2011 NCAA Bracket Picks: West Region Odds, Predictions and Bracketology Projections

2011 NCAA Bracket Picks: West Region Odds and Predictions, Expert Bracketology Projections: The defending champs lead the way in a region that features high seeds with some serious question marks. From the unproven San Diego State squad to the suddenly red hot Connecticut Huskies, there are a number of teams that could make a run or bow out early. For bettors looking for upsets in this year’s 2011 NCAA Tournament Bracket, this could be their dream region.

NCAA Bracket West Region Favorites to Make the Final Four

Duke: You can forget about that rumor that athletic teams are too much for Duke to handle. Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler lead a well-rounded team that just finished up a complete destruction of North Carolina in the ACC Tournament finale. Every team will be gunning to knock of the defending champs, but there isn’t a more experienced, tournament-tested team in this part of the bracket.

Texas: I’m not sure what the committee was thinking when they slapped the Longhorns with a No. 4 seed. This is the same Texas squad that was in the mix for a No. 1 seed until a bad loss to Kansas in the Big 12 Tournament title game. They feature a lineup with four players averaging double figures and three players averaging seven or more rebounds a game. Texas went to North Carolina and won earlier in the year, which should have Duke fans a little worried. The Longhorns and Blue Devils will likely meet in the Sweet 16, and the winner should cruise to the Final Four.

NCAA Bracket West Region Upset Specials

Missouri over Cincinnati: The problem with the Bearcats is that you never know which team will show up. Will it be the squad that picked up some big wins during conference play or the team that looked completely disinterested in an ugly 89-51 loss to Notre Dame in the Big East Tournament? The Bearcats live and die with the play of Yancy Gates, and he has been knocked for a lack of effort throughout his playing career.

Temple/Penn State over San Diego State: SDSU went to Gonzaga and picked up a statement win early in the season, but show me another good win on their schedule. They lost both regular season games against BYU, and only beat the Cougars in the conference tournament after Brandon Davies was suspended. PSU and Temple have both played tougher competition along the way with the Nittany Lions beating Wisconsin twice and the Owls went on the road to beat Georgia and Maryland and knocked off Georgetown at home. SDSU is a good team, but they could get overwhelmed facing big time competition in a pressure-packed situation.  

NCAA Bracket West Region High Seed on Alert

Connecticut: It’s tough to knock UCONN after they just went out and won five games in five days in the toughest conference in America. That being said, how can such a grueling slate of games not take some kind of toll on the players? The bigger concern is that the Huskies live and die with the play of Kemba Walker. That turned out not to be such a bad thing in the Big East Tournament, but one off game from Walker and UCONN is going home.

NCAA Bracket West Region PREDICTION: #1 Seed Duke Blue Devils

Vegas Favorites and Odds to win the 2011 West Region
Get 2011 West Region Odds on each individual game at BetUs Sportsbook
Duke +115
Michigan +8050
Tennessee +6050
Arizona +2050
Texas +465
Cincinnati +1615
Connecticut +485
Temple +4050
Penn State +8050
San Diego State +385
Any Other Team +1415