2017 NCAA Basketball Tournament: West Region Second Round Predictions
The question most heard this morning around the water cooler? How’s your brackets? Not too bad, actually. Last year I lost my pick for champion (Michigan State) on the first day. This year my pick didn’t play the first day, so I was safe!
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I ended up missing the first game of the day yesterday, but the rest of the day went well. I didn’t miss any more!
That still doesn’t mean that the round by round tournament isn’t interesting. I know there is a good chance that my brackets can go up in smoke at any minute since every team this year is flawed.
I’m still keeping the round by round alive, just in case. The entire West region played yesterday, which is nice for those of us that have such a short turnaround to make round by round picks! Let’s get into the second round matchups for the West region!
(1)Gonzaga vs. (8)Northwestern:
Gonzaga may have played their worst game of the season against South Dakota State, but they still won by 20. Mike Daum was a non-factor, which torpedoed any hope the Jackrabbits had. One must wonder what would have happened if Gonzaga had played a good team. That said, the Bulldogs aren’t the only one seed to struggle in the opening game. This shouldn’t be an issue.
Northwestern was gifted the win by Vanderbilt, when Matthew Fisher-Davis committed a foul with a one point lead. Bryant McIntosh sank both free throws, and Vandy was unable to make a shot in the last 15 seconds.
Lost in all that is that Fisher-Davis led the Commodores with 22 points. That foul was also committed with 15 seconds left. That was plenty of time for Vanderbilt to get a good look at the basket. Blaming the one person seems harsh, but in this day and age, you know who took the brunt of this.
Is the Cinderella run over for Northwestern? Gonzaga has a decided size advantage at nearly every position. Derek Pardon will need to play bigger than his 6’8″, and all of the Wildcats will need to find a way to get open shots against defenders that are sometimes 5″ taller than themselves. If Gonzaga plays a sloppy game again, the Wildcats are capable of winning. What are the chances of that happening though?
Pick: Gonzaga
(4)West Virginia vs. (5)Notre Dame:
West Virginia’s defense finally wore down Bucknell, but the Bison hung with them for a while. The Mountaineers ran 11 different players onto the floor. The constant flood of good ballplayers outlasted the spunky group from Bucknell.
The West Virginia bench was the difference. Freshman Lamont West put up 15 points in 15 minutes. Tarik Phillip put up 16 points in 16 minutes. That kind of depth can take a team on a long run!
The first game of the day featured a pesky Princeton team that forced the Irish to play their game. Bonzie Colson did a lot of everything for the Irish, which is pretty much how it went all season.
Notre Dame is going to need some production from their bench in this one. They are also going to need V.J. Beachem to shoot better from the floor. He was just 1-9 against Princeton. If they can get the kind of production that they did from Matt Farrell and limit turnovers again, they have a chance. That said, this West Virginia team is more than just a dominating defense.
Pick: West Virginia
(3)Florida State vs. (11)Xavier:
Florida State had their hands full with Florida Gulf Coast, but honestly, we didn’t expect anything less. The Eagles were better than their 14 seed indicated. They also showed heart coming back to make the game close. The stable of future NBA players that Florida State has was eventually too much. Dwayne Bacon and Jonathan Isaac are a lot of fun to watch!
Xavier beating Maryland really didn’t feel like an upset. The Musketeers are tournament tested. Trevon Bluiett led the team, but it was the performance of Sean O’Mara off the bench that put Xavier over the top. He had a team high 18 points in 21 minutes. Kaiser Gates also hit double digits off the bench.
Xavier’s bigs were able to make an impact against Maryland, but that wont fly against the Seminoles. Florida State is too big and too athletic at nearly every position. Isaac could have another huge game. I’m not sure who can stop him.
Pick: Florida State
(2)Arizona vs. (7)St Mary’s:
North Dakota put on a good show, scoring 82 points in their first ever tournament berth. The bad news is Arizona hit triple digits. Every starter scored in double figures for Arizona. North Dakota was able to keep it close, shooting 46% from three, but they only hit half of their free throws. Arizona hit 24 of 28.
St. Mary’s survived flurries of points from VCU, including 30 from JeQuan Lewis. The Gaels got to the line 39 times, and shot 56% from the floor. Considering Arizona’s defense allowed a lot of open shots against UND, there is a chance that St Mary’s keeps this very close. And we all know what can happen then.
Jock Landale is going to be a problem for Arizona. Lauri Markkanen is going to have to work harder on defense, so will he be able to have the impact on offense that the Wildcats need? Conversely, Arizona’s guards could be a problem for the Gaels. They have the size to defend them, but can they stay in front of them?
I tend to believe that this game could be close. St Mary’s can run with the Wildcats within reason, but they are not as deep of a team. If Arizona can’t defend the perimeter though, the Gaels can pull the upset. Vegas doesn’t like St Mary’s, but I do. They were one of the more underseeded teams this year.
Pick: St. Mary’s
Next: Just In Case You Get Notstalgic, Here Are The West Picks From Before The Games Started
Stay tuned for the rest of the second round picks! We also have our daily NBA and NHL picks for you DFS players! Our David Gate also shares his EPL wisdom for those of you who just can’t get enough of DFS sports!