Busting Brackets
Fansided

2022 NCAA Tournament: Gonzaga, Duke, Texas Tech, Arkansas and UConn headline West Region

By Tuck Clarry

Feb 5, 2022; Provo, Utah, USA; The Gonzaga Bulldogs gather as a team to celebrate the victory over the Brigham Young Cougars 90-57 at Marriott Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 5, 2022; Provo, Utah, USA; The Gonzaga Bulldogs gather as a team to celebrate the victory over the Brigham Young Cougars 90-57 at Marriott Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 7
Next
NCAA Tournament R.J. Cole Connecticut Huskies (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
NCAA Tournament R.J. Cole Connecticut Huskies (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

Buffalo Pod

(5) Connecticut vs. (12) New Mexico State

The Huskies are going to be in a battle with the Aggies. New Mexico State follows the blueprint of dangerous tournament mid-majors with their experience thanks in part to Covid eligibility and the transfer portal. Nebraska transfer Teddy Allen has been sensational in his lone season under Chris Jans, earning WAC Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year. He’s averaging 19.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 2.6 assists while playing 84% of the team’s minutes with elite efficiency (57.1% true shooting).

The Huskies come in with an incredible season on defense, having the fifth highest block rate and second-most blocks per game thanks to Isaiah Whaley and Sanogo. They have the veteran leadership of transfer senior RJ Cole who excelled in a larger role his second season with the Huskies and out of James Bouknight’s shadow. His 15.7 points and 4.1 assists per game is a luxury in an underwhelming landscape of point guards.

The battle on the glass will likely determine this one. Connecticut is elite with Whaley, Sanogo, and company. New Mexico State will struggle to score inside, making their three-point shooting a necessity–which has not been reliable all year.

Prediction: Connecticut

(4) Arkansas vs. (13) Vermont

This should be an interesting one with two teams playing their best basketball right now. The Razorbacks have dropped a couple in the last few weeks but have gone 15 and 5 in the dogfight that is the SEC. Meanwhile, Vermont is about as hot as they come. The Catamounts have lost just once in 2022, in overtime to Hartford. Otherwise, they’ve dominated the American East Conference winning by an average of over 36 points in their conference tournament.

This could be a dangerous game for Arkansas because of the three-point shooting of Vermont. They have three guys shooting over 40% from three and eight of their nine major minute player shooting 33% or less on no less than 63 attempts.

Lastly, the Catamounts sneakily are the best defensive rebounding teams in the country, albeit in a mid-major conference. Yes, that dominance is likely to diminish against Williams of Arkansas and the athletes Musselman plays but don’t sleep on this upset. The margins are thin for a Vermont upset, but if they can shoot and protect the glass, we could see a major first-round upset.

Prediction: Vermont

Home/March Madness