2021 NCAA Tournament West Region roundtable, key questions

4. Which first-round game are you most looking forward to?

Sinodhinos

Oregon versus VCU in the No. 7 versus No. 10 match up. These teams have been trending in opposite directions which, in my view, has skewed their seeding and this will be the most competitive matchup. VCU’s scoring was down two points, assists were on average three lower and their free-throw percentage was three percent lower in their tournament compared to the season.

It will be decided by turnovers and free throws. Oregon turns the ball over just 11.4 times per game, while VCU averages over nine steals per game VCU is better than a No. 10 seed, and Oregon not as good as a No. 7 seed, so it will be competitive.

Mauro

Virginia and Ohio.  One I want to see what Virginia looks like if they are going to have a skeleton crew which many think they are and Ohio because Jason Preston is the most exciting player in this region and one of my favorite players in the college game.

Bernstein

The game that I’m most looking forward to is No. 5 Creighton against No. 12 UC Santa Barbara. This game could very likely be an upset and could change a lot of brackets. The Santa Barbara Gauchos have not lost a game since December. They have been led by JaQuori McLaughlin.

The Oregon State transfer is a pure shooter especially from three-point range (43%). He also averaged 15.9 points and 5.4  assists per game this season. This Gauchos team is hungry for an upset against a well-coached Creighton team.

Loose

Though this will clearly be their toughest game of the season, it’ll be fascinating to see how Ohio fares against Virginia. Not only do the Bobcats have a dynamic potential March Madness star in Jason Preston, but the Cavaliers have been dealing with COVID issues ever since the ACC Tournament and may not be at full strength. This would certainly be an upset, but not the biggest one for either of these programs.