NCAA Bracket 2015: Complete Guide to West Region

Thanks to Wisconsin’s comeback win over Michigan State in the Big Ten championship game, the Badgers rightfully earned a No. 1 seed in the very competitive and deep West Region quarter of the bracket.

They stormed back to remind everyone—including Kentucky in the Midwest—that getting past the Badgers will not be easy.

Beyond Wisconsin, this quarter of the bracket harbors intriguing challengers in North Carolina, Oregon, Arkansas, Baylor, Ohio State and Arizona.

From No. 1 to No. 16, the West is wild. Let’s not waste any more time.

Read on to get primed for all things West for March Madness.

Round of 64 Schedule and TV Times

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Tuesday, March 17

(Games in Dayton, Ohio)

No. 11 Brigham Young (25-9) vs. No. 11 Ole Miss (20-12), truTV, 9:10 p.m. 

Thursday, March 19

(Games in Jacksonville, Florida)

No. 3 Baylor  (24-9) vs. No. 14 Georgia State (24-9), TBS, 1:40 p.m.

No. 6 Xavier (21-13) vs. No. 11 BYU/Ole Miss, TBS, 4:10 p.m.

No. 4 North Carolina (24-11) vs. No. 13 Harvard (22-7), TNT, 7:20 p.m.

No. 5 Arkansas (26-8) vs. No. 12 Wofford (28-6), TNT, 9:50 p.m.

(Games in Portland, Oregon)

No. 2 Arizona (31-3) vs. No. 15 Texas Southern (22-12), TNT, 2:10 p.m.

No. 7 VCU (26-9) vs. No. 10 Ohio State (23-10), TNT, 4:40 p.m.

Friday, March 20

(Games in Omaha, Nebraska)

No. 8 Oregon (25-9) vs. No. 9 Oklahoma State (18-13), TBS, 6:50 p.m.

No. 1 Wisconsin (31-3) vs. No. 16 Coastal Carolina (24-9), TBS, 9:20 p.m.

All times ET.

Must-See Games

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No. 7 VCU vs. No. 10 Ohio State

In a game that looks like a pick ’em, we’ve got one of the most dynamic players in the country in Ohio State’s D’Angelo Russell.

Opposing him is Shaka Smart’s VCU defense, known for smothering out the other team’s offensive fires. VCU won the A-10 tournament and comes in hotter than the relatively lukewarm Buckeyes, who lost to Michigan State in the Big Ten quarterfinals.

“Our guys really showed a good level of resolve,” said Smart after the Rams' A-10 quarterfinal win, via WTVR.com's Lane Casadonte. “They were really speaking up in the timeouts about being there for one another and continuing to fight.”

VCU has the 23rd-best defense in the nation, according to KenPom.com, while Ohio State boasts the 29th-best offense.

It comes down to Russell’s immense ability to change games. Stop him and VCU moves on.

No. 4 North Carolina vs. No. 13 Harvard

Harvard won two games in the NCAA tournament a year ago. Of course it’s easy to overlook the Crimson. They are, after all, Ivy Leaguers. But don’t let that fool you.

Harvard’s defense, ranked 34th nationally by KenPom.com, will have to keep Marcus Paige from creating plays and getting off that sometimes-lethal three-point touch. The Crimson defense also ranks 12th in the country in points allowed per game, although (as previously mentioned) it played mainly against Ivy League opponents.

Will Harvard keep pace with athletes like JP Tokoto, Paige and Kennedy Meeks? On paper, no. But with Wesley Saunders averaging 16.3 points and Siyani Chambers dishing out 4.3 assists per game, expect the Crimson to compete and perhaps surprise North Carolina.

Top Storylines

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Will Baylor Be the Surprise Team of the West?

Baylor is one of those easy-to-forget teams unless, of course, you’ve followed Big 12 basketball.

The Bears never beat Kansas, but they did beat ranked teams in Oklahoma, Texas, West Virginia and Iowa State, and they did it by playing great team basketball.

