2019 NCAA Tournament: West Region Second Round Predictions
The question most heard at the bar last night was “how’s your bracket?” Did Kansas State hurt? How about Nevada? How about those of you that got creative with Nevada or Belmont? Well, Virginia didn’t lose in the first round this year (though they were down 14 at one point), so most brackets haven’t lost their champion yet. Don’t worry. The first weekend isn’t over yet!
More from College Basketball Odds
- Updated College Baseball World Series odds (Wake Forest remains favorite to win in Omaha)
- Updated National Championship odds following Hunter Dickinson transfer to Kansas
- Best March Madness prop bets for FAU vs. San Diego State in NCAA Tournament Final Four
- Final Four Most Outstanding Player odds, prediction (Which long shots are worth a bet?)
- Bettor places massive wager on Creighton vs. San Diego State in Elite 8
The round by round is still something to pay attention to even if your real bracket isn’t busted. Something is still on the line!
I hit seven out of the eight in this region in the first round. The only one I missed was Florida. Of course, I had Florida and changed it. I’m good at self sabotage.
We had three lower seeds advance. Will any of them make the Sweet 16? I think so! How about you?
That’s the good part of the round by round. It’s a clean slate! Let’s get to the West region picks!
(1)Gonzaga vs. (9)Baylor
Fairleigh-Dickinson didn’t look all that good in the play in game, so it’s no surprise that the Bulldogs ran them off the court. Hachimura and Brandon Clarke ate up the Knights inside. This was mostly a scrimmage for Gonzaga. The first 16 seed after UMBC to get a crack at a one was severely overmatched.
Baylor and Syracuse didn’t end up all that close, but it was definitely an entertaining game. The deeper Bears team was marginally less tired by the end of this was. This game was a three point shooting barrage. Both teams nailed better than 40% from beyond the arc, and had more made threes than twos in the first half.
Baylor is going to need to continue the perimeter assault against a deep and well rounded Gonzaga team. Baylor finally escaped the first round for the first time in five years. Their reward is the weakest of the one seeds, but obviously Gonzaga is still a one seed for a reason.
Baylor’s zone isn’t like a Syracuse zone, but it could still give Gonzaga some problems. However, the Bulldogs are a really good passing team, so I don’t think the zone really affects them that much. Baylor is going to have the shoot the lights out again. They will keep it close for a while, but I just don’t see this upset happening.
Pick: Gonzaga
(4)Florida State vs. (12)Murray State:
Vermont gave Florida State a bit of a scare through hot shooting, but they had no answer for Mfiondu Kabengele. Terance Mann led the Seminoles from the outside to pull away down the stretch. Florida State had to battle a very pro-Vermont crowd in Hartford, and they will have to battle that again in round 2.
For those of you wondering if Ja Morant was all hype, you found out here. Morant put up just the ninth triple double in NCAA tournament history in Murray State’s drubbing of Marquette. The committee set this one up perfectly. Marquette entered in a tailspin, and Morant is the most famous player not named Zion. This was the gimme 12-5 upset.
Morant’s speed is going to be an issue for Florida State, but at the same time, the Racers are going to get eaten alive by Kabengele just like Vermont did. Honestly, Vermont and Murray State are pretty similar teams. Vermont has a little more size, but both teams live large on the perimeter.
The thing that stood out is how well Murray State played before Morant got going from the field. They are balanced enough in scoring to hang with Florida State, and if they can stop Mann, this is a winnable game. Kabengele will eventually get tired, and the Seminoles are prone to scoring droughts at times this year.
Pick: Murray State
(3)Texas Tech vs. (6)Buffalo
Northern Kentucky found out what the Big 12 has known all year. This is a tough, physical team and one of the better defensive teams around. It’s almost unfair for them to also have a talent like Jarrett Culver. Culver racked up 29 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. That’s no Ja Morant, but that’s still an outstanding game.
For those of you thinking Buffalo was overseeded at six, respectfully, I don’t think you paid a lot of attention to college basketball this year. Everyone on the team can score. CJ Massinburg, the star of the team, was third on the team in scoring with 18 points. Make no mistake, the Bulls beat a solid Arizona State team.
Does good defense beat good offense? We’re going to find out. This was a tough draw for Buffalo because Texas Tech is very dangerous as a three seed. I think this will be one of the better games on Sunday, but I think that Texas Tech defense makes the difference.
Pick: Texas Tech
(2)Michigan vs. (10)Florida
Michigan played the same Montana team that gave them a fight in the first round last year. Michigan wasn’t messing around this time. There was no 10-0 run for the Grizzlies. The Wolverines made a statement to the field that they aren’t going away easily.
Nevada stormed back to within two after being down 18 at one point, but the cardiac kids couldn’t pull it out this time. This is a balanced Florida team that is peaking at the right time. Their defense held one of the best scoring teams in the country to just 61 points in this one.
The NCAA is hell bent on making Michigan-Florida a rivalry. They seem to play about every other year in a bowl game. Now it’s overflowing into the NCAA tournament. Florida’s football team routed a higher ranked Michigan in the Peach Bowl. Can the basketball team do the same thing? With the defense that Florida showed against Nevada, I wouldn’t rule it out.
Pick: Florida
Stay tuned for the rest of the second round picks! We also have our daily NBA and NHL picks for you DFS players! Don’t miss this weekend’s NASCAR truck series and stock car picks as well!