UCLA is a team that doesn't require a 3-pointer to score. They are +6.1 in second-half scoring margin as they keep turnovers down and are good in the set offense when the game slows down in the final few minutes. UCLA is fantastic in the final minutes of games because they do the little things well. The Bruins finished the season with the top-ranked defense, and that defense will carry them in every single tournament game. UCLA held Arizona - a team that averages 82.7 per game - to 61 points. to center and scramble to guard the rest of Arizona’s outstanding, offensively dynamic team.

This forced them to move Jaime Jaquez Jr. In that final Pac-12 tourney game, Bruins center Adem Bona was out with a shoulder injury, and they lost both their backup big men after they fouled out. However, UCLA was without its best defensive player, Jaylen Clark, who's out with a lower leg injury. They are tough, physical and athletic, and it showed in their final game of the Pac-12 tournament. The Bruins have a veteran team, and their best players have Final Four experience. But UCLA has all the ingredients needed to win against the best of this bracket.

So predicting a winner out of this region will be difficult. According to the Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings, one of the best efficiency rating systems in college basketball, the West region's top five seeds finished the regular season ranked second, fourth, eighth, ninth and 11th overall in the Ken Pom rankings. The West region is by far the toughest out of the four regions in this tournament. PICK: Gonzaga (-15.5 at FOX Bet at time of pick) to win by more than 15.5 points I’m laying the two touchdowns in a game that has all the makings of a 20-point victory. Gonzaga’s offense is insanely effective when it’s rolling and this is truly a horrendous matchup for the defenseless Antelopes. March Madness legend Bryce Drew has done a whale of a job at Grand Canyon this year, but he’s basically facing Grand Canyon on steroids in the first round. PICK: Over 154.5 points scored by both teams combined at FOX BetĮverything Grand Canyon does, Gonzaga does better Both teams are uber efficient from 2 and 3, and neither one is spectacular on the defensive side of the ball. These two squads have the ammunition to reach the 80s with ease, and I’m not counting out an 87-84 final for one second. To be honest, it’s still probably too low. The total opened at 152.5 offshore, and it appears to have settled in the states around 154.5. Mizzou - Utah State total still isn’t high enough Jason McIntyre and Colin Cowherd react to Alabama, Houston, Kansas, and Purdue selected as 1-seeds ahead of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. PICK: Furman (+5.5 at FOX Bet) to lose by fewer than 5.5 points (or win outright) I’ll be waiting for a first-half line in this game, which features an overrated UVA team that just lost a glue guy, forward Ben Vander Plas, for the season with a fractured hand.įurman led the country in 2-point shooting and has one of the best young coaches in college hoops, Bob Richey, making his NCAA Tournament debut. PICK: Drake (+3 at FOX Bet at time of pick) to lose by fewer than 3 points (or win outright) Miami lost forward Norchad Omier to an ankle injury in the ACC Tournament, and if he can’t play, the Hurricanes are in trouble. Tucker DeVries, son of Drake coach Darian DeVries, was a Top 100 recruit with offers from Florida, Oregon and Iowa State, among others. They’re a terrific shooting team, ranking 46th in the country in 3-pointers and 20th in free-throw percentage. The Bulldogs steamrolled the competition in the Missouri Valley Tournament, winning every game by 12 or more points. PICK: Arkansas (-2 at FOX Bet) to win by more than 2 points

The Illini have one win over a tourney team in six weeks ( Northwestern, at home), and even that win required a furious second-half comeback. The 3-point shooting (304th in the country) concerns me, but the athleticism and length on defense might overwhelm Illinois. But all five losses were to tourney teams. The Razorbacks are a tricky handicap because their best player, Nick Smith, missed much of the season with an injury, and his return to the lineup has been a bumpy one as Arkansas is just 1-4 in its past five games. PICK: Kansas State (+900 at FOX Bet) to win East Region This is a long shot, but I had to take it because I like the Nowell matchup against Marquette’s best player, Tyler Kolek. First-year coach Jerome Tang has zero March Madness experience, but what he does have is a tenacious defense (19th in efficiency), an elite point guard in 23-year-old Markquis Nowell, and eight wins this season against tournament teams.ĭepth is an issue after the starting five, but in terms of experience, they’re 16th in the tournament.

Jason schwartz espn