2013 NCAA Bracket Picks: West Region Odds, Predictions and Expert Bracketology Projections to Win Your 2013 Office Pool Bracket: The West Region of the NCAA Tournament Bracket is a microcosm of the David versus Goliath theme that has helped make March Madness the must-see sporting event that it is today. After all, the No. 1 and No. 3 seeds in the region both come from mid-major conferences while the other top seeds call the more traditional power conferences home. Ironically, the roles of the teams from all the conferences have been somewhat reversed in the region as the mid-major teams are the ones looking to avoid the upsets for once.
NCAA West Bracket Favorites to Make the Final Four
Gonzaga: If there was any doubt that Gonzaga had made the transition from Cinderella to juggernaut in the college basketball world, there shouldn’t be. A perfect conference record and a 31-2 overall record earned the Bulldogs their first No.1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and the first No. 1 ranking in the polls in program history. Wooden Award candidate Kelly Olynyk leads an offense that ranks 12th in the country in scoring and third in field goal percentage, and Gonzaga has no shortage of offensive firepower in the post or on the perimeter. The Bulldogs also went 5-0 against teams from the Big 12 during the regular season, and there is no question that they can beat top competition. However, it is worth asking whether or not their weaker conference schedule will have them a little rusty when they competition starts to get tough in the later rounds.
Ohio State: The Buckeyes have gotten hot at the right time, and they have finally found some offense to go with their elite-level defense. Ohio State has won eight straight games, knocking of Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan State twice during the stretch and winning the Big Ten Tournament. The suddenly potent offensive of point guard Aaron Craft has taken the Buckeyes to the next level, and if he continues to provide support for leading scorer Deshaun Thomas, there is no reason OSU can’t keep winning games.
New Mexico: They have been flying under the radar all season, but the Lobos actually rank second in the RPI and have played the second-toughest schedule in the country. New Mexico rolls into the NCAA Tournament with a 29-5 record, and all this team has done all season is win games. The Lobos have three players averaging more than 11 points per game, and they are simply rock solid in all facets of the game. They are particularly strong at getting to the foul line. New Mexico certainly isn’t a traditional powerhouse, but all the computer rankings saw they deserve to be mentioned with the big boys. The Lobos will get a chance to prove it on the court.
NCAA West Bracket Upset Specials
Belmont over Arizona: After starting the year 14-0, the Wildcats limped to the finish line, going just 11-7 the rest of the way. Arizona’s young frontcourt has been wearing down instead of improving, and the Wildcats’ defense has been having some serious lapses down the stretch. A struggling defense is the last thing Arizona needs when going trying to handle a Belmont squad that ranks 15th in the country in scoring and fourth in field goal percentage. Guard Ian Clark is a legitimate star for the Bruins, and in addition to leading the team with more than 18 points per game and 99 3-pointers, he is also shooting 54.1 percent from the field and 46.3 percent from beyond the arc. With their young big men and defense struggling, Arizona could find it hard to keep pace with Clark and the high-scoring Bruins.
Mississippi over Wisconsin: The Badgers are probably the biggest X-factor in the entire NCAA Tournament. The play suffocating defense in the half court, they create mismatches by putting their big men on the perimeter, and they frustrate opponents by bleeding the shot clock. That being said, Wisconsin can suffer terrible offensive droughts at time. An inconsistent offense is far from ideal when going up against a Mississippi team that owns the seventh-best scoring offense in the country and is coming off an SEC Tournament title. With Murphy Holloway pounding scoring inside and Marshall Henderson bombing 3-pointers, the Badgers could have trouble keeping pace. The matchup is very similar to a game earlier in the year when Wisconsin went up against Creighton’s high-scoring offense. The Badgers feel to the Blue Jays 84-74 and could be in for a similar fate against the Rebels.
NCAA West Bracket High Seeds on Alert
Kansas State: A hard-nosed, intense style on the defensive end has carried the Wildcats to a share of the Big 12 regular season title. However, Kansas State can be so bad on the offensive end at times that not even their elite defense can keep them in the game. The Wildcats are shooting just 43.6 percent as a team, and they are also undersized and can struggle on the boards. The West Region is full of teams that either have strong offenses or strong defenses and efficient offenses, and Kansas State has neither. Unless the Wildcats suddenly start making shots, they aren’t going to be dancing very long.
NCAA West Bracket PREDICTION: Ohio State Buckeyes
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Odds to win the 2013 NCAA West Region
Gonzaga #1
5/2
Ohio State #2
11/4
New Mexico #3
5/1
Pittsburgh #8
8/1
Wisconsin #5
8/1
Arizona #6
12/1
Kansas Sate #4
16/1
Notre Dame #7
33/1
Iowa State #10
35/1
Ole Miss #12
40/1
Belmont #11
50/1
Boise State #13
66/1
Wichita State #9
66/1
Harvard #14
100/1
Iona #15
100/1
LaSalle #13
100/1
Southern #16
100/1
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