“We model ourselves after the Spurs. They play basketball like it's a musical out there,” Baylor’s Rico Gathers said, per The Dallas Morning News' Chuck Carlton. “That’s the type of players we like. We have guys who ball-fake, pass it. They’ll pass it right back to the person who just ball-faked it to get him open. When you have guys like that, it’s easy for your team to be successful.”

Baylor will have to earn it with a potential game against Xavier or BYU/Mississippi, but the Bears have the talent, size and athleticism.

Has North Carolina Woken Up?

This season, North Carolina has been up then down, then up, then down again.

The Tar Heels are beating Louisville then blowing a big lead. They’re taking Duke to overtime; then they get whacked at home. Then they reach the ACC tournament final to remind everyone just how good they can be.

One of the Tar Heels' greatest strengths is their ability to crash the boards. They are second in the country in rebounding with 41 per game.

Handing Virginia its third loss in the ACC tournament semifinals no doubt did wonders for UNC’s confidence, but can Roy Williams and Co. turn that into tournament success?

Wisconsin Rising

Wisconsin had a lot riding on its Big Ten championship game. A loss likely made it a No. 2 seed. Winning, as the Badgers did by prevailing 80-69 in overtime over Michigan State, earned them a No. 1 seed and an easier path to the regional final.

“Even I’m speechless and that’s hard to do," Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said, via Fred Mitchell of the Chicago Tribune. "It was the fight in this group, and to do what they did when it seemed like Michigan State couldn’t do anything wrong. I just hope we have something left in us come NCAA tournament time.”

Frank Kaminsky and Nigel Hayes are two of the most exciting players in the country. Throw in Sam Dekker, and this team is hard to pick against in the West.

Stars to Watch

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Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin

Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky, a college version of Dirk Nowitzki, has been leading the Badgers all season.

He has been on the Wooden Watch all season with his 18.2 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. He’s a matchup nightmare and a big, big reason why the Badgers are favored to come out of the West.

Stanley Johnson, Arizona

Sitting down there in the bottom half of the West is No. 2 seed Arizona led by freshman freak Stanley Johnson.

The future lottery pick has averaged 14.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. As exciting as his offensive game is, it’s how he gets after it on the defensive end that makes him such a fun player to watch.

D’Angelo Russell, Ohio State

D’Angelo Russell is the type of player who can put a team on his back and carry it. The problem is that Ohio State may prove to be too much for Russell to carry through the West.

Russell does it all for the Buckeyes, scoring 19.3 points per game to go along with 5.6 rebounds and 5.1 assists.

Bobby Portis, Arkansas

Guess who was the SEC Player of the Year. It wasn’t a Kentucky Wildcat. It was an Arkansas Razorback by the name of Bobby Portis.

Portis (currently listed by Arkansas as 6'11") is a rangy Montrezl Harrell, a player who attacks with fury. Portis puts up 17.7 points, 8.8 rebounds and added 1.5 blocks per game. He’s long and athletic. And another thing? He’s playing angry.

Portis heard someone say he didn’t deserve the SEC Player of the Year award, according to David Fox of SB Nation. Fox wrote, “Portis wouldn't say where he heard that, but maybe it's for the best. Tabbing Portis as the best in the SEC was an easy decision. The 6'10" forward led Arkansas to its best season since the Nolan Richardson era.”

Favorites Most Likely to Fall

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No. 6 Xavier

Sixth-seeded Xavier could be in trouble if it faces BYU in the round of 64.

Xavier’s defense leaves little confidence that it could stop the offensive onslaught that the Cougars bring to the court. It allowed 67.6 points per game, good for 204th in the country. In terms of KenPom.com's defensive efficiency rating, Xavier ranks 55th.

BYU comes armed with Tyler Haws and the ninth-ranked offensive, according to KenPom.com. Haws averaged 21.9 points per game for a team that put up 83.6 points during the season.

But first, BYU needs to get by Ole Miss in the First Four. If it does, the Cougars stand a strong chance of getting past No. 6 Xavier.

No. 5 Arkansas

Wofford has a woeful offense ranked just 143rd by KenPom.com, but its defense could cause Arkansas problems.

Wofford ranks 78th in defensive efficiency, three spots ahead of the Razorbacks. Can it clamp down and stop Portis from getting his typical points? That’s the question.

