West Region (San Francisco)
Raleigh
1.) Alabama vs. 16.) Merrimack/American
8.) San Diego State vs. 9.) Mississippi
Denver
5.) Michigan State vs. 12.) Grand Canyon
4.) Mississippi State vs. 13.) Yale
Seattle
6.) Oklahoma vs. 11.) Drake
3.) Oregon vs. 14.) North Dakota State
Milwaukee
7.) Utah State vs. 10.) Arizona State
2.) Florida vs. 15.) Northern Colorado
It may look like the SEC Tournament bracket, but it’s not. The Alabama Crimson Tide is the last No. 1 seed and the top team in the West region. The 11-2 Tide have played one of the toughest schedules in the country with a NET SOS of 12th. They have a 3-2 record in quad 1A with three neutral-site wins over Houston and Illinois and a convincing road win at North Carolina. While the metrics look good for the Tide, the question moving forward is going to be their defense. They average nearly 89 points per game but have also given up at least 75 in ten of their 13 games, and that could be an issue if they hope to hold on to that No. 1 seed.
This region sets up well for Alabama, a team that scores a ton of points but also has a propensity to give them up as well. The No. 2 seed Florida nets just under 88 points per game, and even though not as high octane, the No. 3 seed Oregon scores over 78 per game. This region has four SEC teams, with Alabama and Florida at Nos. 1 and 2, but the Mississippi schools, State and Ole Miss, are Nos. 4 and 9, respectively. With the depth of the league, all of these teams will be tested and be tough outs come March.
The teams to watch in this region are three non-power schools that could be very popular upset picks. No. 7 Utah State is the top team in the Mountain West with a 12-1 with a huge road win at San Diego State entering their New Year’s Eve game at Nevada. No. 11 Drake is one of the few remaining undefeated teams in the country and is led by a coach and players from Division II powerhouse Northwest Missouri State. Lastly, No. 12 seed and perennial WAC favorite Grand Canyon is looking to build off of their March success of last season when they upset No. 5 Saint Mary’s for their first NCAA Tournament win.