2014 NCAA Tournament West 2nd Round Game Breakdowns
#1 Arizona vs. #16 Weber State (San Diego, California)
Weber State has size with Joel Bolomboy and Kyle Tresnak and they have a go-to-scorer in Davion Berry. They have some experience and have been to the postseason for five straight years. But Arizona has superstars across the board. One of these days a 16 seed will beat a 1 seed, but it won’t be here.
#8 Gonzaga vs. #9 Oklahoma State (San Diego, California)
Oklahoma State’s top five national ranking is still fresh in the minds of college basketball fans and right now the Cowboys are playing just as well as they were in November and December. Marcus Smart can do it all and so can Markel Brown and Le’Bryan Nash. With Phil Forte knocking down shots and Kamari Murphy providing an interior presence, Oklahoma State will be tough for Gonzaga to stop. But the Bulldogs have scoring punch and experience across the board. If Gonzaga can play smarter than Oklahoma State and continue to be efficient on offense, the Bulldogs will have a shot.
#5 Oklahoma vs. #12 North Dakota State (Spokane, Washington)
This may be the least interesting 5/12 game this year. But the winner will like their chances of reaching the Sweet Sixteen. Like most teams in this region, Oklahoma and North Dakota State can score in bunches. For the Sooners, they have had more success against other high scoring teams. They tend to lose against better defenses. As long as Oklahoma can break North Dakota State’s pressure defense, they will be able to score easily.
#4 San Diego State vs. #13 New Mexico State (Spokane, Washington)
Much of San Diego State’s offense comes from attacking the basket. That is often a good thing and an easy way to get points instead of hoping outside shots are falling, but New Mexico State provides a unique challenge. The Aggies are one of the best shot blocking teams in the nation. Sim Bhullar, a massive 7-5, 360 pound center, averages 3.4 blocks per game. Tshilidzi Nephawe adds 1.5 and stands 6-10 and weighs in at 268 pounds. You can see why scoring in the paint is not easy to do against NMSU. San Diego State will have to rely on Xavier Thames even more than usual and hope his outside shot can open up the rest of the offense.
#6 Baylor vs. #11 Nebraska (San Antonio, Texas)
Baylor is playing very well right now, but so are the Cornhuskers. Nebraska won nine of ten before losing to Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament. If this group is going to get past the Bears, Terran Petteway will need a big game. The sophomore averages 18.1 points per contest and has had big outings during big games. And none are bigger than this. Baylor started March on a six game winning streak before falling to Iowa State in the Big 12 title game. Nebraska will have to contain Cory Jefferson and Isaiah Austin on both ends of the floor.
#3 Creighton vs. #14 Louisiana (San Antonio, Texas)
This will be the last chance to watch Doug McDermott. His amazing collegiate career will end with a bang or with a thud. It should end with a bang for now. The Bluejays will keep scoring against Louisiana. But do not completely overlook the Ragin’ Cajuns. Do-it-all guard Elfrid Payton is just as fun to watch as McDermott. And Shawn Long is not too shabby either. Louisiana probably will probably not beat Creighton, but they will certainly make this contest fun to watch.
#7 Oregon vs. #10 BYU (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
Speaking of fun to watch, back on December 21st these two teams met for one of many fun, high scoring affairs for both the Ducks and Cougars. Oregon came away with a 100-96 overtime win. Round two promises to be good too. The Cougars will be without Kyle Collinsworth this time around. The Cougars have not played much without him and adjusting to life without his 14.0 points, 4.7 assists and 8.2 rebounds could take some time. And they do not have any time.
#2 Wisconsin vs. #15 American (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
It seems like every game in the West Region could be extremely high scoring. And then there is this one. The Badgers do have a more potent offense than usual, but they are still not going to run up and down the floor. American, the Patriot League champions, rank 312th in the country with 64.2 points per game. The efficient Eagles offense plays right into what the Badgers want to do. Because this game will be low scoring, American can keep it close, but the talent of Wisconsin is just going to be too much.
South Region 2nd Round Game Breakdowns
Midwest Region 2nd Round Game Breakdowns
East Region 2nd Round Game Breakdowns
