West Region Preview

As we approach the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, Mr. T will preview one region each day.

The Favorite: Connecticut - UConn was cruising on its way to the Final Four until Jerome Dyson broke his foot and the Huskies have been 4-3 in his absence. UConn's strength is on the interior, unless they're playing Pitt, which wouldn't happen until the title game. Thabeet, Adrien, and Robinson will step to anyone. A.J. Price is frothing at the mouth to make up for the torn ACL that killed UConn's hopes last year. There are few lead guards better at getting their shots than that guy. Dyson's injury has weakened the perimeter defense, which in turn leads to more drives and more fouls in the frontcourt. Lacking the three-point shooter of successful teams past, UConn will have to hope the magic of Arizona brings them out of the regional as it did in '99 and '04.

The Main Challenger: Memphis – After stumbling through non-conference play, Memphis moved Tyreke Evans to the point and has never looked back. While not a prototypical PG, Evans has a strong handle of the ball and has shown good decision making thus far. Despite playing in a weak conference, Memphis showed their prowess in an 18-point demolishing of Gonzaga in a semi-road game. Their athletes are as good as any team in the country and there's still a lot of talent despite losing Rose and Douglas-Roberts from last year's team. During the last three years people have knocked Memphis for playing in a weak conference and all three years they've advanced to at least the Elite Eight. Why should this year be any different?

The Sleeper: Purdue - With Robbie Hummel finally healthy, Purdue looks like the top 10 team they were assumed to be in the preseason. While the point guard play is a notch below high quality levels, the other pieces on the court are talented. JaJuan Johnson has come into his own as an interior presence, Robbie Hummel has a wide ranging skill set, and the guards can all shoot and defend. Beating UConn won't be an easy task, but they couldn't ask for a more vulnerable #1 seed.

First Round Upset: Mississippi State - I'm not sure I see a first round upset in this region, but MSU has the best chance. A team that was expected to contend for the SEC this year is playing with loads of confidence after winning the SEC Tournament. Varnado protects the inside with four gunners around him. Washington has a young point guard in Isaiah Thomas, who might not be able to handle the bright lights.