Skip to player
Skip to main content
Skip to footer
Search
Connect
Watch fullscreen
Like
Comments
Bookmark
Share
Add to Playlist
Report
West Region Preview: First Round Matchups to Watch Out For
SportsGrid
Follow
3/17/2025
Category
🥇
Sports
Transcript
Display full video transcript
00:00
Those matchups to know in the opening round the upsets we might see and of course a player to highlight as well
00:06
Let's start with your West region
00:08
Game to watch of the opening round of 64 and the games that we will see which one intrigues you the most. It's very simple
00:14
It's a nine matchup between Oklahoma and UConn because I'm so intrigued by what this UConn team
00:20
Can be a problem with UConn is is we don't know what you got team is gonna show up
00:26
So to me, it's an intriguing match for you got seemed I feel like if they can impose their will if
00:32
Dan Hurley can have them engaged if Dan Hurley
00:36
Can stay engaged in Hurley's openly talking about we see me as a coach
00:40
He can't ride these kids like he's done in the past. They're a little bit younger. They're green
00:47
He's got to be able to work with them and have them play through their ebbs and flows and not get them
00:52
Nervous and Dan Hurley can get them composed and played a way to capable of yeah
00:58
They get that win
00:59
I think it'll be sort of a run and it is crazy right because this team entered top 10 in the preseason polls
01:05
They entered of course hunting down a third consecutive national championship trying to make history that we have not seen in men's college
01:12
hoop since the early
01:14
1970s in a team JY that has been the most dominant team we have seen in the month of March
01:19
Possibly ever in the history of this sport in their last two national championship runs
01:25
They have played of course 12 games in a big dance
01:27
They've won all 12 by at least 13 points an average margin of victory just shy of 22 points per game
01:34
They are 12 and Oh against the number with an average cover margin
01:39
Outperforming even the expectation by 12 and a half points per game and last year a positive point differential of plus
01:46
140
01:48
It's a very different Connecticut team
01:50
But of course, they have a lot of similar pieces that are trying to replicate the success
01:54
They have seen the last few years my region game to watch
01:59
that 710 matchup, Kansas and
02:02
Arkansas star power brand names in this sport led by two of the best head coaches that are currently still doing it bill self
02:10
For Kansas, he has won multiple national championships and John Calipari, of course for Arkansas
02:17
As well. It's a really interesting matchup
02:19
JY to me because what version of KU are we going to see the preseason number one team in the country for a second consecutive
02:25
Year or the team that in the last two regular seasons has frankly been disappointing
02:31
What Arkansas team are we going to see the team that was spurred by cows returned to Lexington?
02:36
earlier in the regular season in SEC action or the team that has also faltered on
02:42
Expectation five and a half point spread in favor of the Jayhawks our total at 146 and a half for that opening round of 64
02:48
game, what do you think gives I
02:51
Don't know
02:53
Either team and you know, this is also a you know
02:56
I think you know Cal may have the back end of his mind at Mario Chalmers three a long time ago on a national champion
03:03
Game where they kind of blew a national champion where he was that Memphis so to me
03:08
It's an intriguing matchup between these two legendary coaches
03:12
Teams that have tremendously
03:14
Underachieved. Yeah teams that went through the portal when you talk about Zeke mayor or you talk about AJ
03:20
So are you talking about the transfers like even John L. Davis for Arkansas that has not panned out
03:26
Yeah, but here's the amazing thing. You just got to get in now you're in
03:32
Can you put together like Bennett's talked about just six times?
03:36
Yeah, can you win six games in a row and this Kansas team was a number one team preseason?
03:43
This year for a reason with Hunter Dickinson with Dwan Harris with Abrams
03:47
Obviously would when they do store with Zeke Mayo, right?
