NCAA Men's Bracket 2022: Complete Guide to West Region
The West Region of the 2022 men's NCAA tournament is headlined by No. 1 Gonzaga, which is a No. 1 seed for the fifth time in 10 years, including three straight NCAA tournaments.
The Bulldogs will need to navigate No. 2 Duke, No. 3 Texas Tech, No. 4 Arkansas and a host of upset-minded lower seeds if they hope to reach the Final Four.
For NBA fans, Gonzaga freshman Chet Holmgren and Duke freshman Paolo Banchero will be must-see TV. They're both presumptive lottery picks in the 2022 draft following terrific seasons in which they played pivotal roles in the success of their teams.
Before the tournament gets underway, here's a full breakdown of the West Region.
First-Round Schedule
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All game times are in E.T.
Thursday Games
No. 8 Boise State vs. No. 9 Memphis, 1:45 p.m., TNT
No. 1 Gonzaga vs. No. 16 Georgia State, 4:15 p.m., TNT
No. 5 UConn vs. No. 12 New Mexico State, 6:50 p.m., TNT
No. 4 Arkansas vs. No. 13 Vermont, 9:20 p.m., TNT
Friday Games
No. 3 Texas Tech vs. No. 14 Montana State, 1:45 p.m., TNT
No. 6 Alabama vs. No. 11 Rutgers/Notre Dame, 4:15 p.m., TNT
No. 2 Duke vs. No. 15 Cal State Fullerton, 7:10 p.m., CBS
No. 7 Michigan State vs. No. 10 Davidson, 9:30 p.m., CBS
Must-See Games
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No. 8 Boise State vs. No. 9 Memphis
The Boise State Broncos have five players over 6'7" in their regular rotation, and they play at a snail-like tempo that makes them a tough draw for athletic teams that want to run. That length will be put to the test as they try to slow down Memphis center Jalen Duren and a Tigers team that is playing its best basketball over the past month. The winner gets Gonzaga.
No. 5 UConn vs. No. 12 New Mexico State
Don't sleep on a New Mexico State squad that ranked in the top 100 in KenPom's adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency, and knocked off Grand Canyon and Abilene Christian to snag the automatic bid as the No. 3 seed in the SWAC tournament. The Aggies beat a good Davidson team earlier this year, and they'll give the Huskies a run for their money if leading scorer Teddy Allen (19.3 PPG) has a big game.
Top Storylines
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1. A Potential Coach K vs. Tom Izzo Matchup
B/R writer Kerry Miller recently wrote a community article breaking down reader takes on who will be the best active coach once Coach K rides off into the sunset at the end of this season. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo was among the most popular answers, and those two legends could go head-to-head in the second round if No. 2 Duke and No. 7 Michigan State take care of business in their openers.
2. Potential Lottery Picks in Action
Gonzaga center Chet Holmgren and Duke forward Paolo Banchero are expected to be among the first picks in the 2022 NBA draft following impressive freshman seasons. They won't meet until a potential Elite Eight matchup, but two potential future NBA stars reside in the West Region.
3. No. 1 Offense vs. No. 1 Defense
According to KenPom's adjusted efficiency metrics, Gonzaga has the best offense in the nation and Texas Tech has the best defense in the nation. Those two teams are on a collision course in the Elite Eight if the Red Raiders can survive No. 2 seed Duke and the rest of their half of the bracket and the Bulldogs can live up to their billing as the tournament's No. 1 overall seed.
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Players to Watch
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Paolo Banchero, Duke
With a 6'10" frame and elite athleticism, it's not hard to see why Banchero was one of the top freshmen in the country and is a lock to be a top-five pick in the 2022 NBA draft. The Duke standout averaged 17.0 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game, and he has four 20-point games in his past six.
Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga
The No. 1 player in the 2021 recruiting class and the former high school teammate former Gonzaga standout Jalen Suggs, Holmgren averaged 14.2 points per game on 61.0 percent shooting from the floor and 41.2 percent from beyond the arc. He also won WCC Defensive Player of the Year, averaging 9.6 rebounds and 3.6 blocks, and his 104 blocks were fourth in the nation.
Teddy Allen, New Mexico State
Allen has bounced around during his college career, spending time at West Virginia, Western Nebraska Community College and Nebraska where he averaged 16.5 points per game last season, but he's really come into his own at New Mexico State. The 6'6" forward led the WAC in scoring at 19.3 points per game, and he had a 41-point game earlier this year against Abilene Christian.
Favorite Most Likely to Fall
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No. 4 Arkansas Razorbacks
The Razorbacks have an impressive resume featuring wins over Auburn, Tennessee, Florida, Kentucky and LSU since the start of February, but their conference tournament ended on a sour note when they suffered an 82-64 loss to Texas A&M.
