Monday, March 14, 2011

Sportz Assassin's West Region Preview


TEAM TO BEAT: Duke. Like it or not, the Blue Devils are the top seed again. This team has the knowledge that they just won a title a year ago and the horses to repeat.

TEAM THAT WILL WIN THE REGION: UConn. They made an amazing run to the Big East championship and they have a guy in Kemba Walker who can carry a team deep into the tournament.

TEAM TO WATCH FOR (LESS THAN A NO. 3 SEED): Texas. The Longhorns spent about a six week stretch of what may have been the best basketball played all year long. Sure, Rick Barnes' teams seem to fall short during the tournament, but this team could be different.

YOUR CINDERELLA: Oakland. Of course, Texas may not get out of the first round. That would mean Oakland popped them. The Golden Grizzlies have Keith Benson who is an NBA-talented player and gives them that rare big men that most smaller schools in the tournament lack.

WORST SEEDING ERROR: Michigan. I just don't see how the Wolverines garnered a No. 8 seed. They, to me, weren't a solid bet to get into the tournament until the final week of the season.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: San Diego State. This one very easy. They'll play their first two games over in Tucson then the next two up the road in Anaheim. Despite being a newcomer to the national scene, their fans are boisterous.

MUST WATCH GAME: Texas vs Oakland. You want to see Benson, first of all. And you want to see the buzzing mid-major against a team that stumbles come tournament time.

MUST WATCH (POTENTIAL) SECOND ROUND GAME: UConn vs Cincinnati. The Bearcats played the Huskies tough just a few weeks ago in Storrs. You rarely (read: never) see a conference battle this early in the tournament so it should be a treat.

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