2021 NCAA Tournament West Region bracket picks: Upset watch, Gonzaga's toughest test and more to know

No. 1 overall seed Gonzaga, bidding to become the first team to finish undefeated since Indiana in 1976, drew a relatively easy path to the Final Four. The Bulldogs already defeated No. 2 seed Iowa by 11 points at a neutral site. The West's Nos. 3 and 4 seeds, Kansas and Virginia, are dealing with COVID-related issues.

Gonzaga features four players expected to go in the top 40 of the 2021 NBA Draft, led by electric freshman point guard Jalen Suggs and 6-7 senior Corey Kispert. The Bulldogs lead the nation in scoring (92.1), field-goal percentage (55.1) and scoring margin (23.0).

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Before you lock in your bracket, here's everything you should consider about the West Region.

More regional breakdowns: West | South | Midwest | East

Cinderella to watch

No. 12 UC Santa Barbara. The Gauchos won 18 of their last 19 games. It never hurts to have a senior point guard, and UCSB has one of the nation's best: Jaquori McLaughlin. The Big West Player of the Year averages 16.2 points and 5.2 assists.

In the Round of 64, UCSB gets a Creighton team that's lost three of six, including a 25-point blowout at the hands of Georgetown in the Big East Final. Bluejays coach Greg McDermott's recent suspension for racially insensitive remarks is a potential distraction. Then the Gauchos could face Virginia, which just forfeited an ACC Tournament game due to a positive COVID test.

Bracket buster alert

No. 4 Virginia could be in trouble against surging Ohio. The Bobcats rolled through the MAC Tournament behind Jason Preston, who had 68 points, 16 assists, 15 rebounds and eight steals in three games. Ohio has won nine of 10, and the Bobcats' last six wins all came by at least 14 points.  

Gonzaga's landmines

In the regional final, Gonzaga could face Evan Mobley and No. 6 USC. The 7-foot freshman is projected to go No. 2 overall in the 2021 NBA Draft, and he keys an elite defense that holds opponents to 39.4 percent shooting.

The Trojans own several impressive wins, including a 26-point beatdown of BYU. Gonzaga actually had a tougher time with BYU as the Zags beat the Cougars by 10 and 17.

No. 7 Oregon is another potential landmine in the West regional final. Dana Altman's teams always play their best late in the season; these Ducks took the Pac-12 regular-season title and won 11 of their last 13 games.

Final Four bound

No. 1 Gonzaga. While USC or Oregon could give Gonzaga trouble, the most likely scenario is the Bulldogs winning four games by double digits en route to the Final Four. They simply have too much firepower for any other West Region team.

Before you bet

• Drake compiled the top ATS mark among NCAA Tournament teams, going 20-6-1 ATS. The Bulldogs play Wichita State in the First Four for the right to face USC.
• Big Sky champ Eastern Washington (+11 vs. Kansas) is 6-1 ATS in its last seven games as an underdog and 19-9 ATS in its last 28 neutral-site games. 
• Creighton is a horrific 1-10-1 ATS in its last 12 NCAA Tournament games.

Odds to win West Region

Odds provided by William Hill.

Gonzaga -200
Iowa +375
Kansas +1000
Virginia +1000
USC +1500
Creighton +2000
Oregon +5000
Oklahoma +5000
Missouri +10000
VCU +15000
Drake +15000
Wichita State +15000
Ohio +20000
UC Santa Barbara +20000
Grand Canyon +50000
Eastern Washington +50000
Appalachian State +100000
Norfolk State +100000

Get every pick, every play, every upset and fill out your bracket with our help! Join SportsLine now to see which teams will make and break your bracket, and see who cuts down the nets, all from the model that nailed 15 of the 26 double-digit upsets the last four tournaments!