Cover photo taken from Sports Illustrated.
Welcome back to the Madness. The 2023 NCAA Tournament is upon us with 68 teams and 67 incredible games ahead to crown a champion. The 2022-23 college basketball season has been one of the most unique in recent memory, as the field appears to be as wide open as it has ever been. There isn’t necessarily a clear favorite in this tournament, so March Madness is sure to live up to its name in the coming weeks. To preview the tournament, I’ll be breaking down the 2023 bracket region by region. This is the preview of the West: a region with more big brands and star players than we could ever ask for.
Meet the 1 Seed: 
Kansas Jayhawks
The defending champions are back with a vengeance. Kansas continues to be one of the premier programs in the country with elite talent and impeccable coaching. A year after winning the national championship and losing stars like Ochai Agbaji to the NBA, they have reloaded and been one of the best teams in the nation from start to finish this season. Bill Self’s Jayhawks won the Big 12 regular season title, but got crushed in the tournament championship by Texas. Self was hospitalized for the tournament, but will be back for the NCAAs, so take that blowout with a grain of salt (although Texas is a great team). They finished the year ranked 7th in KenPom as well as 9th in both NET and BPI. Those may be low numbers for a 1 seed, but KU had to go through the toughest league in the sport, so they’re more than worthy of this 1 seed. They played a whopping 24 Quad 1 games and won 17 of them. They are battle-tested and they have proven that they can beat any team on any floor, no matter how good they are. The star of the show is forward Jalen Wilson, who returned to Lawrence after winning the championship last year and has only gotten better. Wilson is one of the nation’s leading scorers with more than 20 points per game in addition to grabbing 8 boards per game. Fellow returning player Dajuan Harris facilitates the offense to perfection with 6.2 assists per game, which ranks top 10 nationally, to go along with 10 points and two steals per game. Freshman guard Gradey Dick has emerged as one of the best scorers in basketball, averaging 14/5/2/1. There is cause for concern, as Kevin McCullar, one of the team’s key pieces, is dealing with injury problems and might not play in the tournament. McCullar is a do-it-all guard/forward who averages 11/7/2/2/1, and without him, the Jayhawks might not be able to handle the athletic teams that could stand in their way like Arkansas and UConn. But at their healthiest, Kansas is as good as they’ve ever been, and they are more than capable of being the sport’s first repeat champion since Florida 15 years ago.
Meet the Sleeper: 
#4 Connecticut Huskies
Honorable Mentions: #8 Arkansas, #12 VCU
UConn is obviously no stranger to the NCAA Tournament, but this might be their best opportunity for a deep run since their improbable championship in 2014. They might be the most under-seeded team in the field, getting a 4 despite being ranked 4th in KenPom, 6th in BPI, and 8th in NET. They started the year 14-0, including a double digit win over the tournament’s top seed in Alabama. They struggled a bit in the mighty difficult Big East, but the talent is abundant on this roster, and they got a nice draw for a potential Final Four push. Dan Hurley’s squad is led by big man Adama Sanogo, a monster in the paint who averages 17/7/1/1/1. Sanogo has helped this team be the best in the nation on the offensive glass, leading the country in offensive rebounds. The Huskies have patented great guard play with the sensational duo of Jordan Hawkins (16/4/1/1) and Tristen Newton (10/4/5/1): a perfect pairing of scoring and facilitation. Freshman forward Alex Karaban has also emerged as a key piece on both ends of the floor. This team’s offense is one of the hardest in the nation to slow down as they pick you apart all game long while producing plenty of second chance points, and their defense is extremely difficult to beat with its size and physicality. Any team in the field will have their hands full with UConn. Don’t let the seeding fool you; this is one of the best teams in this tournament, and they are more than capable of not only making a Final Four, but winning the whole thing.
Upset Waiting To Happen: #12 VCU over #5 Saint Mary’s
This is the only first round upset that I see happening in the West. VCU enters this tournament after capturing the A10 title with a 27-win season, including a 22-3 finish to the year. But they’re not getting as much love as other potential Cinderellas in the field. I’m here to tell you that you should absolutely be backing the Rams here. For the majority of the season, their defense was the strongsuit, but the offense lagged behind. Now, they’re peaking offensively at just the right time while the defense continues to be as pesky as it always is. Star guard Ace Baldwin Jr. has been one of the best perimeter defenders in college basketball this year while simultaneously being the team’s leading scorer and assist man (top 10 nationally in assists with 5.9/game). The size and physicality also helps the defense, with Michigan transfer Brandon Johns, Jalen DeLoach, and Jamir Watkins stretching the floor and locking down the middle of the floor. Saint Mary’s plays a very similar style of ball; their own star guard Logan Johnson has been one of the better players in the country this season. They have an elite defense and a sneaky good offense. But the Gaels seem to have peaked earlier in the season. They ended their season getting absolutely waxed by Gonzaga in the WCC tournament championship, and their confidence is likely shaken by that. VCU has been red hot for months, and I think they can carry that momentum into this tournament and knock off Saint Mary’s for a classic 5-12 upset.
Best Potential Games: #2 UCLA vs. #3 Gonzaga, #1 Kansas vs. #2 UCLA
Honorable Mentions: #1 Kansas vs. #8 Arkansas, #1 Kansas vs. #4 UConn, #2 UCLA vs. #4 UConn
The South has the potential for several Goliath vs. Goliath clashes before we even reach the Regional Final. Each of the top four seeds have played in Final Fours in the past decade, and two of them have played for a national championship, including Kansas’ win last April.
