Men's NCAA Tournament West Regional Overview
Every year, the NCAA Tournament brackets offer some compelling matchups. Perhaps no region in the 2012 field is as tantalizing as the West Region. Michigan State earned their spot on the #1 line by winning the Big Ten Tournament shortly before the brackets came out. As the “fourth” No. 1 seed, the Spartans are sent west to try and win six in a row to capture their first title since 2000.
Seeds 2-6: Missouri, Marquette, Louisville, New Mexico, Murray State
These teams are no picnic to play. Michigan State didn’t catch a break with the teams that follow them in the bracket seeding. Missouri and Murray State are 30-win teams and both won their conference tournaments. Louisville has had a great year after going through a hell of a schedule in the Big East. They are the hottest team in the conference right now after winning their conference tournament. Marquette, also a Big East team, was the second best team in the conference during the regular season behind Syracuse. New Mexico, coached by former Indiana player Steve Alford, won their conference tournament in a great Mountain West conference (the Mountain West received four tournament bids). All of these teams could argue for higher seeds.
Seeds 7-13: Florida, Memphis, Saint Louis, Virginia, Colorado State, Long Beach State, Davidson
The 7-13 seeds go deep in the talent pool. Florida, who isn’t quite as strong as years past, is athletic and knocks down more threes than any Florida team in history. Memphis, who dominated Conference USA, was probably under seeded at #8. St. Louis is coached by Rick Majerus who has led his third school to the NCAA Tournament. The Billikens are well coached and know how to win. Virginia was a top-4 team in the ACC all year long, and they’ve had their most successful season since 2001. Colorado State beat the top teams in a strong Mountain West conference. Long Beach State is 18-2 in their last 20 games. Davidson has had tournament success in the past when they beat Georgetown a few years ago with Stephen Curry leading the way. There’s a lot of skill in the middle of the West bracket.
Seeds 14-16: BYU/Iona, Norfolk State, LIU-Brooklyn
The 14 seeds must play each other to advance for the right to play Marquette. A lot of controversy arose over the selection of BYU and Iona making the field. Iona is a high-scoring offense that led the nation for a period this year. Norfolk State beat CAA regular season champion Drexel on the road on their way to winning their conference tournament. Long Island is also an insane scoring team and ranks 3rd in the nation in that regard.
MATCHUP TO WATCH
Florida v. Virginia
Virginia might be a little upset that they were a double-digit seed after the great year they had in the ACC. They certainly didn’t draw an easy opponent. Florida has 10 losses, but they are an athletic, long-range shooting team that can run with anybody. The Cavaliers are a defensive team that creates havoc for shooters. This is going be an interesting one between two teams with similar records but different styles. Both have a lot of talent. Kenny Boynton for Florida versus Mike Scott of Virginia will be a great individual matchup. This has buzzer-beater potential.
WHO’S HOT, WHO’S COLD
Memphis, Murray State, and Louisville are the teams that are riding a ton of momentum right now. Memphis has won seven straight. They were clearly the best team all year in Conference USA and that seemed to bear out in the conference tournament. Murray State is the only one loss team in the country. They avenged their only loss to Tennessee State in a close win at the end of the year. The Racers have a stud player in Isaiah Canaan that leads them in scoring. They are a strong team. Louisville is riding the wave of the Big East tournament win, winning four games in four days. They have a lot of talent in Peyton Siva, Kyle Kuric, and Chane Behanan. They don’t want to have a huge letdown in the first round after an outstanding performance in New York last week.
Saint Louis and Virginia are hoping that recent performances don’t carry over into the tournament. Saint Louis has lost two of their last five games, including one to a poor Rhode Island squad. Virginia has lost three of four dating back to the end of the ACC regular season. All losses were by three points or less, including a tough loss to North Carolina State in the conference tournament. The Cavaliers have had a tough time dealing with injuries all year. They must learn how to finish games out if they intend to beat Florida this week.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Draymond Green of Michigan State will have the spotlight on him all tournament long. He’s a senior on a deep team that has looked at him to lead the way for them all year. He’s a double-double machine, and he’s a steadying force in their lineup. If Green isn’t scoring or if he gets into foul trouble, Michigan State’s whole game plan changes. He said after the Spartans won the Big Ten title that his class wanted to leave a stamp on the program. This is his opportunity.
Keep an eye on Isaiah Canaan for Murray State who has been prolific all year. Jae Crowder, the Big East Player of the Year, will have something to say for Marquette as well.
UPSET ALERT
As hot as Louisville is over the last four games, they are primed for a letdown after a long, emotional journey through the Big East tournament. Davidson is 12th in scoring nationally and 19th in rebounding. They won 25 games this year. They can play with any of the big players, especially Louisville, who has not always played up to its potential dating back to early in the season. Davidson has as good an opportunity as any 13-seed to upset a top-5 seed.
West Regional 3rd Round Game Breakdowns
