There are four total games being played on Friday, with the second set starting at 4:35 p.m. when Charleston and Alabama take the court for a chance to advance in the Tournament.
A preview of the West four teams:
No. 4 seed Alabama (21-11)
It’s the first time in program history that Alabama has been a four seed or higher in back-to-back NCAA Tournaments. Last year, they made it to the Sweet 16 as a No. 1 seed, with this team hoping to get past that mark despite their lower seed.
The Crimson Tide were a quick out in the SEC Tournament, losing their first match up to Florida by 14, giving up 102 points to the Gators in the process. It had been another time they were bested by a team that made the NCAA Tournament, adding another loss to the list including Creighton, Purdue, Arizona and Tennessee.
Three-pointers have been a focal point of the offense for head Coach Nate Oats’ team, as they make 11.1 three-pointers a game while shooting 36.5% in the process. It’s a common theme among the team and their first-round opposition, something the coach has noticed in watching film.
“They’re real similar to us. They’re in back-to-back Tournaments. They’re not going to be intimidated by us,” head coach Nate Oats said. “They play fast, they shoot a lot of threes. We’re going to be ready to go.”
In 2023, Alabama took down Texas A&M-CC and Maryland before San Diego State cut their run short. Charleston is a much tougher first round task, with the Crimson Tide needing to unlock their shooting to win.
No. 13 seed Charleston (27-7)
The CCA Champion, Charleston is riding a 12-game winning streak into the Tournament. While they keep finding a way to get the job done, despite five of the wins being decided by five or less points.
Like Oats pointed out, shooting is the bread and butter of the offense. Making 10.5 a game, they have shot 34.5% from deep this season, with Reyne Smith leading the way with 129 made attempts on an impressive 39.5%.
Smith has played in all 34 games this season, but made just 27 starts, becoming the de facto scorer on a team that can get buckets from top to bottom.
Over the 12-game win streak, the Cougars have shot above 40% from deep on five different occasions, with all but one of those wins being by double-digits.
Shooting in the NCAA Tournament is a different beast, but if that 40% threshold is breached, an upset is very well in the cards.
No. 5 seed Saint Mary’s (26-7)
Saint Mary’s is the most experienced team in terms of playing in Spokane, being the biggest thorn in Gonzaga’s side in the WCC. They barely beat the Bulldogs back in February on their home court, a 64-62 victory that set up their eventual victory in the WCC Championship over the same team.
While they lost at home to close out the regular season, they took the season series against Gonzaga. They also beat Colorado State, but lost in out-of-conference play to teams such as Utah and Boise State.
Despite some early season struggles, the only loss the team has suffered since Dec. 23, 2023, has been the regular season finale to Gonzaga.
It has mainly been the lock down defense that has dominated in the wins for Saint Mary’s, as they have held opponents to an average of just 58.7 points per game. Since the beginning of February, just one team has managed to break 70 points, with only four more joining them in breaking past the 60 mark.
Mitchell Saxen has been the paint protector for the team, tallying 67 stocks, 43 of which have been blocks. As a team, they have tallied 216 steals, a rate 6.5 per game, helping the 10.8 total turnovers they have forced on average.
Gonzaga has proven that WCC teams play tough in the NCAA Tournament, with Saint Mary’s being the most recent Conference champion to hope to prove that trend to be true.
No. 12 seed Grand Canyon (29-4)
Fourth and final, GCU is the winning-est team of the West region in Spokane. A win in round one would mark the 30th of the season, a feat they are so close to thanks to their undefeated 16-0 home season and 17-3 mark in Conference play.
They parlayed regular season WAC success into a WAC Championship, beating Seattle U and UT Arlington in the postseason by a combined 24 to secure the win.
That has set up a WAC vs WCC match up between the ‘Lopes and Gaels, who have played just once before in program history. In march 2016, Saint Mary’s took down GCU 73-64, holding the head-to-head advantage ever since.
Like their adversaries, GCU has a good defense. Holding opponents to 66.9 points per game, their average margin is an impressive 12.9 points. While they shoot 34.4% from three, they are not the most aggressive team with their shot, making just 7.2 attempts per game.
That is likely because of Tyon Grant-Foster, the 19.8 points per game scorer who has made just 46 threes all year. Doing most of his damage inside the arc, he is tall and athletic, proving to be a threat with and without the ball in his hand.
