Oregon Heads West Region in NCAA Tournament
The Oregon Ducks were announced as the number one seed in the West region of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Many were surprised to see the Pac 12 Champions receive a one seed, but Oregon looked dominant in their championship performance over Utah and finished the season strong.
Brief Analysis of Region
Saint Joseph’s is under-seeded after receiving an eight seed on Sunday. The Atlantic-10 Champions have a very good team and if they can get past Cincinnati will pose a big threat to Oregon in the second round.
Oregon State in the tournament? As a seven seed? Many had the Beavers missing the tournament all together. Instead, the committee had them safely in as a seven seed. The team has a tough first round draw in VCU and will immediately have to defend its worth.
Can Northern Iowa continue to take down the big boys? The team has a win over North Carolina already and is playing their best basketball of the season right now after winning the Missouri Valley Conference. Texas is very talented, but Wes Washpun and the Panthers could be ready to pull off an upset.
Can Duke avoid an opening round upset? UNC Wilmington play small-ball and are very efficient on both offense and defense. The team struggles with size, but luckily Duke doesn’t have much of it. Will Duke’s three pointers show up or will they be cold? If Duke catches fire, they will reach the Sweet 16.
Here are the 1st round match-ups:
Friday March 18, 2016 –
Spokane Arena – Spokane, Washington
1 – Oregon Ducks (28-6)
16 – Winner of Holy Cross Crusaders (14-19) and Southern University Jaguars (22-12)
Friday March 18, 2016 –
Chesapeake Energy Arena – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
2 – Oklahoma Sooners (25-7)
15 – Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners (24-8)
Friday March 18, 2016 –
Chesapeake Energy Arena – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
3 – Texas A&M Aggies (26-8)
14 – Green Bay Phoenix (23-12)
Thursday March 17, 2016 –
Dunkin’ Donuts Center – Providence, Rhode Island
4 – Duke Blue Devils (23-10)
13- UNC Wilmington Seahawks (25-7)
Thursday March 17, 2016 –
Dunkin’ Donuts Center – Providence, Rhode Island
5 – Baylor Bears (22-11)
12 – Yale Bulldogs (22-6)
Friday March 18, 2016 –
Chesapeake Energy Arena – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
6 – Texas Longhorns (20-12)
11 – Northern Iowa Panthers (22-12)
Friday March 18, 2016 –
Chesapeake Energy Arena – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
7 – Oregon State Beavers (19-12)
10 – VCU Rams (24-10)
Friday March 18, 2016 –
Spokane Arena – Spokane, Washington
8 – Saint Joseph’s Hawks (27-7)
9 – Cincinnati Bearcast (22-10)
