Monday through Thursday this week, The Blue Zone will be breaking down each region in this year's NCAA Tournament. Today we continue with the West.
The No. 1 seed: Arizona (30-4, 15-3 in the Pac-12). The Wildcats rolled through the first few months of the season, finishing undefeated through the month of January. The loss of sophomore forward Brandon Ashley to a right foot injury Feb. 1 against California coincided with Arizona's first loss of the season, a 60-58 defeat on the road. With Ashley gone for the season, the Wildcats have leaned more heavily on guard Gabe York and forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson to fill the void. Arizona is led by freshman phenom Aaron Gordon and Pac-12 Player of the Year Nick Johnson, who is averaging 16.2 points per game. The Wildcats aren't the most prolific scoring team, but they do rank very well in a number of other categories. Arizona ranks 18th in rebounds per game with 38.9 per game and fifth in points allowed with just 58.1 per game.
The other contenders: It seems as if everyone in this region can be a contender in what may be an open field. Second-seeded Wisconsin finished second in the Big Ten, but has suffered losses to three teams who failed to make the NCAA Tournament. The Badgers feature a number of scoring options, with six players on the roster averaging at least 8.0 points per game. No. 3 seed Creighton is coming off of a disappointing loss to Providence in the Big East tournament championship game, but with National Player of the Year frontrunner Doug McDermott they remain an immensely dangerous team. No. 4 seed San Diego State is similarly coming off of a loss in its conference tournament final, but could find itself in the Final Four thanks to its second-ranked defense, allowing just 56.6 points per game. Oklahoma, Baylor, Oregon and Oklahoma State, in the No. 5, 6, 7 and 9 seeds, were other teams who spent a large portion of the season in the AP top 25.
The potential Cinderella: No. 11 seed Nebraska is earning a lot of love after finishing fourth in the very competitive Big Ten. After a five-game losing streak stretching from the end of December to mid-January, the Cornhuskers finished the season 11-4, with signature wins against Ohio State, Michigan State and Wisconsin. Nebraska has played the big boys in the Big 12 and has had success, making it far from impossible for the Cornhuskers to make noise in the tournament.
The regional narrative: Expect the unexpected. This is the region of the bracket that seems to be giving bracket challenge participants the most trouble right now. Nearly every team has a marketable talent that could propel it deep into the month of March, and nearly every team has a weakness that makes it vulnerable to a Cinderella. The question: Which team will elevate its game to the next level to make it to North Texas.
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