OU in the West Regional: Potential upsets, players to watch, best game

The 2025 NCAA Tournament field has been announced, which means college basketball fans near and far will spend the next few days until brackets lock on Thursday putting in as much research as possible for their picks. We're here to help you with regional-by-regional primers, and here we turn our attention to the West Regional with Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games in San Francisco.

The final No. 1 seed heading into the week was up for grabs with Michigan State, Florida, Tennessee and Alabama all in contention to land on the top line. After Michigan State lost in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals and Florida defeated Alabama and Tennessee on path to an SEC title, the debate was over as the Gators landed the final No. 1 seed. 

Florida is seeking its first Four Four appearance since 2014.

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One of the best stories of the season has been the resurgence of St. John's under coach Rick Pitino. The Red Storm earned the No. 2 seed in the region after capturing the Big East title for the first time since 2000. St. John's last Final Four appearance came in 1985.

Two-time reigning national champion UConn is also on this side of the bracket. A date with No. 1 seed Florida could be in the cards if the Huskies get past Oklahoma in the first round.

Here's a complete look at the West Regional ahead of this week's action.

Were and when to watch Oklahoma

(9) Oklahoma vs. (8) UConn || 

on TNT

Best first-round game 

(7) Kansas vs. (10) Arkansas: Normally, the best matchup in March Madness is the 8-9 game, but it's the 7-10 game in this region. And this showdown between Kansas and Arkansas has everything. This game features two of the greatest college basketball coaches: Kansas' Bill Self and Arkansas' John Calipari. Both programs have had their peaks and valleys for different reasons this season. Kansas had a rock bottom moment with a blowout loss to BYU while Arkansas started 0-5 in SEC play in Calipari's first year with the Razorbacks after leaving Kentucky. Arkansas star freshman Boogie Fland could return to the lineup after missing the last two months with a hand injury.

Cinderella team that will surprise 

(11) Drake: Drake has won 18 of its last 19 games entering the NCAA Tournament. Ben McCollum took over the Drake program last offseason for Darian DeVries after orchestrating a dynasty at Division II Northwest Missouri State. McCollum won four national titles with Northwest Missouri State and is a popular name to move up to the high-major level in this coaching carousel. One of the players who followed McCollum from Northwest Missouri State to Drake was star guard Bennett Stirtz, who has emerged as a potential NBA prospect after a standout first year playing at the Division l level. Drake ranks No. 1 in the country in steal percentage (14.6%) and 46th in adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom.com. The Bulldogs face No. 6 seed Missouri in the first round and then would potentially play No. 3 seed Texas Tech in the Round of 32. Drake will be a popular sleeper pick in this region, and a run to the Sweet 16 is possible.

Team that will make a far-too-early exit 

(5) Memphis: Memphis might be the toughest team to gauge in this region. The Tigers have one of the best players in the sport in PJ Haggerty and went 11-3 against Quad 1 and 2 opponents this season. Memphis has wins over Ole Miss, Michigan State, UConn, Missouri and Clemson, but two horrible Quad 3 losses to Temple and Arkansas State. Penny Hardaway's squad has proven to be boom-or-bust, with a handful of elite wins and questionable losses. Another reason for a potential early exit is the uncertainty around Tyrese Hunter's status for the NCAA Tournament. Hunter suffered a foot injury in the AAC Tournament and missed the conference title game win over UAB on Sunday. Without Hunter's scoring punch in the lineup, Colorado State standout defender Nique Clifford will have one less player to worry about on offense as the Rams and Tigers square off in the first round.

Six players to watch 

1. Walter Clayton Jr., Florida: Clayton has arguably been the best guard in the country. Clayton is one of the top contenders to finish as a first-team All-American after averaging 17.4 points, 4.4 assists and 3.7 rebounds. The former Iona star is a career 38.3% shooter from the 3-point line and is the head of the snake of the No. 1 seed in this region. Clayton won SEC Tournament MVP after leading his team to the title.
2. Hunter Dickinson, Kansas: The fifth-year senior returned to Kansas this season to make another run in the NCAA Tournament after an early exit last spring. Dickinson averaged 17.6 points and 10 rebounds per game. Kansas had an up-and-down season by its standards, and getting out of the first weekend will require the 7-foot-2 Dickinson to be at his best.
3. RJ Luis Jr., St. John's: The Big East Player of the Year is the heart and soul of this St. John's roster. The star guard averaged 18.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists. Luis recorded a double-double (29 points, 10 rebounds) in St. John's win over Creighton in the Big East title game at Madison Square Garden.
4. JT Toppin, Texas Tech: Toppin helped New Mexico reach the NCAA Tournament as a freshman before transferring to Texas Tech and taking his game to a new level. Toppin averaged 18.1 points and 9.2 rebounds while making a strong case to be an All-American.
5. Derik Queen, Maryland: Queen, a 6-foot-10 freshman, has all the makings of becoming a March Madness darling. His unique play style has ascended him up draft boards, where he should be a mid-to-late first-round pick this summer. What makes him unique is how fluid he is on offense. Queen averaged 16.3 points and 9.0 rebounds per game and was one of the best first-year players in the sport.
6. PJ Haggerty, Memphis: Haggerty has enjoyed the best statistical season of his college career with Memphis. After appearing in only six games at TCU during the 2022-23 campaign, Haggerty transferred to Tulsa, where he emerged as one of the top scorers in the country. He then moved on to Memphis, where he is averaging 21.8 points per game, which ranks No. 3 among all Division l players.

West Regional winner

(1) Florida: Florida is by far the most complete team in this region. It may feel chalky to pick the No. 1 seed to advance, but the Gators don't really have a true weakness. Florida's path to the Final Four involves playing either UConn or Oklahoma in the second round, potentially Memphis or Maryland in the Sweet 16 and St. John's or Texas Tech in the Elite Eight (if the top seeds in the region advance). That is a favorable path to San Antonio when looking at what other No. 1 seeds in the tournament have in front of them. Florida has arguably the best guard in the country (Clayton), another guard with Final Four experience (Alijah Martin) and a deep big-man rotation headlined by Alex Condon. I would be surprised if anyone other than Florida was cutting down the nets in San Francisco at the end of the month.