West packed with popular picks for first-round upsets
The West Region has three games that will be popular upset picks.
One comes Thursday, when No. 10 Providence faces No. 7 Texas A&M. The Friars took down Xavier in overtime of the Big East semifinals.
The Aggies matched the program’s highest ranking by reaching No. 5 before going 9-9 through league play.
No. 5 seed Ohio State could have its hands full with No. 12 South Dakota State.
The Buckeyes will have a 12-day gap between games before facing the Summit League-champion Jackrabbits.
Ohio State also must deal with 6-foot9-inch Mike Daum, who has averaged 23.8 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.
Also keep an eye on No. 6 Houston and No. 11 San Diego State in Wichita, Kansas.
The Aztecs struggled early but are on a nine-game win streak. Houston, No. 21 in the AP Top 25, beat Wichita State before losing to Cincinnati by one on Sunday. Wright. The Wildcats were the overall top seed last year and lost to Wisconsin.
Purdue (28-6) is the No. 2 seed and plays 15th-seeded Cal State Fullerton. Texas Tech, Wichita State, West Virginia and Florida are among the teams that could also come out of the East.
Wright, who became Villanova’s career wins lead in the Big East Tournament, has the Wildcats rolling behind Big East player of the year Jalen Brunson, all-big East pick Mikal Bridges and national title game leading scorer Phil Booth. Brunson matched a career high with 31 points in Villanova’s overtime victory against Providence to clinch the tourney title.
The Wildcats spent eight weeks at No. 1 in the AP Top 25 and have no seniors, and NBA prospects Brunson and Bridges are not expected to return next season, increasing the urgency to make a Final Four run now.
Here’s what else to look for in the East Region.
Marshall vs. Marshall
What’s in a name?
In the 4-13 matchup, it’s Marshall. Coach Gregg Marshall leads his fourth-seeded Shockers (25-7) against No. 13 seed Marshall (24-10). Marshall was an assistant at Marshall from 1996-98.
The Shockers didn’t miss a beat in their first season in the American Athletic Conference and secured their ninth straight 25-win season. Marshall earned an automatic berth as the Conference USA Tournament champion and is going to its first NCAA Tournament since 1987.
Boiler up
The Boilermakers (28-6) are a perennially tough team that usually falls short of making a deep run in March. Purdue won 19 straight games and seemed poised to win the Big Ten until a three-game losing streak.
Purdue guard Carsen Edwards walked into the locker room after the Boilermakers got their highest seed since 1994 and told Matt Painter, “Thanks, coach.”
Purdue could face Butler in the second round. The 10th-seeded Bulldogs defeated Villanova this season and lost to the Boilermakers in December.
’Bama back in tourney
Avery Johnson coached the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals. Can he pull off a rare double and lead a college team to the Final Four?
Johnson has Alabama as the No. 9 seed in the East.
The Crimson Tide could be a factor in the region — as long as it plays five players.
The Crimson Tide had a 3-on-5 matchup — that’s players, not NCAA seeding — for the final 10 minutes in a November loss to Minnesota. Alabama lost the rest of the roster because of ejections, fouls and injuries.
That’s a different kind of madness.