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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AUBURN, ALABAMA – DECEMBER 22: Morant of the Murray State Racers goes up. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

West Pod B – Hartford, CT

(5) Marquette vs. (12) Murray State

This might be the most fun first-round matchup in the entire bracket. Ja Morant vs. Markus Howard. Both of these teams have elite-level superstars and strong supporting casts that make up highly-efficient offenses. If you like scoring and fun, this is the matchup for you. These two teams will hopefully go back and forth in a highlight-reel style format of dunks and 3-pointers. On the whole, though, I think that Marquette is the more talented team and might even have the better closer in the matchup if Howard is completely healthy. Prediction: Marquette.

(4) Florida State vs. (13) Vermont

Florida State is perhaps one of the more underseeded teams in the field. It’s hard to say that about a team that was given a No. 4 seed but they could easily be up another line. And if it hadn’t been for their three-game skid centered around losing in heartbreaking fashion to Duke, we *might* have been talking about the Seminoles as a team deserving of a No. 2 seed. Because of this, I don’t think Vermont has that much of a chance although they are entering the Big Dance on a hot streak of their own. Anthony Lamb is tough to defend but FSU’s defense might be tougher to score on. Prediction: Florida State.

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