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BetDSI.com has your 2015 NCAA Tournament West Region odds to win.
There are two clear favorites in this region. They’re the same two teams who met in last year’s West Regional final, with Wisconsin beating Arizona, 64-63. Wisconsin and Arizona should meet again this time. Wisconsin’s offense is one of the most efficient in the nation. Wisconsin is number one in the nation in fewest turnovers per game, with 7.4. The Badgers are in the top 40 in shooting percentage, the top 25 in two-point shooting.
They slack off a little bit from the perimeter in that they’re outside the top 115 in three-point shooting, but that’s a blip on the radar. They’re in the top 35 in free throw percentage, the top 20 in points scored per possession, and – on defense – the top 40 in points allowed per possession. Wisconsin is in the top 120 in field goal defense and the top 75 in two-point defense, but the Badgers are alarmingly outside the top 190 in three-point defense. They’re a reasonable top 60 in rebounding percentage. If Wisconsin relies on its offense, Arizona relies on its defense.
The Wildcats are in the top 15 in points allowed per possession, the top 40 in field goal defense and two-point field goal percentage defense. They’re in the national top 15 in rebound percentage. Arizona is great at making adjustments during halftime and in the second half of a game. They increase their effort when they know they need to get stops. That’s going to be huge for them.
Sleepers/Longshots
There’s a chance that Baylor could break through here as the kind of team that slips under the radar, even though it is a third seed. Baylor is a team whose statistics don’t tell the story of how talented it is or how well it did this season. The Bears are outside the top 150 in field goal shooting and outside the top 225 in two-point field goal shooting. This team is in the top 70 in three-point shooting, though, and it ranked first in the Big 12 in that category. The Bears were in the top 70 in points scored per possession and in the top 60 in points allowed per possession. They were in the top 60 in assists per game.
Baylor finished in the top 80 in field goal percentage defense, in the top 140 of two-point field goal percentage defense. The Bears finished in the top 25 in three-point percentage defense. Baylor was very strong in terms of rebounding percentage, finishing in the top 35.
