NCAA Tournament Preview: West Region

It's put-up-or-shut-up time for Gonzaga. The nation's most consistent winner outside the power conferences earned a one-seed by blasting through the regular season. The Zags were simply dominant in the WCC, until they lost to BYU on Feb. 25. They ran the table in the conference tournament and now face a region that includes a potential second-round matchup against a team that has made its first Big Dance and a second seed that they already beat this season. The last time Gonzaga was a 1 seed in 2014, they were bounced in the second round by Arizona.

THE FAVORITES

No. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs

Just how dominant were the Zags in WCC play? Before losing their perfect mark against the Cougars, they had beaten their first 17 conference opponents by an average of 28.2 points. BYU came the closest in only losing at home to Gonzaga by 10 points. The Zags are as skilled and big as any major conference team. In fact, the backcourt of Nigel Williams-Goss and Jordan Mathews transferred out of the Pac 12. Williams-Goss leads the team with 16.9 points and 4.8 assists. The size comes from center Przemek Karnowski (12.6 points, 6.0 rebounds), freshman center Zach Collins (10.2 points in 17.1 minutes) and Missouri transfer Johnathan Williams (10.2 points, 6.5 rebounds). In the WCC, only BYU had enough size to combat the Bulldogs. Most teams in this region simply won't be able to match up.

No. 2 Arizona Wildcats

After a four-year run of winning multiple NCAA Tournament games, the Wildcats crashed out of the tournament last year in the first round as a 6 seed against Wichita State. Unlike 2014 and 2015 when the Wildcats reached the Elite Eight, neither Wisconsin nor Frank Kaminsky stand in their way. The team seemed to turn a corner when sophomore guard Allonzo Trier became unsuspended on Jan. 21. Arizona only lost two more games, and it avenged losses to Oregon and UCLA in the Pac-12 tournament. Freshman forward Lauri Markkanen kept the Wildcats afloat in the first half of the season and averaged 20.0 points in the Pac-12 Tournament.

No. 3 Florida State Seminoles

The Seminoles are huge and deep. You could say they have three dimensions. After beating Duke on Jan. 10, they were 16-1, but went 9-7 the rest of the season. The ACC caught up with them as the Seminoles won just two road games. Coach Leonard Hamilton deals minutes out evenly and can go 10 deep on his bench. Dwayne Bacon (16.9 points) and freshman Jonathan Isaac (11.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.5 blocks) are the stars. Xavier Rathan-Mayes has the ability to score in bunches. No team has a bigger center platoon than 7-foot-1 Michael Ojo and 7-4 Christ Koumadje. If Florida State meets Gonzaga in the Elite Eight, the earth may tip on it axis.

No. 4 West Virginia Mountaineers

Of the top-four seeds, the Mountaineers appear to be the one that doesn't belong. The team relies on its wicked press defense to create havoc rather than brute size. This contrast could be to coach Bob Huggins' team if it is able to meet any of the top three teams. The top-five players force at least one steal, led by Jevon Carter who leads the team with 2.6 steals along with 13.1 points and 3.9 assists. Seniors Tarik Philip and Nathan Adrian are both fine passers and sophomore forward Esa Ahmad provides some muscle. When the full-court press isn't effective, the Mountaineers do not have a Plan B. Like Florida State, West Virginia uses a full 10 players to push the pace of the game.

CINDERELLA WATCH

No. 14 Florida Gulf Coast Eagles

It was four years ago already that coach Andy Enfield led the Eagles to the Sweet 16 behind a team that became known as Dunk City. Enfield subsequently left for USC and was replaced by Joe Dooley, who has kept the good times rolling. Transfer guard Brandon Goodwin (18.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists) helped the Eagles win both the regular and tournament titles in the Atlantic Sun. The team knocked off UT-Arlington on Nov. 16 and played Baylor and Michigan State close. To have a chance against Florida State, the team needs to hit even better than its 50.2 percent from the field. FGCU has won at least one game in both of its Big Dance appearances, though last year's win was in the 16-seed First Four game.

