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Love gives UCLA edge in the West

Who wins, who's overrated and what's the best game?

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WEST REGIONAL BREAKDOWN
By Mike Miller
College basketball editor
updated 1:31 a.m. ET March 17, 2008

Who wins, who's overrated and what's the best game? NBCSports.com has the answers for each region. For other regional analysis, click here: East | South | Midwest.

Underrated
Is it wrong to say the whole region? Nine of the top 25 teams in Ken Pomeroy's efficiency ratings are in the West, with five — UConn, Arizona, West Virginia, Drake and Purdue — all right in a row. But it's Texas A&M that's the most underrated.

The Aggies (24-10) are seeded ninth in the region, yet are 16th in kenpom's ratings. Ouch. They've lost six of their last 10 games, but half of those were to Texas and Kansas. No shame in that. This is an A&M squad that won the preseason NIT, returned four starters from a team that was a bucket from the Elite Eight last season and has NBA talent (DeAndre Jordan) on the roster.

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A&M's also aggravating. It's beaten Texas by 17, but lost by 27 at Oklahoma. If the good Aggies show up against No. 8 seed BYU, top-seeded UCLA could be in for a long second-round game.

Overrated
Xavier. The seeding committee didn't do the Musketeers any favors by matching them against Georgia, the nation's hottest team. The No. 14 Bulldogs have SEC talent to go with their Cinderella seeding. If third-seeding Xavier (27-6) gets by Georgia, the Purdue-Baylor winner awaits. Both of those teams can score in bunches, which cuts down on Xavier's odds of playing in the second weekend.

Most likely first-round upset
Arizona over West Virginia will be a trendy pick, but No. 11 Baylor surprising No. 6 Purdue gets the nod here. No team is happier to be in the Big Dance, which will only help the Bears' confidence. Not that this offensively gifted team needs it. Few teams score more efficiently, or feature more athletic guards than Baylor's Curtis Jerrells, Tweety Carter, LaceDarius Dunn, Henry Dugat and Aaron Bruce.

The Bears (21-10) were the last team in the NCAA Tournament, which can be really bad (Stanford in 2007) or really good (George Mason in 2006). Purdue's recent struggles could be a good sign for Baylor.

Best matchup
No. 1 UCLA vs. No. 4 UConn.
With any luck, the Bruins and Huskies can stay on track for a Sweet 16 showdown. Both have potential roadblocks in Texas A&M and Drake.

If the two do meet in Phoenix during the tournament's second weekend, expect a defensive throwdown reminiscent of the Big East's heyday. These are two tough, physical teams with plenty of muscle to throw at each other, whether it's a big man down low (Kevin Love vs. Hasheem Thabeet) or dynamite point guards (Darren Collison and A.J. Price.) The winner is likely headed to San Antonio.

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They don't get much better than Arizona freshman point guard Jerryd Bayless. He's big (6-3, 193 pounds), plays a heap of minutes (35 a game) and can score at will — though he doesn't have to. He scores 20.0 ppg a game by hitting 45 percent of his shots, getting to the free-throw line (85 percent from there) or pulling up for a 3-pointer (41 percent). If Arizona is to beat West Virginia and have a chance against Duke, Bayless must be on his game.

Regional champ
There's a lot to like about UConn (depth, balanced scoring) and Duke (depth, balanced scoring), but UCLA gets the nod for its depth, balanced scoring and something the other two lack — Kevin Love.

The Bruins' star freshman cleans the glass like no other, can hit the outside shot and his footwork down low is unparalleled in the college game. In short, he's the inside presence UCLA has lacked in its last two trips to the Final Four. He'll carry them to a third straight.


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