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[What to know about each region: South | East | Midwest]
With the 2025 NCAA men's tournament upon us, here's everything you need to know about the West region.
It’s pretty chalky out west, as the top three seeds have the three best odds of anyone in the region to win the national title. Florida is one of the favorites to win it all after the Gators have won 12 of their last 13 games and took down Tennessee to win the SEC tournament title on Sunday.
St. John’s may be the best defensive team in the country and Texas Tech is capable of beating anyone. The Red Raiders have one of the best offenses in the country and are not afraid to unleash from behind the arc. According to KenPom.com, the West region features three of the top six offenses in the country in Florida, Texas Tech and No. 6 Missouri.
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Not until the Final Four. Florida is the No. 4 overall seed in the tournament but is a very understandable favorite to win it all. The Gators have the No. 1 offense and No. 10 defense according to KenPom and absolutely outmuscled Tennessee on Sunday. Florida's four losses this season all came in SEC play to teams that made the tournament. Missouri took down the Gators in the regular season, but the two teams wouldn’t meet until the Elite Eight and Florida beat Mizzou in the SEC tournament.
Ben McCollum led Drake to the Missouri Valley title in his first season. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Missouri may not even make it out of the first round. The Tigers drew Drake on Thursday in a juicy matchup with lots of local storylines. The Bulldogs are 30-3 and won the Missouri Valley Conference. They’re led by coach Ben McCollum, who won a national title at Division II Northwest Missouri State. Drake’s leading scorer, Bennett Stirtz, is a transfer from NWMSU and a native of suburban Kansas City, Missouri. It wouldn’t be a total shock if Drake beat both the Tigers and Texas Tech to get to the Sweet 16.
There could be an even bigger upset by seed, however. Even if it’s not an upset according to Vegas.
No. 12 Colorado State is on a tear right now and beat Boise State to win the Mountain West title. The Rams are No. 42 in KenPom’s rankings and drew No. 5 seed Memphis. The Tigers are nine spots lower despite being seven seeds higher.
That KenPom ranking is reflected in the spread for the game. Colorado State opened as a 2.5-point favorite against the Tigers.
Clayton is the Gators’ leading scorer with 17.4 points per game while shooting 38% from the 3-point line. He’s the do-it-all guard as he leads the team in assists and also grabs nearly four rebounds per game. Clayton has scored over 20 points in four of Florida’s last five games, though he’s also had some rough shooting nights recently. Since the start of February, Clayton has shot worse than 40% in six of Florida’s 13 games.
Toppin averages 18 points and nine rebounds a game while shooting 55% from the field. The All-Big 12 forward from Dallas transferred from Texas Tech after a season at New Mexico and immediately became the Red Raiders’ go-to player. As Toppin goes, Texas Tech goes. He hasn’t scored more than 14 points in each of Texas Tech’s last three losses.
Yes, we went this long into a region preview before mentioning Kansas. That’s what happens when you’re a No. 7 seed. It won’t be surprising if Kansas drops its first-round game to Arkansas or makes the Elite Eight. The Jayhawks have been that volatile this year. If Kansas makes a run, it’s because Dickinson has played well. He’s averaging 17.6 points and 10 rebounds a game while shooting over 53% from the field. He’s one of just two reliable scorers for KU along with Zeke Mayo.
It’s hard to see Florida losing at any point. You could make a case the Gators get a tough game in the Sweet 16, but there’s no one on their side of the region that should put a scare into them.
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With the 2025 NCAA men's tournament upon us, here's everything you need to know about the West region.
Who are the favorites?
No. 1 Florida (+350 to win the national title at BetMGM)
No. 2 St. John’s (+2200)
No. 3 Texas Tech (+3500)
It’s pretty chalky out west, as the top three seeds have the three best odds of anyone in the region to win the national title. Florida is one of the favorites to win it all after the Gators have won 12 of their last 13 games and took down Tennessee to win the SEC tournament title on Sunday.
St. John’s may be the best defensive team in the country and Texas Tech is capable of beating anyone. The Red Raiders have one of the best offenses in the country and are not afraid to unleash from behind the arc. According to KenPom.com, the West region features three of the top six offenses in the country in Florida, Texas Tech and No. 6 Missouri.
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When will the No. 1 seed go down?
Not until the Final Four. Florida is the No. 4 overall seed in the tournament but is a very understandable favorite to win it all. The Gators have the No. 1 offense and No. 10 defense according to KenPom and absolutely outmuscled Tennessee on Sunday. Florida's four losses this season all came in SEC play to teams that made the tournament. Missouri took down the Gators in the regular season, but the two teams wouldn’t meet until the Elite Eight and Florida beat Mizzou in the SEC tournament.
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Ben McCollum led Drake to the Missouri Valley title in his first season. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Who is the Cinderella of the region?
Missouri may not even make it out of the first round. The Tigers drew Drake on Thursday in a juicy matchup with lots of local storylines. The Bulldogs are 30-3 and won the Missouri Valley Conference. They’re led by coach Ben McCollum, who won a national title at Division II Northwest Missouri State. Drake’s leading scorer, Bennett Stirtz, is a transfer from NWMSU and a native of suburban Kansas City, Missouri. It wouldn’t be a total shock if Drake beat both the Tigers and Texas Tech to get to the Sweet 16.
Biggest upset of the region?
There could be an even bigger upset by seed, however. Even if it’s not an upset according to Vegas.
No. 12 Colorado State is on a tear right now and beat Boise State to win the Mountain West title. The Rams are No. 42 in KenPom’s rankings and drew No. 5 seed Memphis. The Tigers are nine spots lower despite being seven seeds higher.
That KenPom ranking is reflected in the spread for the game. Colorado State opened as a 2.5-point favorite against the Tigers.
Players to watch
Florida G Walter Clayton Jr.
Clayton is the Gators’ leading scorer with 17.4 points per game while shooting 38% from the 3-point line. He’s the do-it-all guard as he leads the team in assists and also grabs nearly four rebounds per game. Clayton has scored over 20 points in four of Florida’s last five games, though he’s also had some rough shooting nights recently. Since the start of February, Clayton has shot worse than 40% in six of Florida’s 13 games.
Texas Tech F JT Toppin
Toppin averages 18 points and nine rebounds a game while shooting 55% from the field. The All-Big 12 forward from Dallas transferred from Texas Tech after a season at New Mexico and immediately became the Red Raiders’ go-to player. As Toppin goes, Texas Tech goes. He hasn’t scored more than 14 points in each of Texas Tech’s last three losses.
Kansas C Hunter Dickinson
Yes, we went this long into a region preview before mentioning Kansas. That’s what happens when you’re a No. 7 seed. It won’t be surprising if Kansas drops its first-round game to Arkansas or makes the Elite Eight. The Jayhawks have been that volatile this year. If Kansas makes a run, it’s because Dickinson has played well. He’s averaging 17.6 points and 10 rebounds a game while shooting over 53% from the field. He’s one of just two reliable scorers for KU along with Zeke Mayo.
Who makes it to San Antonio?
It’s hard to see Florida losing at any point. You could make a case the Gators get a tough game in the Sweet 16, but there’s no one on their side of the region that should put a scare into them.
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