West Region

Gonzaga: The West Region is headed by the unanimous, overall one-seed Gonzaga Bulldogs. Led by freshman point guard Jalen Suggs, senior guard Corey Kispert, and sophomore power forward Drew Timme, this fearsome threesome has yet to lose a game. A common misconception about the Bulldogs is their weak conference, who only sent one other team besides Gonzaga to the big dance, creates an easy schedule for them. While that is true, they still have the hardest ranked strength of schedule, beating teams like Iowa and Kansas, who are also in their region. While the Bulldogs are a safe bet to go deep, keep in mind an undefeated team has not won since 1976. 

Missouri vs. Oklahoma: The Missouri Tigers (8) are one of the most inconsistent and strange teams in the country. They have three top-ten wins, but have yet to put their potential together and go on a run. Their offense is headed by Dru Smith and Xavier Pinson, and is tough to beat when they’re both at the top of their game. However, losses to Ole Miss and Mississippi State have shown they are not extremely stable. After losing a close game to Arkansas in the SEC tournament, they will be hungry to beat a struggling Oklahoma team. The Sooners (9) have gone 0-4 in the end of their regular season, and after jumping into the top ten AP poll midseason, they’ve slipped drastically. I think Oklahoma is too disoriented right now to beat a Mizzou team that is on the verge of figuring out their game plan.

Virginia vs. Ohio: Perhaps one of the more interesting games to lookout for is UVA (4) vs. UO (13). Ohio lost by only two points early in the season to Illinois, and has looked pretty steady since then, only dropping a few games. Their story is Jason Preston, a junior point guard with aspirations to make it big. Currently projected as a first round pick, he’s giving me 08/09 Steph Curry vibes, and can give the Cavaliers a real run for their money. The regular season ACC champs had to cancel their ACC tournament games due to covid exposure, and are unsure of who will be able to play in the NCAA Tournament. They are the highest ranked four seed on Kenpom, and with a lethal offense, they’re looking to repeat as champions from 2019.

Kansas: Kansas (3) is one of the only blue blood teams (Kentucky, Duke, Michigan State, North Carolina) not only to comfortably make the tournament, but have a solid year. Alongside Virginia, the Jayhawks also had to sit out of the Big 12 tournament due to covid. Their star player David McCormack is out with covid, and unless they are able to win their first two games, he will not be able to rejoin the team. Head Coach Bill Self is one of the most decorated coaches in college basketball history, and I personally don’t think he’ll have any troubles getting to the Sweet Sixteen so McCormack can play once again.

Iowa: Luka Garza is the lifeline of this team. Not to discredit any of the other Iowa Hawkeye (2) players, but Garza is currently the National Player of the Year frontrunner, and is looking to repeat from his historic season in 2020. This team’s offense is what makes them such a threat, especially to Gonzaga. The veteran-heavy team not only leads the Big 10 in turnover-assist ratio, but is the best scoring team in the nation, trailing only Gonzaga. The three point shooters can come from all around the arc, and having a guard-heavy team like Iowa is statistically what a championship team looks like. Garza is not only an option on the inside, as his towering seven foot frame is essentially a walking bucket, but has proven to hit daggers from the three also. If I were to take any team from the West to beat Gonzaga, it’d definitely be Iowa. Their only weakness is defense, which ranks 11th in the Big 10.

Other: Be careful of freshman lottery pick Evan Mobley from USC (6), as he proves to be dangerous. UC Santa Barbara (12) is also one of the hottest teams in the nation, and they face a struggling Creighton (5), which will make for a good game. Oregon (7) vs. VCU (10) will be exciting as well, as VCU has one of the best defenses in the country and has hopes to rival their 11-seed final four run from 2011.