With the 2026 NCAA men’s tournament upon us, here’s everything you need to know about the West region.
[More regional breakdowns: East | Midwest | South]
Who are the favorites?
Arizona is the No. 3 favorite overall behind Duke and Michigan after winning the Big 12 in convincing fashion. After the Wildcats, everyone else in the region can be considered a long shot. Purdue was one of the biggest risers before Selection Sunday, and Gonzaga is a top-three seed for the first time since 2023. Arizona is -105 to make the Final Four and -250 to make it to the Elite Eight, while Purdue is +300 to win the region and Gonzaga is +550.
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When will the No. 1 seed go down?
The Wildcats look like a lock to get to the Sweet 16, but getting out of the region could be tough. No. 4 Arkansas has won 13 of its last 15 games and could have the best player in the region with Darius Acuff Jr.
Purdue also showed why it was the preseason No. 1 team in the AP Top 25 with its run to the Big Ten tournament title. The Boilermakers had lost three of their last four regular-season games but won four straight — including a 16-point win over Nebraska — to secure the Big Ten’s automatic berth.
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Arizona, meanwhile, has won nine straight games after its only two losses of the season to Kansas and Texas Tech. After beating the Jayhawks and Houston once each and Iowa State twice in that nine-game span, it’s hard to see how Arizona doesn’t make the Final Four.
Koa Peat and Brayden Burries could have Arizona dreaming of a title run this season. (Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
(Chris Coduto via Getty Images)
Who is the Cinderella of the region?
High Point is a high-scoring team. Sorry for the horrible attempt at a pun there, but the region’s No. 12 seed averages 90 points per game. Just three teams score more per game than the Panthers. High Point shoots 49% from the field and also averages almost 11 steals per game. That’s the highest total in the country.
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Can the Panthers upset Wisconsin? The Badgers turn the ball over just nine times a game. If High Point can dictate the tempo against Wisconsin, then they will have a chance to get to the Sweet 16.
Biggest upset of the region?
If High Point doesn’t take down Wisconsin, is there an opportunity for any of the four lowest-seeded teams in the region to get a win? Keep an eye on No. 13 Hawaii.
No. 4 Arkansas has been hot to end the season, but John Calipari’s teams have struggled as high seeds in recent years. Arkansas made the Sweet 16 a season ago as a No. 10 seed, but Calipari’s last three Kentucky teams had a combined record of 1-3 in the NCAA tournament and were top-six seeds in each of those seasons. If Calipari’s high-seed curse continues, the Razorbacks will be looking at a quick exit.
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Players to watch
Arizona G Brayden Burries
We could pick multiple Wildcats here; that’s how deep Arizona’s starting lineup is. Senior Jaden Bradley hit the game-winning buzzer beater against Iowa State in the semifinals of the Big 12 tournament. Freshman forward Koa Peat had 21 points in the Wildcats’ win over Houston in the title game.
But we’ll go with another freshman here in Burries. He also scored 21 in the win over Houston as he shot 60% from the field and made all seven of his free throws. That came after Burries had 21 against UCF in the tournament opener and 31 against Colorado to end the regular season.
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The guard is Arizona’s leading scorer and also grabs nearly five rebounds a game while shooting 37% from behind the arc. Burries is a potential top-10 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft if he chooses to turn pro.
Purdue G Braden Smith
Smith should break a longstanding men’s basketball record in the Boilermakers’ first-round game against Queens. After dropping 11 assists in Purdue’s Big Ten tournament title game win over Michigan, Smith needs just two assists to break Bobby Hurley’s record for career assists.
Hurley had 1,076 assists from 1990 through 1993 at Duke. Smith now sits at 1,075. He’s averaging nine assists and 14 points a game in 2025-26 after scoring nearly 16 points a game and averaging 8.7 assists a season ago.
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Purdue might have discovered something in the Big Ten tournament, too. The No. 1 team in the preseason AP Top 25 entered the conference tournament with four losses in its last six regular season games. In Chicago, the Boilermakers won all four of their games by multiple possessions and Smith had a whopping 46 assists in those games.
Gonzaga F Graham Ike
The West Coast Conference player of the year has averaged over 10 points a game in all five of his college basketball seasons. This season, Ike is averaging 19.7 points per game while shooting 57% from the field.
Believe it or not, that’s his worst shooting percentage as a Zag. In his first season after transferring from Wyoming, Ike shot 61% from the floor. A season ago, he was at just under 60%. This year, he’s upped his 3-point attempts (he’s shooting 35% from beyond the arc) and is also shooting more than two additional shots per game than he did in either of his first two seasons in Spokane.
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West region game schedule, tip times
No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 16 Long Island (San Diego, Friday, 1:35 p.m. ET, TNT)
No. 8 Villanova vs. No. 9 Utah State (San Diego, Friday, 4:10 p.m. ET, TNT)
No. 5 Wisconsin vs. No. 12 High Point (Portland, Thursday, 1:50 p.m. ET, TBS)
No. 4 Arkansas vs. No. 13 Hawaii (Portland, Thursday, 4:25 p.m. ET, TBS)
No. 6 BYU vs. No. 11 Texas or NC State (Portland, Thursday, 7:25 p.m. ET, TBS)
No. 3 Gonzaga vs. No. 14 Kennesaw State (Portland, Thursday, 10 p.m. ET, TBS)
No. 7 Miami vs. No. 10 Missouri (St. Louis, Friday, 10:10 p.m. ET, TruTV)
No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 15 Queens (St. Louis, Friday, 7:35 p.m. ET, TruTV)
Who makes it to Indianapolis?
It’s very chalky to go with the top seed in the region, but that’s what we’re doing. This is an Arizona team that has had just one bad week all season. The Wildcats’ only two losses came in the same week and they are entering the postseason on a nine-game win streak. Arizona could be the most well-rounded team in college basketball. They have strong guards in Bradley and Burries, a deep frontcourt and senior Anthony Dell’Orso has become one of the best sixth men in college basketball.