ryan to produce with players we've never heard of.  Another thing that's typical are his teams going out early in the tournament.  It almost seems when the Badgers are expected to do well, they disappoint.  Marshall Henderson of Ole Miss can really fill it up as he's scoring 20 a game but his mouth gets him just as much publicity.  He did say he's taking after Jalen Rose and the Fab Five so I can't hate the guy too much.  But, the player to watch is Murphy Holloway.  A 6'7" bruiser that averages 14.6 points and 9.6 rebounds.  Bo's team plays good D and they will need it in this game.

6 Arizona vs 11 Belmont - The Belmont Bruins are a great shooting team led by Ian Clark who averages 18.1 ppg while shooting 54% from the field and 46% from deep.  He's hit nine 3's in a game this year so watch out if he gets hot.  The Wildcats started 17-1 but struggled against the top teams in the Pac-12.  This team has been susceptible to upsets the second half of the season so they need to be on watch.

7 Notre Dame vs 10 Iowa State - Jack Cooley is a double-double machine for the Irish but Iowa State has the ability to shoot anybody out of the tournament.  The Cyclones are the prototypical team that can pull off upsets because they lead the nation in made 3's at 9.8 per game.  Tyrus McGee, Korie Lucious and Chris Babb all have made more than 60 3-pointers this year but it's Will Clyburn that does a little bit of everything for this team.  If ISU is on from long range they can do damage.

Possible Matchups
Gonzaga vs Pittsburgh - I'm someone that actually isn't hating on the Zags.  I believe they should be a 1-seed but Pitt poses a big problem for the Bulldogs.  Gonzaga's strength is their big men Kelly Olynyk (7'0) and Elias Harris (6'8) but the Panthers can match that size with Steven Adams (7'0) and Talib Zanna (6'9).  If Pitt is able to slow down the attack of Gonzaga it will make this an interesting one.  But the Zags score 77 points and shoot 50% per game so that is easier said than done.

Ohio State vs New Mexico - I believe that whoever wins this game comes out of this region.  New Mexico can struggle at times on offense but their defense is always present.  The Lobos won a Mountain West regular season and conference title behind Kendall Williams who dropped 46 earlier this year against Colorado St.  Ohio State is on a roll right now winning eight straight and a B1G tournament title along the way.  Deshaun Thomas leads this team in scoring at 19.5 a game but Aaron Craft will be the deciding factor.  If he can continue to contribute offensively they will surely make their way to Atlanta.

My Pick
Again, this region comes down to Ohio State-New Mexico and I'm taking the Buckeyes.  OSU is hot right now and somehow have gotten stronger at the end of a rugged Big Ten season.  Defensively this team can stop anybody and Craft is one of the best on-ball defenders in the country.  To start the year they had difficulty beating ranked teams but won four late in the season over Indiana, Michigan State (twice) and Wisconsin.



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