WEST REGION WINNERS
By Mark Halpern
So with round two in the books, we move on to the sweetest part of the tourney, the Sweet 16. This week, I had a good round in the west region, going 4-4 on picks. That is much more like it.
#1 Gonzaga. There is no surprise that Gonzaga has moved on to the next round. Each time the Zags have been on the floor, they seem to be off in the first half, but when you have stars like Drew Timme and Chet Holmgren, you can only keep this team down for so long. Holmgren didn’t have his best night with 9pts 9reb and 4blk. On the other hand, Timme had another stellar game with 25pts 14reb and 4ast. This season, he has been the #1 star on the team, and an MVP could be heading his way. Also, I want to shout out to guard Rasir Bolton chipping in 17pts. This team is cruising right now but will face off against the Razorbacks on Wednesday.
#4 Arkansas. The Razorbacks are also moving on to the sweet 16 after a nice win against the Aggies. JD Notae again leads the team in many categories with 18pts 8stl, 4reb and 2 assists. Jaylon Williams had a big night on the boards. He grabbed 15reb and had ten pts. This stat, meaning rebounds, was decisive in this win. Arkansas has a very tough matchup against #1 Gonzaga on Wednesday
#3 Texas Tech has been rolling in this tourney, and in this latest round, they stole the luck of the Irish right from the Irishmen but not by a blowout. Star Kevin Obanor was fantastic with a nice double-double of 15pts and 15reb. Kevin Mccullar and Bryson Williams both put up 14pts each. I had said that the starting line would have to produce to move on here and 4 of the 5 did just that. The Red Raiders are a scary team making a run we all thought they would have. Can they keep it up as they place what I am calling the game of the week. The Red Raiders will have to get by the tremendous coach K to move on.
#2 Duke. Well, the coach with the most is still dancing, and it’s sweet and fitting that he is back in the Sweet 16. We all know that this is his final year, so there is a little piece of me pulling for him. That being said, the Bule Devils went out and handled business. Duke stopped a surging Spartan team from advancing. Paolo Banchero again shows why he belongs in the NBA, and he had a stellar night with 19pts and 7reb. Jemery Roach, Mark Williams, and Wendell Moore Jr had 15pts again. Duke is doing something that their next opponent has also been doing, and that is having 80% of the starting line averaging double-digit points. Coach K wants to keep going, but it will be a tough battle to get by those Red Raiders.
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