Welcome to the region that has the No. 1-rated team in the sport (Gonzaga), the winningest coach and biggest brand in college basketball (Mike Krzyzewski, Duke), a sleeping giant of a program with a huge-name coach (Memphis, Penny Hardaway), a program with more NCAA championships than any other in the past 25 years (UConn), one of the most successful March Madness teams over the past two-plus decades (Michigan State) and -- still not done -- yet another school with a national championship and proud history in hoops (Arkansas).
The West has so much to offer. We could see some fireworks in the top left of the bracket. We could see some of the highest-rated games of this tournament play out across this region. There are future NBA lottery picks, storylines galore and a batch of upsets waiting to be unlocked.
It's been a long time since the West was this good.
Brackets are here! Get back in your pools and join our Men's and Women's Challenges for the chance to win a new truck and a college basketball dream trip!
Let's get right to what's to love about this region.
Best first-round game
(4) Arkansas. (13) Vermont: The Razorbacks have lost just twice since Jan. 8, but they happened to draw one of the best mid-major teams in the sport. Vermont has lost once since Dec. 7 and might have its best team in school history. This game, which will tip in Buffalo on Thursday at approximately 9:20 p.m. ET on TNT, has maddening potential to be a thriller. Arkansas plays fast, and it's aggressive on defense. It's got a stud in J.D. Notae. Eric Musselman's guys will be ready, but they've also been a far superior team at home vs. away from Bud Walton Arena. Vermont has two-time America East Player of the Year Ryan Davis to support the third-best shooting offense in college hoops (57.3 effective field goal percentage). Vermont is also the No. 1 team in defensive rebound rate. Sparks will fly. UVM last pulled an upset in 2005 vs. Syracuse. Getting similar vibes off this game.
Top potential matchup
(1) Gonzaga vs. (2) Duke: The most compelling, highest-rated and greatest possible Elite Eight matchup throughout the bracket looms here. Gonzaga and Duke faced each other in Las Vegas in November, and it might have been the best game of the season. Duke won 84-81. Paolo Banchero had 21 points and Wendell Moore Jr. had 20 for Duke, but it was Mark Williams (17 points, nine rebounds, six blocks) who was the game's best player. Drew Timme scored 17, Chet Holmgren had 16 and Rasir Bolton finished with 15. It will be hard to top that game. These two teams have the talent to make it a possibility.
Argue all you want about Duke not deserving a No. 2 seed over Tennessee (and I'm with you on that), but this game would be incredible on an Elite Eight stage. There's enough danger in this bracket to prevent Zags-Devils from coming to pass, but it would be all too appropriate to get Duke in a regional final, at minimum, in the final year of Mike Krzyzewski's career. There's an argument to be had that Gonzaga and Duke have more talent than anyone else in the tournament.
Cinderella team that will surprise
(13) Vermont: You can consider 10th-seeded Davidson or No. 12 seed New Mexico State in this spot, but Vermont is the most viable candidate for Cinderella. Top-60 at KenPom, high-level offense and coming off the most dominant conference tournament run in 40 years. UVM won the America East by an average of 36.7 points, which is completely outrageous, people. A huge step up in weight class awaits vs. Arkansas, I know. Becker has been one of the winningest coaches at a mid-major program in the past 10 years. (He's 257-101.) The Cats are yet to get out of the first round (this is his fourth trip with Vermont).
Team that will make a far-too-early exit
(3) Texas Tech doesn't make the second weekend: Texas Tech's aggressive defensive style translates to much more success in the Big 12 vs. outside of the conference in part because Big 12 officials grow accustomed to letting the Red Raiders muddy up games. If you want the story behind the story: officials are scrutinized to the highest degree in every NCAA Tournament game. Their performance and accuracy dictate whether they get to continue working as the field shrinks. Plus: Big 12 zebras won't be calling Tech games. It's possible there will be some adjustments TTU has to make with its style, is all I'm staying. And though Montana State probably won't be TTU, the Red Raiders' propensity to win games in the high 40s, 50s or low 60s does open itself to upset potential. Be it Alabama (which has beaten Baylor, Gonzaga, Tennessee, Arkansas and Houston this season) or Rutgers (Purdue, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, to name a few), there's danger lurking for TTU, which has to travel to play in San Diego for the first weekend.
Six players to watch
- Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga: I'm going to spread the love and only give you one player per team, but obviously Drew Timme would qualify here as well, too. Holmgren is one-of-a-kind. Please find time to read our feature on him that was published in February. I eagerly await to see how Holmgren shows up in this massive tournament, as he's the most pivotal player to getting Gonzaga its first national championship. He's also in a compelling race to be the No. 1 pick in this year's draft with ...
- Paolo Banchero, Duke: Banchero scores in a variety of ways and is one of the most impressive freshmen Krzyzewski's ever coached, which is saying something. But he's not been at his best as of late. I suspect Duke's Final Four chances will rely most on team defense, but also Banchero's alpha mentality needs to take over. He can be borderline unstoppable when he wants to.
- Jalen Duren, Memphis: Duren reclassified last summer to get to college a year ahead of time, and in doing so pushed Memphis up in the preseason rankings. It took half a season, but Duren's grown into the kind of player Penny Hardaway hoped he would get. Memphis could be a one-and-done team or it could give Gonzaga a grinder of a game. Duren will need to be at his best to make sure the Tigers see the weekend.
- JD Notae, Arkansas: Notae is a fabulous two-way player, someone who would've been the SEC's Player of the Year had Oscar Tshiebwe not suited up for Kentucky. Anyone who watched Arkansas play a few times this season saw just how improved Notae was in this, his senior season. If he scored 30 on Vermont, I wouldn't be surprised.
- JD Davison, Alabama: Davison is a crack of lightning. Big hair, bigger game. He will challenge any player at any time in the way he attacks the rim. Alabama is defense-optional at times, and when those lapses happen, Davison's unending battery usually jolts the Tide back into games. He's a first-round NBA talent.
- Ron Harper Jr., Rutgers: Harper's big moment this season came in December when he sank an unlikely buzzer-beat to end Purdue's undefeated run to start the season. He's become one of the most important players in program history.
West Region winner
(1) Gonzaga: This year marks the fifth time -- all in the past decade -- Gonzaga has earned a No. 1 seed. For the second straight year, it's the No. 1 overall seed. The committee didn't exactly give Gonzaga a simple path to New Orleans. If Gonzaga faces Boise State in the second round, that means Mark Few will be coaching against one of his best friends and former assistants, Leon Rice. Gonzaga could face a long, athletic team in the Sweet 16 in UConn or Arkansas. I think Arkansas, in particular, could give the Zags some fits. Then there's the possibility Duke or Alabama are waiting in the regional final; both those teams beat Gonzaga this season.
And if it's Texas Tech? The Red Raiders knocked the Bulldogs out of the NCAA Tournament three years ago. So, some reason for shivers if you're a GU fan. You'll have to earn a trip to New Orleans. That said, I am going with the team that has ranked No. 1 in predictive metrics for the majority of the season. Chet Holmgren and Drew Timme are the best 1-2 in college hoops. Andrew Nembhard is certainly a good enough point guard -- and there are question marks around this region with point guard play -- to guide this team through. I bet Gonzaga gets at least one scare, but it ultimately ends Duke's season and Mike Krzyzewski's career with a win in San Francisco.
