2013 NCAA 2nd Round Preview - West Region

The 2013 NCAA Tournament is set to tip off tonight with the First Four. The action really heats up on Thursday with the start of the Round of 64, and with that in mind, we are going to preview each of the regions on the blog, to try and get some activity going and to predict what we're going to see in the Big Dance. So with that in mind, here we have the predictions for the 2nd round action in the West Region. Tinseltown is the site of the West Regional Semifinals and Final, as STAPLES Center will take centerstage. 

(1) Gonzaga vs. (16) Southern

This will be a matchup featuring two teams who play a lot of great defense. The Bulldogs and Jaguars have only allowed opponetnst to score 59.4 and 57 pointes per game respectively, but between the two, the Bulldogs do a better job of scoring points (77.6) than the Jaguars (67.6). The Zags have not taken a loss since the crushing buzzer-beater in Hinkle Fieldhouse and while they do play in the weak West Coast Conference, that’s impressive in itself. The SWAC Tournament Champions face a tough sled to pull off a very unlikely upset, and I see Kelly Olynyk and the Bulldogs getting past the Round of 64. Where they wind up after that is left to be determined.

Prediction: Gonzaga 80 Southern 55

(8) Pittsburgh vs. (9) Wichita State

Garden State Bracketologist Jeff Parles would argue that Pittsburgh got dramatically underseeded as he had them as a 5-seed in our last bracket on the site. The Panthers have been under the radar for most of the season, but Jamie Dixon’s club is a physical and defensive-minded (55.4 PPG/a). The Shockers can hang with the best of them down low as Steven Adams will find himself with a lot of battling to do. This will be perhaps the best defensive matchup in the Round of 64, but I see senior Tray Woodall playing a big role for the Panthers and Pitt advances to take on Gonzaga in the Round of 32.

Prediction: Pittsburgh 64 Wichita State 59

(5) Wisconsin vs. (12) Ole Miss

The Rebels are in the tournament after a fanatical run through the SEC Championship Tournament. Hard to believe as it seems, but they are in now and wth the villainous Marshall Henderson, they are looking to make their tournament stay worthwhile. They however face a very tough matchup with a hot Wisconsin Badgers team that made a big run of their own, making it to the Big Ten Championship Game in Chicago. While coming up short, the Badgers beat both the Michigan Wolverines and the Indiana Hoosiers along the way, two very tough tasks to do on a neutral court. The Badgers do a great job of defending the perimeter which is where the Rebels have thrived, and should do a good job of slowing down the pace of the game as they always do. I see the Badgers coming out on top here in Kansas City.

Prediction: Wisconsin 66 Ole Miss 57

(4) Kansas State Wildcats vs. (13) Boise State/La Salle

Kansas State may have fallen to the Kansas Jayhawks three times this season, including in the Big 12 Championships, but Bruce Weber has done a terrific job in the first year in Manhattan. Rodney McGruder has been great this season, averaging 16 points per game and a little over five rebounds per game. Don’t discount either of these play-in game teams, though, as both of them can give Kansas State all that they’ve got. Both teams score at will (Boise: 73.3 PPG; La Salle: 72.4 PPG) and are littered with great guards. La Salle features Tyreek Duren and Ramon Galloway who score an average of 15 and 17 points per game respectively, and Boise State features Anthony Drmic and Derrick Marks, who score an average of 17.3 and 16.3 points per game respectively. I think we see an upset here, no matter the play-in winner, even with the Wildcats having the home-court advantage.

Prediction: Kansas State 65 Boise State 68; Kansas State 63 La Salle 69

(6) Arizona vs. (11) Belmont

The Arizona Wildcats started off the year with very high expectations and through their first 22 games they lived up to them. Since then, however, they have tumbled all the way down to a 6 seed and might be primed to be upset by the Belmont Bruins. The Bruins are a very dangerous club and Ian Clark and Kerron Johnson are two of their most tremendous players. With their struggles down the stretch, going 7-5 in their last 12, Arizona might be primed for an upset, but I am not a believer. I have sold high on the Bruins and their hype the last few seasons, and have been bit from it in a bad way. I believe that the Wildcats will win this game, but they had better be sure that they do not let the Bruins shoot well on the 3-point line where they are dangerous (39 percent) and they cannot defend (36 percent allowed).

Prediction: Arizona 70 Belmont 66

(3) New Mexico vs. (14) Harvard

The Lobos of New Mexico are one of the best teams in the entire tournament, much less the region itself. I personally think that they could have deserved a 2-seed, but a 3-seed is where they are at and they are handed the Ivy League champions, Harvard. While Harvard has been very efficient this season, they have lacked the consistency throughout much of the season, much like the entire country really, and have a tough time rebounding which might find themselves in big trouble against the Lobos with Alex Kirk, who has averaged 8 boards a game. Kendall Williams and Tony Snell should continue their winning ways in this contest, as the Lobos, I think, are poised to make a big run in this year’s tournament.

Prediction: New Mexico 67 Harvard 53

(7) Notre Dame vs. (10) Iowa State

Notre Dame has done well as of late with a solid run in the Big East Tournament under their belt. Tournament time however has not been so kind to Mike Brey and the Fighting Irish as they have not been to the Sweet 16 since the 2002-03 season. With a matchup against the potent Iowa State Cyclones (79.6 PPG) the Irish might be finding themselves in a lot of trouble. Fred Hoiberg has done another great job coaching in Ames, and while they do a poor job defensively (71.2 PPG/a) and struggle against the better teams in America (2-6 against the Top 25), they feature six players that are scoring over 9 PPG and are terrific from 3-point land (9.8 3-pointers per game). Look for the Cyclones to get the 7-10 upset.

Prediction: Notre Dame 76 Iowa State 79

(2) Ohio State vs. (15) Iona

This one might be one of the most fun 2-15 games we have this year. Iona ranks second in the nation in scoring (80.7) points per game, 58th in field goal percentage (.457) and Lamont Jones is the unheralded star of the team, scoring 23 PPG on 44.4-percent shooting. Ohio State can’t score as well as Iona, only averaging 69.9 PPG (110th in the country), and isn’t the best rebounding team either (35.4 PPG accounting for 135th in the nation), but they can defend like it is nobody’s business. Opponents are only scoring 57.9 PPG, which is 14th best in the U.S.A. I think that Iona is going to keep this one close for a little while, giving the Buckeyes a run for their money, but ultimately, Ohio State should undoubtedly prevail.

Prediction: Ohio State 68 Iona 53