It only took two rounds for the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds to go down in the West Region of the NCAA men’s tournament bracket. The No. 1 seed Xavier Musketeers were looked upon as one of the more susceptible high seeds to losing early on and it came to fruition and Florida State used a late rally to knock off Xavier and move on to the Sweet Sixteen. The North Carolina Tar Heels were a lot of people’s pick to make it to the Final Four out of the bracket but they were taken apart by Texas A&M in the Round of 32.
Those two big upsets has left the West Region in much different shape than many figured. The Gonzaga Bulldogs haven’t exactly cruised through the first two rounds but they have made it to the Sweet 16 and are now the team to beat in the region.
The Michigan Wolverines needed a miracle to beat Houston in the second round but are still alive and have been pegged as Gonzaga’s chief competition. Texas A&M and Florida State have each pulled off one big upset already in March Madness and would love to do so again this weekend to advance to the Elite Eight and then the Final Four to claim the West Region championship.
NCAA Tournament Odds
Gonzaga +141
Michigan +194
Texas A&M +404
Florida State +658
Odds Analysis
The oddsmakers believe this is a two-team race. Gonzaga is the pre-eminent mid-major program in the country and has shown the ability to hang with top schools. The Bulldogs beat Ohio State in the second round to get to the Sweet Sixteen. Gonzaga may have been a slight underdog against Xavier in the third round if they played but is instead a six-point favorite against Florida State in the Sweet Sixteen in NCAAB March Madness odds.
Michigan is favored in its matchup against Texas A&M, but only by three points. Even though the Wolverines are the higher seed, they struggled last time out while the Aggies rolled, which is something to keep in mind. An upset in this game is not at all out of the question, which would continue Texas A&M’s magical run into the Elite Eight.
The entire March Madness bracket has been turned upside down with so many top teams losing early on. Xavier and North Carolina were two of them, opening the door for the rest of the teams in the West Region.
Free NCAA ATS Picks
Texas A&M is an intriguing pick because of the odds, but going through Michigan and then Gonzaga would not be easy. Instead, the pick is for the Bulldogs to come away with the West Region championship and move on to the Final Four.
Gonzaga has a lot of talent throughout its lineup and the way the bracket has fallen into place makes its road look like a doable one this weekend. The Aggies will make the Elite Eight by upsetting Michigan in the Sweet Sixteen but take Gonzaga to capture the West Region in NCAA basketball betting lines.
The Bulldogs are favored for a reason as they are the most talented team remaining in the region even though Michigan is a higher seed.
NCAA Odds: Gonzaga to win the West Region
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