March Madness: My Picks For The West Region, Arizona Wildcats Advance To Final Four

By Gregory John "G.J." Vitale on March 20, 2014

Th weakest region in my opinion, the West presents some opportunities for underdogs to make moves if they can bring their A-game. For the Midwest breakdown, click here. For the South, click here. For the East, click here.

WEST

“Round 2″

1 Arizona (30-4) vs. 16 Weber State (19-11): Projected winner – Arizona

The Wildcats have lost just four games this year while playing in the fairly talented Pac-12 conference. They have a shut-down defense. Despite coming off a heartbreaking loss against UCLA in the Pac-12 tournament, the Arizona Wildcats shouldn’t have trouble with the Weber State (also called the Wildcats, funnily enough).

2 Wisconsin (26-7) vs. 15 American (20-12): Projected winner – Wisconsin

I like this Frank Kaminsky fellow from Wisconsin. The Badgers are coming off a tough loss against Michigan State, but the Spartans are Jay Bilas’ and Dick Vitale’s pick to win it all, so that loss shouldn’t scare you off from picking Wisconsin … especially in their first game … especially against a team from the Patriot League. American has some impressive defensive numbers, but Wisconsin should advance.

3 Creighton (26-7) vs. 14 Louisiana-Lafayette (23-11): Projected winner – Creighton

With the nations leading scorer in Doug McDermott, the Creighton Blue Jays seem unstoppable. Certainly, the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns won’t be able to stop him/them. Their loss to Providence in the Big East Championship game shows they have some weaknesses, but they should make it to the next round if nothing else solely on the back of their All-American forward.

4 San Diego State (29-4) vs. 13 New Mexico State (26-9): Projected winner – San Diego State

The San Diego State Aztec defense is allowing just 56.6 points-per-game (2nd in the nation). They block, they steal, they rebound … they can do it all on the defensive side of the ball. New Mexico State is no slouch themselves on the court, but I give the Aztecs the edge in this game because not only do they have a better record, but they also play a more complete game.

5 Oklahoma (23-9) vs. 12 North Dakota State (25-6): Projected winner – North Dakota State

The team with the nation’s best field-goal percentage is going up against one of the worst defensive teams in the nation. Funnily enough, it is the underdog who owns the former stat. The North Dakota State Bison, coming off nine wins in a row (including clinching the Summit League and ensuring a bid to the Big Dance), will face the Oklahoma Sooners who were beat by the Baylor Bears in their last game. The 12 over a 5 seed is a popular pick, and the numbers and history say it’s a relatively low-risk choice. Last year, for example, all but one of these 12-5 match-ups were won by the 12 seed.

6 Baylor (24-11) vs. 11 Nebraska (19-12): Projected winner – Baylor

If Baylor could take down Oklahoma, I feel like they can handle the Nebraska Cornhuskers. They played Iowa State closely in the title game, but couldn’t quite pull it out. Saying that, they have impressed me as of late. A key for them is their senior forward Cory Jefferson. He is their leading scorer and leading rebounder. The big key for them is stepping up on defense. Right now, they give up 68.4 points-per-game, which is not terrible, but definitely leaves room for improvement.

7 Oregon (23-9) vs. 10 BYU (23-11) : Projected winner – Oregon

The Cougars don’t play defense …

8 Gonzaga (28-6) vs. 9 Oklahoma State (21-12): Projected winner – Oklahoma State

The Oklahoma State Cowboys have been pretty up and down as of late. They have impressive wins against Kansas and Kansas State, but also went through a streak of seven-straight losses. Luckily for the Cowboys, they are entering the tournament in positive form: their only two losses since February 17 were against Kansas and Iowa State, two formidable opponents. Both games went into overtime. I think that is the Oklahoma State team that will show up against Gonzaga.

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“Round 3″

1 Arizona vs. 9 Oklahoma State: Projected winner – Arizona

Now that the Cowboys have advanced, they unfortunately have to face the Arizona Wildcats. There is a chance that if the Cowboys play their best game, they can take down the region’s No. 1 seed, but I think nine times out of 10, the Wildcats handle the Cowboys.

Kohl Center, where the Wisconsin Badgers call home (image courtesy of Wikipedia)

2 Wisconsin vs. 7 Oregon: Projected winner – Wisconsin

With four players who average 10+ points-per-game, the Wisconsin Badgers have the weapons necessary to win big games. Yes, the Oregon Ducks actually score more points-per-game than the Badgers (more than 80 per game), but I believe the Ducks’ recent loss to UCLA is telling of their form at the moment. They lost to the Bruins 82-63, a 19-point deficit. UCLA is a No. 4 seed in the South region, while Wisconsin is a No. 2. I just look at this information and say, if they just lost to a theoretically worse team by 19 points, what’s it going to look like when they face the Badgers in Round 3?

3 Creighton vs. 6 Baylor: Projected winner – Baylor

Now, I will admit … I’d rather have almost any other No. 6 seed from any of the other regions to play here, because I believe Creighton’s dependence on Doug McDermott will come back to bite them. Their second game in the tournament seems as good a time as any for them to get knocked out. Not that I don’t think that Baylor can do it (or why would I pick them?), but I’d feel a whole lot more comfortable if say UNC or Ohio State were in their spot instead. Regardless, I believe Creighton is a risky pick down the stretch because you have to assume McDermott will drop at least 25 per game, something I think a good defense could prevent.

4 San Diego State vs. 12 North Dakota State: Projected winner – San Diego State

The battle of the three-worded colleges that end in state (I know, very specific). Since North Dakota State was a stretch, we’ll take San Diego State in this game. They are a good team, and whether they face North Dakota State or Oklahoma, I think they’ll pull out the victory.

—–

“Round 4″

1 Arizona vs. 4 San Diego State: Projected winner – Arizona

I like the Aztecs and it is true that defense wins championships, but you need to score points to win. Advantage, Wildcats.

2 Wisconsin vs. 6 Baylor: Projected winner – Wisconsin

Sometimes, you just have to trust the people doing the seeding. Frankly, I don’t know how Wisconsin is so good. I can see when they play that they find ways to win, but there are no real superstars offensively. They do a good job on defense, so I think they will make it to the next round, but …

—–

Wildcats mascot (image courtesy of Flickr)

1 Arizona vs. 2 Wisconsin: Projected winner – Arizona

Neither the Badgers’ offense nor its defense is better than what the Wildcats bring to the table. Aaron Gordon makes a big impact in this game. Arizona advances to the Final Four on his play and on that of Nick Johnson.

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