West Region

      The breakdown of the NCAA tournament continues with coverage of the west region. The favorite of this region is actually the 2 seed, Ohio State. OSU is an easy team to figure out. If DeShaun Thomas gets hot and the role players complete their jobs effectively (Craft penetrating, Smith and Ross shooting, Thompson chipping in with his athleticism, Williams playing solid down in the post) then this team probably will not lose. However, they can find other ways to win. Aaron Craft and Shannon Scott are both 1st-team Big Ten defenders that set the tone for the rest of the team. While OSU may struggle to score, their defense can keep them in games and produce some offense in the transition game. If Ohio State does lose, it will be because Thomas goes cold and the lack of a second scorer prevents the Buckeyes from scoring enough points.

Threats to Ohio State:
1 Seed Gonzaga is tough to figure out. Gonzaga went undefeated in West Coast Conference play, including three victories over play-in game winner St. Mary's. Kelly Olynyk is an athletic 7 footer who can score from anywhere on the floor. He has terrific ball handling skills for a big man due to a growth spurt in high school (he used to be a guard). Gonzaga has not lost since a meltdown in the final seconds at Butler on January 19. They also lost on the road to Illinois back in December. Every other game has been a W for Gonzaga, the most impressive of which is their road win at Oklahoma State. Gonzaga is very untested, clearly, and it is really tough to gauge just how good this Gonzaga team is this year. The tournament will show us if Gonzaga is deserving of their number 1 ranking in the latest AP poll.

3 Seed New Mexico is a team that flew under the radar this season. New Mexico went 13-3 in an underrated Mountain West conference before winning the conference tournament. 4 of the 5 New Mexico losses were to tournament teams, with the 5th loss being on the road to Air Force after the conference title was clinched. Guard Tony Snell has been hot lately, averaging just under 20 points per game over his last 5 games. Expect coach Steve Alford to get Snell involved in the offense heavily.

The Rest:
This region features many interesting teams. 4 Seed Kansas State failed to beat Kansas this season but looked pretty good versus the rest of their schedule. Wisconsin is a trendy 5 seed. The Badgers went 4-0 against Indiana and Michigan (3-0 on road/neutral court) and also were the last team to beat the buckeyes, winning by over 20 points at home. The Badgers are hard to figure out with a great defense, and avery streaky offense. The team seems poised for a deep run, but could lose to 12 seed Ole Miss. The Rebels won the SEC tournament with a comeback victory led by Marshall Henderson. Henderson is an incredibly outspoken leader for the Rebels, who has publicly stated he is ready to carry Ole Miss in this tournament much like Steph Curry carried Davidson. Henderson is one of the most hated players in the game, but he is also one of the most talented, so watch out for Ole Miss. 11 Seed Belmont also has a solid group of four seniors leading them, creating potential for complete chaos in this region.

The Verdict:
OSU returns to the final 4. Gonzaga and Wisconsin suffer early exits and New Mexico runs into a hot Buckeye team (if Belmont doesn't take care of New Mexico first). Expect a lot of chaos in this region and potentially a wild elite 8 run for a team like Ole Miss, if Henderson can deliver on his promise.