Red-hot Florida highlights the NCAA Tournament’s West Region, while St. John’s and Texas Tech attempt to emerge out of the Bay.
This year’s West region is defined by two teams that rose to prominence on contrasting styles.
The No. 1 seed, Florida, relied on up-and-coming head coach Todd Golden, who built the nation’s best offense on pace, shot-making guards and a crop of skilled and versatile bigs. The No. 2, St. John’s, leaned on the tried-and-true formula of Hall of Famer Rick Pitino — pressure, length and athleticism — to form the bedrock of the nation’s best defense.
Despite different philosophies, both enter the tournament at 30-4, with a potential second weekend bout on the horizon. Florida dominated the final stretch of SEC play, winning 12 of its 13 final games (including the conference tourney) by an average of 14.8 points. Meanwhile, St. John’s swept the Big East titles and has lost just once this calendar year.
But it’s not just the top two teams commanding the headlines; must-watch teams dot this region. Another rising coach, Grant McCasland, has Texas Tech Red as the No. 3 seed. The Red Raiders overwhelm their opponents with ball movement and 3s (48th in assist rate; 60th in 3-point attempt rate; 19th in 3-point percentage). Plus, they benefit from JT Toppin (18.1 ppg, 9.2 rpg) manning the middle. If injuries to stars Darrion Williams and Chance McMillan clear up, Tech could wind up competing for a Final Four berth.
Maryland slots in as the No. 4 seed, its highest since 2015, behind its “Crab Five” lineup — none more noteworthy than Big Ten Freshman of the Year Derik Queen (16.3 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 1.9 apg). Memphis won 29 games to achieve a No. 5 seed, its best placement since 2009. Missouri (No. 6), Kansas (No. 7), and UConn (No. 8) faced up-and-down seasons but still round out the group wearing home whites.
But keep an eye on the mid majors — Drake (No. 11) and Grand Canyon (No. 13) are both in the dance for the third straight year. No. 12 Colorado State isn’t too shabby, either; the Rams have made three of the past four tournaments.
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