No. 10 VCU Rams

The first-round game with VCU-Saint Mary's should be one of the most interesting contests of the first round. The Gaels boast a low-post threat in Jock Landale, but the Rams counter with Justin Tillman and Mo Alie-Cox. Saint Mary's might not have a good counter for JeQuan Lewis, who scored 21 points in the win over Oregon State in the first round of last year's tournament. He also put up 22 in the loss to Oklahoma in the Round of 32. Lewis warmed up for the Big Dance with 15.3 points in the A10 tournament run to the final.

BIGGEST BUST

No. 4 West Virginia Mountaineers

The Mountaineers should be able to press their way past Bucknell, even though the Bison have a frontcourt duo in Zach Thomas and Nana Foulland that could cause trouble. The problem with the West Virginia defense is that if it does not force turnovers, the team's weaknesses get exposes. Notre Dame seems ripe to keep control of the ball and take a relatively easy win over the Mountaineers.

FIRST-ROUND UPSET

No. 11 Xavier over No. 6 Maryland – The Terrapins lost five of their last nine games, including games against non-tournament teams Iowa and Penn State. Melo Trimble is an exciting talent and the Terrapins have interesting young players in Anthony Cowan and Justin Jackson. Meanwhile, the Musketeers have only beaten one non-DePaul team since Feb. 4. Trevon Bluiett is capable of putting Xavier on his back and help the team win a tournament game for the third straight game. Keep an eye on RaShid Gaston, who had seven double-doubles, even though the Musketeers won just two of those games.

PLAYER TO WATCH

Nigel Williams-Goss, guard, Gonzaga – The 6-3 guard was an established statistical producer in his two years with Washington. With the Zags, he has provided both personal and team success. The junior has averaged 16.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.8 steals. He close the season with 20-point games in his last three contests, including 22 points in the win over Saint Mary's in the WCC Tournament final. The Zags have plenty of talent around Williams-Goss, but he may be the spice that the Zags were missing in previous NCAA tournaments.

SWEET 16 PICKS

No. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs

South Dakota State has an interesting player in Mike Daum (25.3 points, 8.2 rebounds), but should get pounded by the Zags. Northwestern is a nice story, but neither the Wildcats nor the Vanderbilt Commodores have the requisite parts to knock Gonzaga before the Sweet 16.

No. 2 Arizona Wildcats

The Wildcats survived the Pac-12 to win both the regular season (tied with Oregon) and tournament titles. They are too big and skilled for both first-round opponents, North Dakota and either Saint Mary's or VCU. If the Gaels advance, they may get some cheers from the crowd in Salt Lake City, but the Wildcats should advance to their fourth Sweet 16 in the last five years.

No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish

The Fighting Irish advanced to the Elite Eight in the last two seasons. This year's version is not quite as big as past seasons, but size in relative when it comes to players like Bonzie Colson. The 6-5 forward led the ACC with 10.2 rebounds to go with 17.5 points. He won't be bothered by Princeton or Press Virginia.

No. 14 Florida Gulf Coast Eagles

OK. OK. On paper, this makes no sense. The Eagles should have no shot at beating Florida State, which should have plenty of fans in Orlando. Goodwin tends to play his best in the biggest games and there will be no bigger game in his career than the contest against the Seminoles. The Eagles are better matched up with either Maryland or Xavier, both of which has had trouble in February and early March.

FINAL FOUR PICK

No. 2 Arizona Wildcats

Gonzaga beat Arizona on Dec. 3 by seven points. That was well before Trier returned and the Wildcats were also without point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright. Even at full strength, the Zags have more size and Williams-Goss. I don't think they have the Wildcats' defensive intensity, which will prove to be the difference as the Wildcats finally advance to the Final Four under coach Sean Miller.