TEAM TO BEAT: Gonzaga. The Zags have spent the bulk of the season at or near the top of the rankings. They had a bad week back in December when they lost to Tennessee and North Carolina but then cruised through the WCC season punishing opponents. We all were believing in them until a surprising loss to Saint Mary's in the WCC championship game has people skeptical again. .
TEAM THAT WILL WIN THE REGION: Gonzaga. I'm not big on "a loss may actually help" thinking but this should put the Zags on notice. This is one of the most talented teams in the nation and if they weren't in out west then maybe people would treat them as such. There are landmines in their way but I think the Bulldogs get it donw.
TEAM TO WATCH FOR (LESS THAN A NO. 3 SEED): Florida State. The Seminoles beat Gonzaga in last year's tournament and could have a chance to pop them in the Sweet 16 this time around. They are a very deep team that seemingly is stocked with athletic 6'7 guys. They are big, they are quick and they've been the fourth best team in an ACC that produced three No. 1 seeds.
YOUR CINDERELLA: Syracuse. Okay, so I just sang the praises of Gonzaga and told you to watch our for Florida State, but Syracuse is a possible Cinderella. They've done well in their last two tournaments and they could match up well with Gonzaga. That zone is hard to prepare for so it could cause opponents some trouble..
WORST SEEDING ERROR: Nevada. Honestly I don't see any errors in this region, so I'm just going to say that Nevada was a top ten team all year long, lost to San Diego State twice and at Utah State and then become a No. 7 seed?. Just nitpicking
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: Gonzaga. With games in Salt Lake City and then Anaheim, the Zags should have a good fan advantage. Only Montana, Arizona State and Nevada are true western teams in this bracket.
MUST WATCH GAME: Marquette vs Murray State. What a treat it will be to see Murray State's Ja Morant go up against Marquette's Markus Howard. It is rare to get two guys going at it like this in the opening round. Both are an enormous part of their school's offenses and should have big games in this one.
MUST WATCH (POTENTIAL) SECOND ROUND GAME: Gonzaga vs Syracuse. As mentioned before, Gonzaga's outstanding offense against Jim Boeheim's zone. The Zags have the guys who can beat it but it is an adjustment. Syracuse beat Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium when Zion Williamson was playing so they aren't afraid of playing a big time team..
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