Perhaps the most enticing of these matchups is the potential rematch between UCLA and Gonzaga. We all remember their thrilling classic in the 2021 Final Four which was capped off by Jalen Suggs hitting a half-court shot at the buzzer to send the Zags to the title game. To get this matchup again in a Regional Semifinal in Las Vegas would be an absolute delight. Even with the Bruins being shorthanded, seeing matchups like Tyger Campbell vs. Julian Strawther or Drew Timme vs. Adem Bona would be so much fun. I actually see this being one of the Regional Semis, with UCLA advancing to the Elite 8.
While I don’t think this will be the Regional Final, the appeal of Kansas-UCLA needs no explanation. They’re two blue bloods, two of the greatest programs in the history of collegiate athletics. They have been near the top of the polls for this entire season. They each feature All-American forwards in Jalen Wilson for the Jayhawks and Jaime Jaquez for the Bruins. This is a matchup that’s worthy of the pageantry of Los Angeles. If this does end up being the Elite 8 game in the West, I’d give a slight edge to UCLA, even though they’ll be without Jaylen Clark. This team just has an energy and level of play that truly inspires me.
My Pick For Houston: 
#2 UCLA
Honorable Mentions: #1 Kansas, #4 UConn
As I just said, I love this UCLA team. They’re probably my favorite team in the country to watch. They have players that are easy to root for, and Mick Cronin has done another tremendous job building a championship-contending team in Westwood. 26 of their 29 wins came on 14 and 12-game winning streaks, and although they didn’t win the Pac-12 tournament, I thought they were far and away the best team in the league from start to finish. They finished the year ranking 3rd in both NET and KenPom (including having the #1 defensive efficiency according to KenPom) while being 4th in BPI. First Team All-American Jaime Jaquez leads the way, doing it all with 17/8/2/1/1 averages. The heart and soul remains Tyger Campbell, who I would pick over any point guard in the world to lead my team. Campbell is second on the team in scoring with 13.6 points/game and leads the team with 4.7 assists/game. Freshman forward Adem Bona has emerged as a key piece down low, averaging 8 points and 5 boards per game. But the real differentiator for this Bruins squad was G/F Jaylen Clark, perhaps the best perimeter defender in the nation who averaged 13/6/2/3, who suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in the final game of the regular season. With Clark, UCLA would’ve waltzed through the conference tournament, and perhaps this tournament as well. I would have rode them all the way to the national championship, but it’s much harder to put my faith in them now. Still, I think this Bruins team has the talent and the culture for another deep tournament run. The key piece will end up being David Singleton, who will start in place of the injured Clark. The senior guard has played the role of a spark-plug off the bench all year long. Now, he’ll need to carry his weight in the starting lineup. If they can consistently play at the top of their game, this team is destined for another Final Four run. It will be difficult in what I consider to be the toughest region in the tournament, but I’m not going to give up on this team now after months of rocking with them. I have UCLA beating UConn in the Regional Final in Las Vegas to get to Houston for a heavyweight clash with Texas before losing the national championship to Alabama.
Full Round of 64 Picks:
#1 Kansas over #16 Howard: The Bison are a great story, earning their first NCAA bid in 31 years, but title defenses don’t get off to an easier start than this for the Jayhawks.
#8 Arkansas over #9 Illinois: Eric Musselman’s ferocious Hogs always leave their mark in March. This is another physical group of guys that will impose their will on any basketball game they play. Illinois has been too underwhelming offensively to pick them to overcome the Razorbacks’ physicality on defense.
#12 VCU over #5 Saint Mary’s: Apropos of above. The Rams are the hottest team in the field that no one is talking about. The Gaels are a great team who had a great year, but I’m rolling with my former school to ride their defense and improving shooting to the upset.
#4 UConn over #13 Iona: Rick Pitino’s Gaels are a trendy upset pick, and for good reason. They have a geographical advantage and are one of the hottest teams in the field. But the Huskies are simply too dominant down low and imposing on defense to lose a game to a vastly inferior opponent.
#6 TCU over #11 Arizona State: It’s pretty hard to pick against the Sun Devils after their offensive explosion in the First Four, but they’ll be facing a much tougher test in the Horned Frogs’ elite defense. If TCU’s star guard Mike Miles is healthy, then they should be able to dominate on both ends of the floor. This is a team that made some splashes in the extremely tough Big 12, so I trust them to beat an Arizona State squad that treaded water in the Pac-12.
#3 Gonzaga over #14 GCU: The Zags are one of the most fascinating teams in the field of 68. For the first time in several years, haven’t had the spotlight shining on them throughout the season, and have almost flown under the radar en route to another WCC title. I think this team plays much better when the pressure isn’t on them, and they have virtually none on them in this tournament. They could be primed for a deep run, and it will start with a very easy win against the WAC champions.
#7 Northwestern over #10 Boise State: Northwestern has been one of the best stories of the season, with Big Ten Coach of the Year Chris Collins improbably leading the Wildcats to an impressive season led by a suffocating defense. Their offense is an extremely weak link, but I think that playing in the Big Ten has prepared them for the big stage. If nothing else, they are capable of winning this opening round matchup against an admittedly stingy Broncos squad.
#2 UCLA over #15 UNC Asheville: I have backed the Bruins all season long. This is perhaps my favorite team in the entire tournament, despite their recent injuries. I think they’re primed for another run to the Final Four, and it starts here.
All stats taken from ESPN.
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