Ron Clements of Sporting News wrote, “The Terriers aren’t afraid to play power-conference teams away from home. Just this season, they played games at Stanford, at N.C. State—they won that one, 55-54—at West Virginia and at Duke.”

That means Wofford will approach this game with confidence, not fear. Arkansas should win the game, but these No. 5 seed-No. 12 seed matchups are forever interesting.

Most Likely Cinderella: BYU

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No. 11 BYU has the best chance of all the pure underdogs to get into the second weekend from this region.

The Cougars average 83.6 points per game and are led by the sharpshooting Haws. After BYU’s loss to Gonzaga in the WCC tournament, BYU coach Dave Rose wasn’t sure if his Cougars would get into the Big Dance.

"There's a committee that makes that decision and if they watched us play, I think they'd feel pretty good about putting us in their tournament," Rose said in an Associated Press story (h/t ESPN.com).

BYU received the tournament bid it wanted, but the Cougars have the added hurdle of having to play their way into the round of 64.

Should the Cougars get past Ole Miss, they could outgun the Musketeers in the round of 64 by shooting at or around 50 percent, as they have all season. BYU also ranks 15th in the country in rebounding. Compare that to Xavier’s 147th-ranked rebounding, and that's another strong number in favor of BYU.

Baylor, a potential opponent in the round of 32, ranks worse on the defensive glass than Xavier. The Bears rank 106th in defensive rebounds, which means BYU should get more shots off. Giving BYU extra looks spells D-A-N-G-E-R for Baylor.

Stranger things have happened, but we’ve seen hands get hot in this tournament. Haws could be that kind of player this year.

Who Will Make the Sweet 16?

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Wisconsin

The Badgers have one of the most efficient offenses in the country and the second-best player in the country in Kaminsky. Sunday's comeback against Michigan State in the Big Ten tournament championship signifies a team ready to roll.

Arizona

The Wildcats have one of the most talented starting fives in the country, led by super freshman Stanley Johnson and point guard TJ O’Connell. And don’t forget Brandon Ashley and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.

BYU

They have the third-leading scorer in the land in Haws, and the Cougars offense could catch fire and be that unexpected low seed to sneak into the Sweet 16.

North Carolina

The Tar Heels have the athletes, and when they get their stuff together, they can hit teams from all sorts of angles. They can rebound and run the floor with anyone in the field.

The Elite Eight Matchup Will Be…Wisconsin vs. Arizona

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Going out on a limb here: Wisconsin vs. Arizona.

This is a stacked and deep region, but these two teams are the cream of the crop. Wisconsin's offense is tight, and its defense is sharp as well. The Badgers allow the ninth-fewest points across all college basketball.

Wisconsin is No. 1 in offense, and Arizona is No. 3 in defense, according to KenPom.com. This may be the best potential Elite Eight matchup with strength hitting strength.

Kaminsky vs. Hollis-Jefferson. Hayes vs. Johnson. Ashley vs. Dekker.

Bring it.

And the Final Four Team Is...Arizona

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Arizona coach Sean Miller has a special group of young men here. He has six guys averaging nine or more points per game. They move the ball well and have dynamic, athletic players in positions that are tough to match up with.

Specifically Stanley Johnson: He’s a tornado on the defensive end and finds a way to get to the rack when on offense. His shooting is a bit spotty, but he makes up for it with pure tenacity.

And Johnson is far from Arizona's only weapon. The Wildcats are the total package. They haven’t lost since Feb. 7 and have steamrolled just about everyone in their path.

This is a team whose game is getting better. Athletes have elevated their play and seamlessly adopted their roles. James Kelley of The Daily Wildcat wrote:

"

Forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has slid in the starting lineup and become more of a threat on offense since the Wildcats’ winning streak at the beginning of the season. Guard Gabe York has adjusted to his sixth-man role, and McConnell, center Kaleb Tarczewski and forward Brandon Ashley are playing their best ball of the season.

"

It will be a Wildcats vs. Wildcats matchup in the Final Four, Kentucky vs. Arizona.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats courtesy of ESPN.com.