2016 NCAA Tournament: West Region Overview

Y'all, I love that this article exists.

We're writing a serious piece about A&M's region and what they'll have to do to get to the Final Four.

President Obama picked us to advance from the West, we're the second betting favorite to advance from the West, and 5dimes.eu has us as the fifth-highest favorite to advance to the national final from our half of the bracket.

This is no joke. We're a legitimate contender.

Let's break it down.

********************************************************************************

The Top Half

We'll hit these teams quickly, as we'd only potentially see one in the Regional Final.

Pod #1 (#1 Oregon, #16 Holy Cross, #8 St. Joseph's, #9 Cincinnati)

It's likely that Oregon makes the Sweet 16 from this group, but it's worth noting that they are universally considered the weakest #1 seed in the field. I still think they'll have enough firepower to dispatch of the St Joe's / Cincinnati winner.

Holy Cross is going to get destroyed, but their story is amazing. Read up. It's what makes March Madness great.

Pod #2 (#5 Baylor, #12 Yale, #4 Duke, #13 UNC Wilmington)

There's a lot to hate here. Baylor Men's Basketball is a despicable program on just about every level, but supporting Duke is akin to rooting for the rich kid from your high school to win the lottery.

The answer? Yale. Root for Yale. We want a happy George H.W. Bush, after all.

(I truly think Baylor survives from this group and I hate it)

The Texas A&M Half

These are the squads we're likely to see if we continue to move forward.

Pod #3 (#6 Texas, #11 UNI, #3 Texas A&M, #14 Green Bay)

We'll split out a separate Green Bay preview early tomorrow, but it's safe to assume that we are healthy favorites to advance to the second round.

The Texas/UNI game is a different story entirely. Northern Iowa is one of the more capable double-digit seeds in the tourney, as well as one of the more common upset picks from the first round.

Texas is better, and they'll certainly advance if they play to their potential. (Hell, they'll beat us if they play to their potential, but that's a discussion for a different day)

A Texas/A&M matchup with a Sweet 16 spot on the line? It will kill us all.

Pod #4 (#2 Oklahoma, #15 CSU Bakersfield, #7 Oregon St, #10 VCU)

Oklahoma is the class of this pod. Moreso than Oregon, even. VCU is certainly capable of advancing to the second round, but Buddy Hield and the Sooners should coast into the regional semifinals.

The Sweet Sixteen

Should we advance to this point, we would very likely matchup against Oklahoma in Anaheim. Which, of course, could conceivably be followed by a Regional Final against Baylor.

It's a "screw you, Big XII" revenge tour that we may never get a chance to execute again.

I honestly don't see us as favorites against Oklahoma, but I truly believe we could handle whoever came out of the top half of the bracket. Yes, even Oregon.

***************************************************

Obviously, none of this happens without a win over Green Bay tomorrow. One game at a time and whatnot.

It's worth keeping one eye on our future games, though... this is a workable region. We can do this. We can get to Houston.

BTHO Green Bay