🏀 March Madness West Region Preview: Bracket Predictions, Sleeper Picks & Best Bets

Arizona was the last major-conference team to lose a game this season, and its reward is arguably the easiest path to the Final Four for any No. 1 seed in the bracket.

My March Madness West Region predictions center on the Wildcats as clear favorites, though Purdue, Arkansas, and Gonzaga loom as potential stumbling blocks - especially the prospect of Tommy Lloyd facing his mentor Mark Few in what would be the most compelling coaching matchup of the tournament.

My March Madness West Region preview features my picks for every first-round matchup, upset rankings, and best bets to win the region.

🏀 March Madness bracket previews: East | Midwest | West | South

📋 March Madness West Region bracket & first-round matchups

Odds via DraftKings as of Monday, March 16; all times listed in Eastern Time.

📊 Odds to win the West Region

Odds via DraftKings; see the latest Final Four odds for every team in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.

🔮 West Region predictions for every first-round matchup

Follow all of our college basketball analysis for the 2026 NCAA Tournament.

🏀 Arizona vs. LIU prediction

Arizona (32-2) is one of two teams in the country with a top-five offense and defense per KenPom after having run the gauntlet in the regular season. The Wildcats followed that by winning the Big 12 tournament and earning arguably the easiest path for any top seed. LIU (24-10) auto-qualified from the NEC behind Jamal Fuller (16.6 PPG), but the Sharks are ranked outside the top 200 nationally and simply don't have the athletes to hang with Arizona's depth.

Pick to advance: Arizona

🏀 Villanova vs. Utah State prediction

Villanova (24-8) is the bigger brand name with the better seed, but Utah State (28-6) is the team to fear in this matchup - and the betting market agrees. The Aggies are a top-30 squad by KenPom - ranking three spots ahead of the Wildcats - and that gap only widens with Villanova losing starting forward Matt Hodge (9.2 PPG) to a torn ACL earlier this month. MJ Collins Jr. (17.6 PPG) leads a balanced Utah State team that won the Mountain West tournament, while Villanova's interior depth takes a major hit without Hodge - the Aggies' offense can exploit that.

Pick to advance: Utah State

🏀 Wisconsin vs. High Point prediction

I'm tempted by the 12-seed here as High Point (30-4) only lost four times all year and can score behind Terry Anderson (16.0 PPG), but the Panthers' defense ranks outside the top 160 nationally ... and that came against the Big South. Wisconsin (24-10) owns the 11th-ranked offense in the country behind one of the best backcourt duos in college basketball in Nick Boyd and John Blackwell. Those two should find open looks all game against High Point to help the Badgers win this one somewhat comfortably.

Pick to advance: Wisconsin

🏀 Arkansas vs. Hawaii prediction

John Calipari led Arkansas (26-8) to the SEC tournament behind Darius Acuff Jr., who scored 30 in the final to spark what could be a Kemba Walker-like run in this tournament. The Razorbacks have a top-six offense nationally and enter the tournament riding high in Calipari's first trip to the Big Dance with his new team. Hawaii (24-8) earned its spot in the tourney but has an abysmal offense that should struggle in Round 1.

Pick to advance: Arkansas

🏀 BYU vs. Texas/NC State prediction

If you only know one thing about BYU (23-11), focus on AJ Dybantsa - he's an early front-runner to be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft and has made Cougars more than 10 points per 100 possessions better when he's on the court. Whether BYU has to face Texas (18-14) or NC State (20-13) in Round 1, I trust Dybantsa to help lead the way before BYU's defensive woes are magnified in later rounds.

Pick to advance: BYU

🏀 Gonzaga vs. Kennesaw State prediction

It feels like nobody is talking about Gonzaga (30-3) despite this group ranking 10th in KenPom rating with the No. 9 defense in the country and Graham Ike (19.9 PPG) anchoring the offense. The Zags are without Braden Huff (knee injury) for the first weekend, but Kennesaw State (21-13) doesn't have the firepower to make them pay in the Owls' second-ever tournament appearance.

Pick to advance: Gonzaga

🏀 Miami vs. Missouri prediction

First-year coach Jai Lucas has led Miami (25-8) to the tournament with a borderline top-30 profile and balanced production on both ends of the floor. Missouri (20-12) is led by the talented Mark Mitchell (17.9 PPG, 5.2 RPG) but has battled injuries and inconsistency all season, and the Tigers are just 1-7 in the NCAA tournament since 2011. I trust Miami's defense to dictate the terms early and earn Lucas his first tournament win.

Pick to advance: Miami

🏀 Purdue vs. Queens prediction

Zach Edey isn't walking through that door for Purdue (27-8), but the Boilermakers have another offensive superstar in Braden Smith, who is on the verge of becoming the sport's all-time assists leader. The Boilermakers beat No. 1 seed Michigan in the Big Ten tournament final and carry the No. 2 offense in the country into this matchup with Queens (21-13), which is making its first-ever tournament appearance but should struggle mightily with one of the worst defenses in the country.

Pick to advance: Purdue

🚨 West Region upset rankings

See all of our March Madness upset predictions for the 2026 NCAA Tournament.

💰 West Region predictions & best bets

See our experts' college basketball picks based on the latest college basketball odds.

📈 Live West Region odds

See the latest March Madness odds for every team's path to the Final Four.

🏀 More March Madness predictions

Here is a look at all of our March Madness experts' coverage of the NCAA Tournament:

First-round matchups & previews

Bracket picks & odds analysis