By Christopher Williams 03/27/2019
The top four seeds in the West region are in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Both games will be played in Anaheim on Thursday.
The 1-seed Gonzaga Bulldogs will clash with the 4-seed Florida State Seminoles in the first game. This meeting will be a rematch of last year’s Sweet 16 matchup, which saw the 9-seed Seminoles defeat the 4-seed Bulldogs 75-60. Gonzaga has a well-rounded offense built around junior forward Rui Hachimura, who is averaging 19.7 points per game. Its high-powered offense leads the country in scoring.
Florida State has won 16 of its last 18 games and is coming off its best season in the ACC in program history. The Seminoles are led by sophomore redshirt forward Mfiondu Kabengele and senior guard Terance Mann. Florida State’s size advantage and depth will look to cause problems for Gonzaga.
In the second game of the West regional Sweet 16, the 2-seed Michigan Wolverines will battle the 3-seed Texas Tech Red Raiders in a defensive-based matchup. Michigan has won 8 of its last 11 games. The Wolverines are led by freshman forward Ignas Brazdeikis who tallies 14.8 PPG.