NCAA Tournament Second Round Preview: West Region (2026 March Madness)
After an exciting first two days of action, we move on to the next round in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Things are about to seriously heat up as the field has been whittled down to 32 teams. Here is a preview of the West Region matchups for Sunday, March 22nd.
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NCAA Tournament Second Round Preview: West Region
No. 1 Arizona Wildcats vs. No.9 Utah State Aggies
Utah State kicked off its tournament ride with a first-round win over Villanova. The Aggies’ offense connected on 55% of their attempts from the field, while getting to the line 35 times. Utah State handily won the defensive rebound battle 28 to 17 and held Villanova to only 44% shooting from the field. The Aggies struggled mightily from beyond the arc - hitting only 2-of-16 attempts. Utah State also found defending the three-pointer to be quite problematic, allowing 42 points from beyond the perimeter.
Arizona's Ivan Kharchenkov, Brayden Burries and Koa Peat combined for 47 of the team’s 92 points scored in the first round of the NCAA Tournament versus Long Island University. Arizona took it to the Sharks from start to finish, who simply had no answer for the Wildcats. Arizona shot 53% from the field, 46% from three-point range and grabbed 21 more boards than their opponent. Albeit up against a far less talented advisory, the Wildcats looked sharp and primed for a big run throughout the tournament.
Arizona has the offensive and defensive edge on paper going into this contest. The Wildcats have the advantage in size, athleticism and points in the paint. They rank third in defensive rebounds per game (29.8), 10th in field-goal rate (50.2%) and 13th in points per game (86.1). On the defensive side of things, opponents are only hitting 43.8% of their two-point attempts and shotting 39.2% overall against the Wildcats. Utah State relied heavily on staying below the perimeter in the first round; that's going to be particularly difficult to execute against Arizona.
The Wildcats are 11.5-point favorites in a game with a projected total of 85 points. Hard to argue with either number, given the strengths of Arizona compared to Utah State. The Aggies will have to make their presence felt from beyond the arc if they want to keep this contest close going into the final 10 minutes.
No. 7 Miami Hurricanes vs. No. 2 Purdue Boilermakers
Miami looked strong in its first matchup against a Missouri team that was heavily seen as an upset option due to the game being played in St. Louis. Travel was not a factor in the Hurricanes' 14-point victory over the Tigers. The Hurricanes’ offense was led by Shelton Henderson, Tre Donaldson and Malik Reneau, who made up 70% (56 points) of the team’s scoring output. Henderson was masterful from outside the perimeter, knocking down 5-of-7 attempts from deep. Reneau scored a team-high 24 points, while adding two blocks and a steal.
Purdue's path to the second round came at the expense of Queens University, a team that found it difficult to keep up with its opponent from the start. The Boilermakers closed this contest out by a winning margin of 33 points. Purdue made 63% of their field-goal attempts, including 58% from beyond the arc on 24 shots. The Boilermakers had more defensive rebounds (26) than Queens had total rebounds (19). The Royals made for a great story, but they just did not have the firepower to take down a No. 1 seed.
Miami needs to find success getting to the rim, penetrating to create open shots from beyond the arc, limiting offensive rebounds and forcing turnovers. These teams are quite evenly matched on paper offensively, with both teams averaging just under 82 points while shooting 50% from the field. Miami has the edge on the boards, 37.3 to 35.4 per game, yet Purdue is dishing out almost four more assists per game (20 vs. 16.2 per game).
Miami's guards will have to keep a steady attack on Purdue's frontcourt if they want to keep this contest close. Purdue can pull away at any moment, so it will be imperative that Miami comes out swinging early. The Hurricanes cannot afford to be down early in this game. Miami ranks 320th in field goal attempts and 296th in three-pointers made.
This has all the makings of an epic battle between two teams looking to prove they not only belong in the tournament, but that they are capable of advancing far along. Purdue looks to be the favorite. However, Miami should not be taken lightly at all this season. They can very well upset Purdue as a No. 7 seed.
Enjoy the game throughout the day. Best of luck with your picks.