Ill be releasing my entire bracket on Wednesday or Thursday so there wont be a ton of revealing here.
West Region
Storylines
1.
The region of death -This has been the standard take regarding the West.
You have Kansas with the most Quad 1 wins in the country.
You have UCLA who is a popular Final Four team.
You have a Gonzaga team who is actually a little underrated across the country because people hate Gonzaga.
You have UConn at the 4 who might be the best in the country when playing their best.
There was a reason they were viewed as the best team for a reason.
People missing -I mentioned Eddie Lampkin who stepped away from TCU and is transferring.
UCLA though, that’s the team I’m looking at here.
Jaylen Clark is out for the NCAA Tournament.
He might be the best defender in the country.
Adem Bona missed the Pac-12 title game with an injury.
Can he get back in time for the NCAA Tournament?
I know there are injuries across the country but that Clark one is as big as any.
Kansas falling to the 3 overall seed -I bring this up because of location.
If Kansas held as a top-2 seed they would have been playing in Kansas City.
Good luck beating Kansas in Kansas City.
Instead they have to go out to Vegas because Houston gets the KC region.
I also know there’s the curse of the national champ.
We haven’t had a reigning national champ make it past the Sweet 16 since Florida went back-to-back.
In fact only 4 teams only made it to the Sweet 16 in that same time.
First Four winner -We see it every year.
A team who wins a First Four game wins a first round game.
We have a look at that here with Nevada/Arizona State playing TCU.
I don’t know if I would trust either of those teams beating TCU but who knows.
History says someone will win.
Northwestern getting its 2nd win ever -Look at Northwestern.
It’s still weird seeing them in the NCAA Tournament since it’s only the 2nd time ever.
Remember the last time they were in?
Dude just flat out forgot the score.
Now this Northwestern team is decent.
They were 2nd in the Big 10.
They have good enough wins.
Boo Bouie is fun as shit.
I’ll take a stab at avoid the obvious like Zach Edey or Jalen Wilson.
DaJuan Harris (Kansas) -He’s one of the more forgotten players in the country.
Harris is a damn good point guard who can win Kansas a game.
We know about Wilson and Dick, but Harris is sort of the third guy there.
He dictates game tempo and really sets Kansas up on offense.
He’s one of the better point guards in the country.
We’ve seen teams attempt to force him to beat them and he has.
If Kansas gets back to the Final Four, Harris is going to likely win them one game.
Aidan Mahaney (Saint Mary’s) -The freshman who is a homegrown kid.
No other way to put it.
He’s good enough to take over a game against anyone.
Emanuel Miller (TCU) -Yes Mike Miles is the key here.
Yes TCU has a guy like Damion Baugh and even Chuck O’Bannon who can get hot.
But Mille is sort of the X-factor.
He’s 6'7", versatile and can shoot the ball.
He had 20 and 10 against Texas a couple weeks ago.
Without Lampkin there, Miller’s rebounding is going to be even more important.
Andre Jackson (UConn) -Perhaps the biggest swing guy in the region.
There are times Andre Jackson looks like the best player on UConn and a pro.
There are times Andre Jackson just keeps launching shots and teams want that to happen.
I just don’t know which Andre Jackson shows up.
Amari Bailey (UCLA) -Amari Bailey is a 5-star recruit who is the 3rd guy on UCLA.
We know Jacquez as Campbell, but Bailey really changes the UCLA ceiling.
He had 19 and 7 against Arizona while looking like the best pro prospect on the floor.
More importantly he understands his role on this team better than anyone.
He can take over a game if he has to, but he won’t force anything.
This region is all bunched up and for good reason.
But I think UConn at +450 would be the play.
They’ve been the best team in the country before.
Then you hope for mayhem at the bottom of the bracket.
I wanted to take TCU at 10/1 but that draw is just so brutal.
Matchup You Most Want To See:No.
6 TCU vs No.
Don’t overthink it.
Saint Mary’s has had a somewhat weird season.
But they also lost a home game to Colorado State at Loyola Marymount and neutral to Washington.
You look at the individual matchup and that VCU press can disrupt Saint Mary’s offense.
Also just looking at VCU they don’t have a ton of holes.
The two things they do bad?
They give up offense rebounds and they don’t shoot free throws well.
But getting the hook?
I’ll take my chances.
