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NCAA Tournament: Gonzaga, Michigan, Texas Tech and FSU remain in West Region

By Adam Childs

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - MARCH 23: Brandon Clarke #15 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs dunks the ball aginst Mario Kegler #4 of the Baylor Bears in the second half of the Second Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 23, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - MARCH 23: Brandon Clarke #15 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs dunks the ball aginst Mario Kegler #4 of the Baylor Bears in the second half of the Second Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 23, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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TULSA, OKLAHOMA – MARCH 24: Kyler Edwards #0 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders celebrates his three pointer against the Buffalo Bulls in front of his bench during the second half of the second round game of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at BOK Center on March 24, 2019 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
TULSA, OKLAHOMA – MARCH 24: Kyler Edwards #0 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders celebrates his three pointer against the Buffalo Bulls in front of his bench during the second half of the second round game of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at BOK Center on March 24, 2019 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

Team Review

Gonzaga

The Bulldogs were a debatable number one seed after losing to Saint Mary’s in the WCC conference finals, but have left little doubt that they belong during the first two rounds. They led 53-17 at halftime of their first-round game against Fairleigh Dickinson en route to 28 point win. They let Baylor hang around in their second-round game, but the game was never all that close as they won by 12. Brandon Clarke tied a career high with 36 points in their win over the Bears and Rui Hachimura led the way in the first round with 21 points and eight rebounds. The Zags are making their fifth straight Sweet 16 and are looking to avenge their loss in this round to Florida State last year. This time they are healthy and looking to change the result.

Michigan

The number two seed in the region, Michigan was a trendy upset pick in the second round, but they took care of Florida with relative ease as Jordan Poole scored 19 points and Zavier Simpson just missed a triple-double recording nine assists, nine points, and nine rebounds Charles Matthews led the way in their first-round win over Montana scoring 22 points. The story for the Wolverines has been their defense as they have given up just 104 total points in two games. The offense has struggled at times this year, but their defense has been one of the best in the country. They are making their third straight Sweet 16 appearance and are looking to make their second straight Final Four.

Texas Tech

Everyone knew the Red Raiders could play defense, but could their offense match it. After two games the answer is yes. They may not be scoring a ton of points, but they are putting teams away and making it look easy. After struggling for a half with Northern Kentucky in the first round they took control in the second and ran away with a 15 point win. In the second round, they left no doubt who the better team was as they completely shut down the high-powered Buffalo offense and won by 21.

Sophomore guard Jarrett Culver has led the team all year and it has been no different in the tournament. He has led the team in scoring both games, scoring 29 and 16 against Northern Kentucky and Buffalo respectively. The Red Raiders are making their second straight trip the Sweet 16. They lost to eventual national champ Villanova in the Elite Eight last year after dominating Purdue in the Sweet 16.

Florida State

Making their second straight Sweet 16, Florida State will again look to knock off Gonzaga. Florida State looked like one of the best teams in the country as they easily took care of star Ja Morant and Murray State int he second-round. They jumped all over the Racers and ran them out the gym in their 28 point win. That was after struggling with Vermont in the first round. They gave up 16 three-pointers in that game but was able to hold on at the end for a seven-point win. The Seminoles are 16-2 in their last 18 games, with their only losses coming against North Carolina and Duke. Just like last year, Florida State uses its length to give teams fits and look like the best four seed left in the tournament.

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