A team that ranks 169th in three-point attempts (685) and 320th in three-point percentage (30.7%), the Razorbacks are not well-equipped to play from behind, and that's the position they found themselves in against the Aggies when they faced a 36-24 halftime deficit.
It's also worth noting that Arkansas star JD Notae is in the midst of a shooting slump, connecting on just 27.8 percent from the field over his past four games, including a season-low five points in the loss to Texas A&M on Saturday.
This was one of the hottest teams in college basketball just a few weeks ago, but it feels like some of the wind has been taken out of their sails.
Most Likely Cinderella
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No. 13 Vermont Catamounts
Say what you will about the level of competition in the American East Conference, but it's tough to ignore the fact that Vermont outscored its three conference tournament opponents by a combined 110 points, securing the automatic bid with an 82-43 victory over UMBC on Saturday.
That came on the heels of a 17-1 stroll through conference play, and overall they've gone 22-1 in their past 23 games dating back to a 10-point loss on the road against Providence on Dec. 7.
Forward Ryan Davis (17.2 PPG, 5.7 RPG) and guard Ben Shungu (16.2 PPG, 4.5 RPG) are as good a one-two punch as you'll find on any mid-major team this year, and they share the ball extremely well as a team, ranking 42nd in the nation with 15.2 assists per game.
Their 10-man rotation is made up of eight seniors and two juniors, and that experience alone makes them a scary team off the No. 13 seed line.
Who Will Make the Sweet 16?
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No. 1 Gonzaga
The winner of the 8/9 matchup between Boise State and Memphis won't be a fun second round draw for Gonzaga, but the Bulldogs are the top overall seed for a reason. Drew Timme had an impressive NCAA tournament run a year ago, and his size, efficiency and experience will give Gonzaga a known commodity to lean on in a tough second game.
No. 13 Vermont
It wouldn't be a complete stunner to see No. 12 New Mexico State and No. 13 Vermont squaring off in the second round, as those are two of the best mid-major teams in the country and they're going up against Arkansas and UConn teams with undeniable boom-or-bust potential. The Catamounts have worn the glass slipper before, upsetting Syracuse in 2005, and the significant experience they boast could make them the story of the 2022 tournament.
No. 3 Texas Tech
Alabama has taken down some giants this year, and the Crimson Tide are lurking as a potential second-round matchup for Texas Tech if they can get past the winner of the Notre Dame vs. Rutgers play-in game. However, the Crimson Tide love to run on offense, and they're not going to be able to do that against the best defense in the country. This could be a frustrating game for Alabama.
No. 2 Duke
Don't sleep on Davidson as the No. 10 seed, but Michigan State played extremely well in the Big Ten tournament, and the Coach K vs. Tom Izzo matchup would be one of the biggest storylines of the second round. The Blue Devils survive to fight another day in a thriller.
The Elite Eight Matchup Will Be...
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No. 1 Gonzaga vs. No. 3 Texas Tech
Regardless of who they face in the Sweet 16, Gonzaga is the superior team by a wide enough margin that it's difficult to go upset hunting.
For all that's been made of their high-powered offense, the Bulldogs also have the No. 7 defense in the country, and the way that Chet Holmgren protects the rim inside changes the way that teams approach them on offense.
A long, athletic Boise State team might be Gonzaga's toughest matchup in the entire upper half of the bracket.
A Duke team that does a great job protecting the basketball (10.4 turnovers per game) would pose an interesting test for Texas Tech's vaunted defense. However, the Red Raiders still found a way to beat Tennessee (eight turnovers) and Baylor (11 turnovers) in games where they weren't able to force a ton of mistakes.
This is the end of the line for Coach K and a very good Duke team.
And the Final Four Team Is...
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No. 1 Gonzaga
A Gonzaga vs. Texas Tech matchup in the Elite Eight would be a rematch from when the two teams met on Dec. 18 at the Jerry Colangelo Classic in Phoenix, Arizona.
The Red Raiders controlled the tempo in that game, holding Gonzaga to 69 points and just 42.9 percent shooting, but the Bulldogs still walked away with a 14-point victory.
Chet Holmgren (5 points, 1/4 shooting) and Drew Timme (7 points, 2/4 shooting) were essentially non-factors in that game, but the Gonzaga guards picked up the slack on the offensive end.
It's hard not to look at that game like Texas Tech giving them their best shot and it simply not being good enough against a superior opponent. As such, there's no reason to expect a dramatically different outcome in a second meeting.
All stats courtesy of Sports Reference.
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