WEST REGION PREDICTIONS – 2011 NCAA Tournament Free Picks & Sleepers
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Will the West Region be the most watched quarter of the bracket in March Madness this season? Not only does it house the defending national champion in Duke, it has several other intriguing squads who could make the path much tougher for the Blue Devils this time around.
WEST BRACKET THE ELITE
(1) Duke Blue Devils
Odds to win West Region: +115
:: Duke Betting Stats
All the Duke buzz entering the NCAA Tournament focuses on Kyrie Irving. The Blue Devils’ star has missed almost the whole season with a toe injury. Will he play or won’t he? I’d argue that the
question doesn’t matter this early in the tourney. Duke still had some guy named Nolan Smith average 21.3 points in an outstanding season, not to mention solid if inconsistent support from Kyle Singler. Duke will still be extremely tough to knock off.
THE CONTENDERS
(2) San Diego State Aztecs
Odds to win West Region: +385
:: SDSU Betting Stats
Don’t get me wrong – I’m happy about the Aztecs’ story. These guys have never played like they have this season and have a real shot to make their first-ever deep tourney run. They also have a favorable early draw. But San Diego State has never won an NCAA Tournament game. That means it may feel more pressure than a team like Duke. That gives me the heebie-jeebies.
(4) Texas Longhorns
Odds to win West Region: +465
:: UT Betting Stats
On one hand, Texas is an exciting threat to Duke because it has a wealth of young talent. On the other hand, I’m not sold on the space between the Longhorns’ ears just yet. Jordan Hamilton is a great player but he and a few other Longhorns sometimes try to take what isn’t there and force shots. Texas may not be mentally ready to reach the Final Four this season.
(3) Connecticut Huskies
Odds to win the West Region: +485
:: UConn Betting Stats
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a more polarizing pick than UConn. On one hand, the Huskies crusaded to the Big East tournament title last week. Kemba Walker, arguably one of the country’s top two players this season, was a man on a mission. At the same time, the Huskies were slumping badly before the Big East tourney and played an exhausting five games over five days to win it. What if they’re burnt out? And will their lack of depth after Walker hurt them?
THE SLEEPER
(5) Arizona Wildcats
Odds to win West Region: +2050
:: Arizona Betting Stats
If Nolan Smith and Kemba Walker are the two most dominant players in the West Region draw, Arizona’s Derrick Williams isn’t far behind. He can take over games and, as I see it, could lead Arizona to an upset over Texas if the two teams meet in the second round.
THE PICK
My gut tells me that the West Region will be the wildest, most unpredictable quarter of the bracket – to a point. Duke still has this thing won. Leading up to the Elite Eight, however, I see plenty of surprises happening. Between Texas, San Diego State, Arizona and UConn, anything could happen.
West Region Free Pick: Duke +115
