NCAA Tournament: Gonzaga, Michigan headline West Region primer

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 11: Rui Hachimura #21 and Corey Kispert #24 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs celebrate during a semifinal game of the West Coast Conference basketball tournament against the Pepperdine Waves at the Orleans Arena on March 11, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Bulldogs defeated the Waves 100-74. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

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SPOKANE, WA – FEBRUARY 23: Coach Few of the Bulldogs looks on. (Photo by William Mancebo/Getty Images) /

The NCAA Tournament is finally here. Gonzaga and Michigan are the headlines in the West Region but who else could threaten? Here is our complete preview.

Now that the NCAA Tournament field has been bracketed, all of the matchups are worthy of discussion. The opening weekend of the Big Dance is one of my favorite times of the year and there are bound to be some outstanding upsets. Year in and year out, this weekend provides tons of surprises and I am eager to see what the 2019 edition has in store. I am sure that everyone here has already filled out at least a bracket or two already but a little extra analysis never hurt anyone so here we go!

For this article, I will be breaking down the West Region, which is headlined by two teams that have made the national championship in recent years: Gonzaga and Michigan. These two programs are near the elite when it comes to discussing postseason success in recent years and both will be looking to prove that once again this season. So, with the games quickly approaching, I also broke down each of the other three regions of the NCAA Tournament as well. If you are looking for information one of the other regions, you can find those here:

Now, without any further ado, let’s quickly dive into breaking down the South Region by analyzing some of the favorites, top players to watch, and then the first round matchups.

(Also, if you haven’t already, be sure to check out Realtime Brackets heading into the Big Dance.)

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