{"id":1739,"date":"2016-03-15T17:10:02","date_gmt":"2016-03-15T21:10:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sullyonsports.com\/?p=1739"},"modified":"2019-06-26T16:51:31","modified_gmt":"2019-06-26T20:51:31","slug":"wild-wild-west-ncaa-tournament-west-region-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sullyonsports.com\/?p=1739","title":{"rendered":"Wild, Wild West: NCAA Tournament, West Region Preview"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo
Photo Credit: USA Today Sports<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We continue our preview of the NCAA Tournament with the West Region, the one\u00a0that could very well be the least predictable.<\/p>\n

In this region, anything truly\u00a0can happen and there will be a multitude of upsets. \u00a0WARNING:\u00a0<\/strong>You may want to be sitting down for this. \u00a0<\/strong>Some of what you are about to see will be absolutely stunning. \u00a0I will freely admit that this is the region I do not have much of a grasp on, but I’ll try my best to predict the games for this group.<\/p>\n

So here goes nothing; my preview for the West Region of the NCAA Tournament. \u00a0As a reminder, these are the first round matchups:<\/p>\n

(1) Oregon vs. (16) Holy Cross\/Southern (play-in game)<\/p>\n

(2) Oklahoma vs. (15) Cal State Bakersfield<\/p>\n

(3) Texas A&M vs. (14) Green Bay<\/p>\n

(4) Duke vs. (13) UNC-Wilmington<\/p>\n

(5) Baylor vs. (12) Yale<\/p>\n

(6) Texas vs. (11) Northern Iowa<\/p>\n

(7) Oregon State vs. (10) VCU<\/p>\n

(8) Saint Joseph’s vs. (9) Cincinnati<\/p>\n

Unlike yesterday’s preview, this region’s first round games will be broken up into three categories: no-brainers, problematic picks, \u00a0and everyone’s favorite, upsets. \u00a0This region requires absolute decisiveness and confidence in one’s picks, so there are no judgment calls. \u00a0Here goes.<\/p>\n

No-Brainers<\/h3>\n
(1) Oregon over (16) Holy Cross\/Southern<\/h5>\n

Even though Oregon is the weakest one seed in this year’s tournament, they are still a one seed and benefit from the fact that Holy Cross and Southern are battling\u00a0in a play-in game. \u00a0While Oregon is a deeply flawed team for one that is seeded so highly, they’ll obviously get past this game.<\/p>\n

Also, Holy Cross was 10-19 in the regular season. \u00a0Southern was 19-12, but neither team can take down the Ducks here.<\/p>\n

(2) Oklahoma Over (15) Cal State Bakersfield<\/h5>\n

This game actually wouldn’t be a no-brainer if Cal State Bakersfield was better at three-point shooting. \u00a0However, it’ll be hard for the Roadrunners to pull it out if they continue to shoot around their 34% clip from deep against a Sooner team that’s third in the tournament in \u00a0shooting from behind the arc.<\/p>\n

Other than this, the battle between these two teams is actually kind of even. \u00a0Both teams’ rebounding and assist numbers are strikingly similar, and the Sooners are actually more prone to turnovers than Cal State Bakersfield. \u00a0It will still take a miracle, though, for the Roadrunners to get by Oklahoma in this first round matchup. \u00a0I’ve got the Sooners, and confidently.<\/p>\n

Now that that’s over and done with, we’ll get on to the next section….<\/p>\n

Problematic Picks<\/h3>\n

(3) Texas A&M over (14) Green Bay<\/h5>\n

Texas A&M is one of the best teams in the West Region and the NCAA Tournament as a whole. \u00a0That being said, their matchup with the Phoenix is an intriguing one.<\/p>\n

For one thing, Green Bay plays the fastest pace of any team in the tournament (79.6 possessions per game) while Texas A&M plays one of the slowest (70.5 possessions per game). \u00a0This game, like the Miami-Buffalo game in the South, is going to be all about the tempo: slow and it goes to the Aggies, fast and it probably goes to the Phoenix.<\/p>\n

While I went with Buffalo in that game, I like Texas A&M in this game because of their distribution of the ball and their physicality. \u00a0Look out for Green Bay in this one, though.<\/p>\n

(9) Cincinnati over (8) Saint Joseph’s<\/h5>\n

The Hawks of Saint Joseph’s provide matchup problems while the Bearcats of Cincinnati provide tenacious defense and all-world toughness. \u00a0What gives?<\/p>\n

This game is as close to a toss-up as it gets. \u00a0However, my pick is the Bearcats because this is basically an even matchup in all of the areas that matter except for one: defense. \u00a0Cincinnati’s defense allows the tenth-least points per game of any team in the country, and while they have struggled at times this season, their defense always translates to the tournament. \u00a0They should get out of this game, but don’t be stunned if the Hawks win this one, either.<\/p>\n

And that’s it for problematic picks. \u00a0Yes, there are\u00a0four\u00a0<\/em>upsets here; the craziness only starts with these four shockers. \u00a0Here are my upsets for the West Region:<\/p>\n

(10) VCU over (7) Oregon State<\/h5>\n

While this is a minor upset, the Rams are one of the underseeded teams this March. \u00a0On the other hand, Oregon State is overseeded and likely undeserving of being on the seven line. \u00a0VCU, after\u00a0back-to-back overtime losses in the tournament, can knock Oregon State around in the rebounding department; while I may overemphasize this, it is absolutely critical to win the rebound battle come postseason time.<\/p>\n

Every other area of this matchup is fairly even, so this game should be fairly close. \u00a0However, look for the Rams to pull the minor upset here.<\/p>\n

(11) Northern iowa over (6) Texas<\/h5>\n

The Northern Iowa Panthers were not supposed to be here. \u00a0After an upset over Wichita State, though, the team was one win away from the tournament and tied with Evansville in the final seconds of the Missouri Valley Conference title game when this happened:<\/p>\n