in NCAA B Articles

THE WEST REGION

#1  (31-4)

The Jayhawks closed out the season as the hottest team in the country, and carried their strong play into the tournament. Dominating wins over Kansas is attempting to dispel their notorious tournament disappointments of years past.

Julian Wright, who sets the pace for Kansas, has 31 points total in two tournament games so far. He loves seeing the tempo of a game accelerate and can use his versatility, size and speed to shred defenses apart. The sniper of the group is Brandon Rush, who shows a killer instinct on the floor that has Kansas licking its chops for another title.

With everything coming together at the right time, the Jayhawks may be the most dangerous team in the tournament right now. They are defensively sound, holding opponents to 37% shooting in the regular season. Now the last thing they have to shut down is their reputation for screwing up in the tournament…

For those of you betting on sports, Kansas is a heavy favorite to take this bracket by storm. But keep in mind that they have that nasty habit of tumbling to some unexpected opponent along the way.

Kansas is -130 to make it to the  in this year’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

#2  (28-5)

The Bruins held Indiana to an eye-popping13 points in the first half of their second round encounter. Too bad that they only had 20 points offensively to match that. No matter how well they play defense, the Bruins have to find that ferocious offense that made them darlings in last year’s tournament.

Aaron Afflalo is no stranger to pressure situations, and his speed makes him a tough player to defend off the dribble. Combined with Josh Shipp, the Bruins have a sizzling pair of slashers that can slice through defenses with relative ease. They both need to step up in a big way, because the interior scoring for the Bruins is suspect at best.

Helping the Bruins defensively is the pirate they call Darren Collison, who steals any ball he can get near. The turnovers he creates can quickly change the momentum of any game. Defensively, UCLA still looks weak in the paint, although their big men have been snagging rebounds well.

The way to beat UCLA is to simply out muscle them in the paint, while remaining patient on the offense. The Bruins simply are not showing the same scoring touch that made them deadly last year.

For those of you betting on the Bruins to make the Final Four, don’t hold your breath. Defense may win championships, but they have not played anyone of serious note as of yet, and their offense is still stinking up the joint.

UCLA is +200 to make the Final 4 in this year’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

#3  (29-7)

When you look at the VCU on the inside for 14 points and eight rebounds.

But his contributions defensively can not be overlooked. With a big man eating up space like that, the Panthers can be stifling on the perimeter. The name of the game in the tournament is half-court defense, and the Panthers do it best.

The Panthers have a glaring weakness with their perimeter shooting. Teams will begin to key off of Aaron Gray and force the rest of the team to beat them. Guards Sam Young and Levance Fields have to step up and add the scoring punch the Panthers need to get over the hump and in to the Final Four.

With a suffocating half-court press, and Gray kicking ass and taking names in the paint, the Panthers can go deep in to this tournament. Keep your eye on Levon Kendall, who is considered the locker room leader of the Panthers. A solid defense with an intimidating big man has boded well for many teams in the tournament.

Pittsburgh is a sneaky team to keep your betting dollar on. They have all the makings of a Final Four candidate, if they can somehow shore up their perimeter shooting. Do not sleep on big man Aaron Gray’s ability to take over a game.

The Pittsburgh Panthers are +400 to make the Final 4 in this year’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

#4  (29-6)

After easily taking care of Holy Cross in the first round with a score of 61-51, the Salukis came out and completely man-handled the Virginia Tech Hokies in a 63-48 win. Their intense defense is to thank for all of their success. They are not the prettiest scorers in the league, but they can shut other teams down to a grinding halt.

Watching them this weekend, you’ll have to admire the emotion these guys play with. They will bump, shove and push you until you snap and can’t focus on the game anymore. And when they are given a chance to score, they take advantage of it.

You have to love the way Southern Ill pressures the ball, too. Jamaal Tatum is the man to watch on this team. He can score from anywhere on the court, and his motor does not quit on defense. If it is true that defense wins championships, the Salukis have plenty to look forward to.

The fourth seeded Salukis may not be the sexy team to bet on this year, but their defense is worth taking a flyer on. Tenacity and energy is a must in the tourney, and Southern Illinois has plenty of it. Now all they need is find a way to score on the other end of the court…

Southern Illinois Salukis are +900 to make the Final 4 in this year’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

Check the 2007 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament.

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