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March Madness West regional play begins on March 20th, with some very strong teams fighting for a Final Four appearance. The Gonzaga Bulldogs represent the top seed and have the only undefeated record in college basketball.
Wichita State and Drake will be fighting it out in the play-in game to represent the 11th seed in the Midwest.
March Madness 2021 - West Region bracket
The Iowa Hawkeyes enter the tournament as second seeds in the Midwest, boasting a strong 21-8 overall record. They are led by superstar big man Luka Garza, who averages 23.7 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. Iowa should cruise to a Sweet 16 appearance as they have the talent for a deep run.
The third-seeded Kansas Jayhawks should also be a tough matchup for any team in the region, as they average 73 points of team offense per game. They had an unfortunate incident that involved a positive COVID-19 test within the team during the Big 12 Tournament. The Jayhawks will now travel without three of their players due to COVID-19 protocols.
March Madness 2021 - Seeds & Schedule
The matchup to watch in the Midwest region will be the final game of the night, featuring the 7th-seed VCU Rams and the 10th-seed Oregon Ducks. The VCU Rams have an excellent history in the March Madness tournament, making appearances in nine of the last ten seasons.
The Oregon Ducks finished in first place in the PAC-12 during the regular season but fell short in the conference tournament to their rivals, Oregon State. The Ducks are shooting an impressive 47.7% as a team, but they will need a great game on both ends of the floor to take out VCU.
Here is the opening round schedule for the West region:
Saturday, March 20th, 2021 - Round of 64
3 Kansas vs. 14 Eastern Washington | 1:15 PM ET- TBS - Indiana Farmers Coliseum
5 Creighton vs. 12 UC Santa Barbara | 3:30 PM ET - truTV - Lucas Oil Stadium Unity
6 USC vs. 11 Wichita State/Drake | 4:30 PM ET - TNT - Bankers Life Fieldhouse
2 Iowa vs. 15 Grand Canyon | 6:25 PM ET - TBS - Indiana Farmers Coliseum
4 Virginia vs. 13 Ohio | 7:15 PM ET - truTV - Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall
8 Oklahoma vs. 9 Missouri | 7:25 PM ET - TNT - Lucas Oil Stadium Equality
1 Gonzaga vs. 16 Norfolk State/Appalachian State | 9:20 PM ET - TBS - Bankers Life Fieldhouse
7 Oregon vs. 10 VCU | 9:57 PM ET - TNT - Indiana Farmers Coliseum
March Madness 2021 - Sleepers in the West
The USC Trojans will be the dark horses in the Western region, taking on the winner of the play-in game for 11th-seed. If the Trojans are able to take care of their first-round matchup, they will face the winner of a shorthanded Kansas team or the 14th-seeded Eastern Washington Eagles.
Either of these results would be favorable for the USC Trojans, who haven't made a March Madness Sweet 16 appearance since 2007. The Trojans are led by brothers Isaiah and Evan Mobley, who combined for 28 points and 16 boards per game during the regular season.
Where to watch March Madness 2021 - West Region
First-round March Madness South regional coverage will be broadcast on TBS, truTV and TNT.