03:49
They have the pedigree but so does Arkansas and it still sets up such an interesting game because the winner that game
03:57
It's gonna take on st. John's. Yeah, it would it be one of the wildest scenes
04:02
I think of the second round of the tournament
04:03
It really could be to have that matchup of Rick Pitino against either Bill self or John Calipari
04:10
Talk about some marquee matchups and some star power even in the round of 32 in the opening weekend a West
04:17
Region upset alert and JY if you will I'll go first hand up when we put these in
04:23
Colorado State was a slight underdog against the champions out of the American in
04:28
Memphis it would be an upset from the seed line component
04:32
Because CSU is the 12 seed seven seed lines below the five seed in the Memphis Tigers
04:37
But now Colorado State is a two and a half point
04:41
Favorite really believe in what Nico Medved has done this year for CSU and they are on an absolute heater winner of eight straight
04:48
And JY when you look at Colorado State according to Bart Torvik who tracks the efficiency ratings year by year
04:55
Customizable tables the best team in the last month since the middle of February
04:59
One of the best in the Mountain West one of the best nationally eighth best in the country. That's Colorado State
05:05
So let's get to your true
05:07
Upset in this opening round of 64. What game do you highlight? Oh, I'm going with the drink
05:14
Bulldogs to pull off the upset when you think about drink. It's simply put
05:19
Can they
05:20
Value the ball this team turns them all over a lot 18.6 turnovers per game
05:25
Yeah, that's a lot and that's a little worrisome for me
05:29
I got the team with Missouri that wants to get steals live steals get on a transition and run
05:36
so if Drake can handle the pressure and
05:40
Handle the ball you start peeling away
05:44
Offensive effective field goal percentage they have the advantage offensive rebounding percent
05:48
Missouri does not rebound the ball while at all the fact of free-throw attempts and free-throw versus field goals attempt
05:54
Yeah, they're number 11
05:56
They are a team that I think Ben can get it done versus Missouri if they handle the ball
Recommended
2:31
|
Up next
NIT Quarterfinals Tonight: Key Matchups and Predictions
SportsGrid
3/25/2025
1:20
#2 Florida Hosts Oklahoma in SEC Showdown on Tuesday
SportsGrid
2/18/2025
3:40
Expert Predictions for College Basketball Matchups
SportsGrid
3/11/2025
1:57
Tonight's Key College Basketball Games Analysis & Best Bets
SportsGrid
2/3/2025
3:46
Tonight's College Basketball Key Matches, Odds, & Best Bets
SportsGrid
1/28/2025
4:35
The Top NCAA Tournament Matchups Out of the Midwest Region
SportsGrid
3/17/2025
3:31
College Basketball Predictions: Teams Face Off Tonight
SportsGrid
2/26/2025
2:50
#12 Colorado State vs. #5 Memphis: An Unexpected NCAA Upset?
SportsGrid
3/21/2025
3:23
Otega Oweh Delivers Securing Big Win for the Cats Again!
SportsGrid
3/15/2025
1:35
National Championship Showdown: Florida vs. Houston Preview
SportsGrid
4/7/2025
3:39
Houston Aims to Rely on Defense in Key Basketball Matchup
SportsGrid
4/7/2025
3:07
NCAA Tournament Predictions: Focus on South and Midwest
SportsGrid
3/25/2025
1:44
Florida vs. Houston: National Championship Game Preview
SportsGrid
4/7/2025
1:27
Florida vs. Houston Preview: Who Wins a National Championship?
SportsGrid
4/7/2025
1:19
Kansas Dominates Iowa State in Big 12 Showdown Victory
SportsGrid
2/4/2025
1:25
Arizona vs. Baylor Game Preview: In-Depth Matchup Insights
SportsGrid
2/17/2025
1:00
#7 UCLA vs. #10 Utah State: Game Preview and Point Spread
SportsGrid
3/21/2025
3:24
Key College Basketball Games and Coaching Insights
SportsGrid
2/7/2025
4:01
Now Unranked Kansas Bounces Back with Win Over Colorado
SportsGrid
2/25/2025
2:15
Florida vs. Houston Preview: Breaking Down the Total
SportsGrid
4/7/2025
1:02
Duke vs. Arizona Round of 16 Clash: Key Matchup Insights
SportsGrid
3/27/2025
0:56
The Mountain West Shines in the Early Results of March Madness
SportsGrid
3/22/2025
3:30
2025 Big East Tournament Preview: Key Games and Insights
SportsGrid
3/10/2025
3:28
Kentucky and Missouri's NCAA Tournament Odds Analyzed
SportsGrid
3/8/2025
3:30
Memphis, Illinois, UC Games Headline Tonight’s NCAA Lineup
SportsGrid
1/23/2025