Oklahoma guard Buddy Hield was considered a 3-point specialist last season when he shot 35.9 percent behind the arc. But this season Hield improved — tremendously. He shot a head-scratching 47.3 percent on 3-pointers en route to being the nation’s second-leading scorer.
Hield is a front-runner to be the national player of the year, yet two losses probably caught the most attention. He scored 46 points in a triple-overtime loss at Kansas and made a half-court shot at the buzzer with the Sooners trailing West Virginia in the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament. The officials did not allow the basket after a review showed that Hield released the ball a fraction too late.
Bracket:
Hield’s constant heroics are what make Oklahoma a team perfectly suited for the NCAA Tournament. But the Sooners might need to beat Oregon to reach the Final Four. While the Sooners were in the national discussion all season, Oregon was a late bloomer, winning the Pac-12’s regular-season title — and conference tournament over Utah by a record 31-point margin (88-57).
“I’m picking (Oregon) to go to the Final Four,” said Pac-12 Network analyst Kevin O’Neill.
With Pac-12 Tournament MVP Elgin Cook and all-conference forward Dillon Brooks, the Ducks aren’t a one-man team.
West Regional
Favorite: Oregon
The Ducks would be an easy team to pick for an early exit, given that no one expected them to be a No. 1 seed before the season. But that overlooks veteran coach Dana Altman being one of the nation’s best, and he took the Ducks to the Sweet 16 in 2013.
Sleeper: Baylor
The Bears are the team everyone in the West would like to avoid, especially Duke. Eight of their 11 losses are to teams ranked in the top nine of The Associated Press top 25, and coach Scott Drew’s crew reached the Elite Eight in 2010 and 2012.
Upset alert
Green Bay over Texas A&M. Green Bay is one of those potential Cinderella stories, after finishing fourth in the Horizon Conference but winning the league tournament to enter the NCAA Tournament with a lot of momentum. This is Green Bay’s first NCAA Tournament in 20 years, and even Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is a fan.
Bracket breakdown
This is a regional full of teams just happy to be playing. Cal State-Bakersfield is making its NCAA Tournament debut. Yale is making its first trip since 1962. Oregon State broke its 23-year drought. But with Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Duke and Baylor joining top-seeded Oregon, no one can say it’s an easy regional.
