Breaking down the West Region of the NCAA Tournament

 

The Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers are playing host to the West Region of the 2015 NCAA Tournament being played at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles, CA. The No. 2 Wisconsin Badgers beat the No.1 Arizona Wildcats 64-63. In the process, they won the 2014 West Region and earned a spot in the Final Four where they lost to the No. 8 seeded (Midwest Region) Kentucky Wildcats 74-73. Although it feels like Déjà vu, the Badgers and Wildcats have tremendously talented teams that by all accounts have gotten better. Odds makers in Las Vegas have both Arizona and Wisconsin 6/5 odds to make it to the Final Four.

Five First Impressions

1.  The No. 1 seeded Wisconsin Badgers (31-3) and No. 2 seeded Arizona Wildcats (31-3) look destined to match up in the Elite Eight, again, with a final four bid on the line. The Badgers and Wildcats have the size, length and athleticism to play with top seeded Kentucky Wildcats.
2. No. 1 Wisconsin has used a semi-final loss to Kentucky in the 2014 Final Four as motivation all year. The real question however is: can the Badgers make it back to the Final Four for a re-match?
3. These are the two teams with the best chance to pull off upsets to No. 11 Ole Miss and No. 14 Georgia State. Once one gets past where both teams are seeded, one arrives to the heart of the matter which is that both the Rebels and the Panthers match up well.
4. Can the No. 4 North Carolina Tar Heels advance to the Sweet 16 and, if so, can the Tar Heels’ superior play on the interior match up with No.1 Wisconsin?
5. Can forward Bobby Portis do enough to lead the No. 5 Arkansas Razorbacks to a round of 32 matchups against North Carolina?

Five Players to watch

Arizona small forward Stanley Johnson:

14.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game
Johnson, a 6’6”, 225 lbs. freshman and certain NBA lottery pick has become one of the top all-around players in the country while leading the Wildcats to a Pac 12 title and a No. 2 seed in the West Region.

Ohio State guard D’Angelo Russell:

14.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.5 steals per game
Russell is a freshman and projected NBA lottery pick due to his superior court vision; scoring prowess, size and his ability to play both point guard and shooting guard. At 6’5” and 180 lbs., Russell is bigger and longer than the majority of the point guards he faces.

Wisconsin center Frank Kaminsky:

18.2 points, 8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, one steal and 1.6 blocks per game.
The Badgers’ seven-foot center is one season removed from leading Wisconsin to the 2014 Final Four as the Most Outstanding Player in the region. Kaminsky, a potential NBA lottery pick, posted career highs in points and rebounds while shooting 55.3 from the field.

Wisconsin power forward Sam Dekker:

13 points, 5.5 rebounds per game
The 6’9” Dekker is one of the most versatile players in the country due to his ability to shoot from behind the arc at mid-range and in the paint. Normally you would not want a big player having the ball in his hands unless he is ready to score but Dekker is an excellent passer and handles the ball like a guard. He has the talent to average 20 points per game but he is a team player that enjoys getting his teammates involved.

Arkansas forward Bobby Portis:

17.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, 54.7 FG percentage per game
The 6’11” Portis has been overshadowed in the South Eastern Conference by the two Kentucky standout big men Karl-Anthony Towns and Willie Cauley-Stein. Portis was named the South Eastern Conference Player of the year. He has made an impact on the Razorbacks’ season with his size, athleticism, scoring, rebounding and shot blocking. A good showing in the Tournament could land Portis in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft.

 

Three Rounds of 64 games to watch:

No. 11 Ole Miss versus No. 6 Xavier
No. 8 Oregon versus No. 9 Oklahoma State
No. 10 Ohio State versus No. 7 VCU

Three possible future matchups:

No. 4 North Carolina versus No. 5 Arkansas
No. 10 Ohio State versus No. 2 Arizona
– Two of the best freshmen in college basketball will be Arizona’s Rodney Johnson going against Ohio State’s D’Angelo Russell. The Buckeyes beat the Wildcats 73-70 in the 2013 West Region Sweet 16.
No. 1 Wisconsin versus No. 2 Arizona
– The Badgers and Wildcat’s; the top two teams in the region will be fighting for a berth in the 2015 Final Four.

Predictions:

Round of 64

No. 1 Wisconsin over No. 16 Coastal Carolina
No. 8 Oregon over No. 9 Oklahoma State
No. 5 Arkansas over No. 12 Wofford
No. 4 North Carolina over No. 13 Harvard
No. 6 Xavier over No. 11 Ole Miss
No. 3 Baylor over No. 14 Georgia State
No. 10 Ohio State over No. 7 VCU
No. 2 Arizona over No. 15 Texas Southern

Round of 32

No. 1 Wisconsin over No. 8 Oregon
No. 4 North Carolina over No. 5 Arkansas
No. 6 Xavier over No. 3 Baylor
No. 2 Arizona over No. 10 Ohio State

Sweet 16

No. 1 Wisconsin over No. 4 North Carolina
No. 2 Arizona over No. 6 Xavier

Elite Eight

No. 1 Wisconsin over No. 2 Arizona

Wisconsin goes to the Final Four