West Region

Picked a #1 seed in the Midwest region, might continue that trend here in the West who has a lot of teams I'm not sold on. Second worst region behind the South.

First Round
(1) Syracuse vs. (16) Vermont – I vividly remember picking the upset in 2006 or 2007 when Tom Brennan’s Vermont team knocked off Syracuse. Not gunna call that upset this year. Pick: Syracuse

(8) Gonzaga vs. (9) Florida St. –

This is a tricky game because I’m not very impressed with either team. Florida State pissed me off last year when I was on the Toney Douglas bandwagon and they crapped out early. Also, I felt the ACC was weak this year, so I’m going with the Zags. May the ghost of Adam Morrison be with you. Pick: Gonzaga

(5) Butler vs. (12) UTEP

– This will be a popular upset pick but I’m going with Butler because of the awfulness of Conference USA. Granted, the Summit isn’t any better, but I’m going with Butler for reasons to be disclosed later. Pick: Butler

(4) Vanderbilt vs. (13) Murray St. –

This is the reason I picked Butler: I’m going with Murray State. They had 30 wins this year and I can’t get past that. Plus, I always feel like Vandy is capable of being upset. The day Vandy is a #1 seed, is the day I pick a 16. With that being said, they could make a tourney run and make me look real stupid. Pick: Murray State

(6) Xavier vs. (11) Minnesota

– I haven’t seen much of Xavier this year and I don’t even know who their coach is anymore. The good news for the Musketeers is that even if Minnesota upsets them, they still did better than Sean Miller’s Arizona team. I liked Minnesota toward the end of the season which included a Big Ten Tournament run with wins over Michigan State and a Hummel-less Purdue team and a win at Illinois. Tubby is my pick. Pick: Minnesota

(3) Pittsburgh vs. (14) Oakland –

Oakland could pull this one off because Pitt really isn’t as good as their record shows. With that being said, I am not picking Oakland. Pick: Pitt

(7) BYU vs. (10) Florida –

BYU is an under-seeded team and Jimmer Ferdette can score with anybody in the country. Florida shouldn’t even be in the tournament, let alone a 10 seed. I feel like Florida could out-athletic BYU, but I’m not seeing it. BYU always seems to be in an 8-9 or 7-10 game and seems to always win a close one. Pick: BYU

(2) Kansas St. vs. (15) North Texas

– Frank Martin reminds me of the silent guy in Gone In 60 Seconds. I am afraid him. Pick: Kansas State

Second Round
(1) Syracuse vs. (8) Gonzaga –

The Zags have not impressed this year and Syracuse has. Even with Onuaku’s injury, they should be too much for the Zags. Pick: Syracuse

(5) Butler vs. (13) Murray State

– I picked Butler in the first round because I was too scared of having a 12 vs. 13 matchup. I think Butler continues the winning streak and takes on the Orange. Pick: Butler

(11) Minnesota vs. (3) Pittsburgh –

I said earlier that Pitt isn’t as good as their record indicated. I believe that, but I also believe that Minnesota only has one win in them. Also, I like Jamie Dixon in tournament games to out coach most coaches. Pick: Pitt

(7) BYU vs. (2) Kansas St. – I really wanted to pick BYU here because their 3-pt shooting scares me, but Kansas State’s backcourt is real good and should be able to contain them enough to win. Pick: Kansas State

Sweet Sixteen
(1) Syracuse vs. (5) Butler – I wonder if the ‘Cuse will be full strength by this game. I think they will, and I think they will be head and shoulders athletically better than Butler. Plus, Butler gave us Todd Lickleiter for three years at Iowa so I’m bitter toward them. Pick: Syracuse

(3) Pittsburgh vs. (2) Kansas State – I’m not huge on either of these teams to go to the elite eight. The 2-3 matchup between Georgetown and Ohio State features way more talent, but this could be a better game because the teams seem pretty evenly matched. I think the talent in the backcourt wins out. Pick: Kansas State

Elite Eight
(1) Syracuse vs. (2) Kansas State – Boeheim should be in prime form by this round, having his players ready. Wesley Johnson and Andy Rautins lead the Orange back to Indianapolis where I think their old buddy Eric Devendorf is being jailed currently. (That’s not true..as far as I know) Pick: Syracuse