Oh, the big names out West. Wisconsin. Arizona. Baylor. North Carolina. VCU. Ohio State. It’s not quite a who’s who, but it’s pretty close.

The beauty of the West is its contrast in styles. Wisconsin is methodical and might feature the best big man in the country in Frank Kaminsky. UNC features an exciting scorer in Marcus Paige who loves, loves, loves the spotlight. Arizona has a guy in Brandon Ashley who has been waiting a year for this very moment. And the No. 15 seed, Texas Southern, features a head coach who has coached a team in the national championship game in Mike Davis. This is a fun bracket.

Best second-round game

No. 11 Ole Miss rallied from a 17-point deficit at halftime to BYU in the First Four to get to a battle vs. No. 6 Xavier, and the Rebels might have the weapons to keep playing into the weekend. Stefan Moody is a know-the-moment guard who tears teams up from the perimeter, and Ole Miss’ athleticism is special. Then again, Xavier is experienced and loves to slow the tempo. The Musketeers have good guard play and are tested. Don’t miss this one.

Upset Special

Harvard plays smart basketball – yeah, it’s a shocker – and the discipline of the Crimson means teams have to work extra hard to beat them. Harvard doesn’t have nearly the size or athleticism to hang with North Carolina in normal circumstances, but the Big Dance is special. We’re not saying Harvard and head coach Tommy Amaker is going to actually pull the surprise, but don’t be stunned if the Crimson give UNC headaches all afternoon and maybe, just maybe, ruin some brackets along the way.

Best Player

It’s Frank the Tank forever and always. Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky can score inside or out, and nobody in college basketball has better footwork than the Badgers’ big. Yeah, there are guys who are more athletic and will make more highlight reels, but Kaminsky is the guy you want to have the ball on the low block with the game on the line. In Frank we trust.

Storybook

The last time we saw Kevin Ware on the court in the NCAA Tournament, we were disgusted. We weren’t disgusted with Ware. We were disgusted with the fact we saw his leg bent at a place that it shouldn’t bend. Ware is back in the NCAA Tournament with Georgia State, and everyone is going to be cheering for Ware to have One Shining Moment vs. Baylor. That includes Baylor fans, who will enjoy a good story as long as the Bears don’t lose.

Don’t Miss

If you want to see two special players in action, check out Arkansas and the pair of Bobby Portis and Michael Qualls. They work together like L-M-N-O-P, and they’re the inside-outside players who could let the Razorbacks shock some people. Portis is 6-11, 242, and he’s a double-double threat every time he hits the floor. Yeah, he might not be in college long, and that’s why his work with Qualls, a 6-6, 210-pound slasher, has a sense of urgency to it.

Take It to the Bank (Unless We’re Totally Wrong)

You have to love VCU’s defensive intensity, and Shaka Smart knows how to prep his team for the NCAA Tournament. The Rams aren’t quite as good as they’ve been in recent years, but nobody puts the pressure on opponents like VCU, and Ohio State isn’t going to know how to deal with the Rams’ defense. When VCU is done with Ohio State, the Rams are going to pick off Arizona, too, thanks to that mind-rattling D.

Winner-to-Be

Yeah, it’s easy to pick the top seed, but how can you not? Wisconsin was the class of the Big Ten, the Badgers work inside and out, they don’t make mistakes with the ball and can play at any speed. Wisconsin won’t face a real challenge until the Sweet 16, and UW is clearly the best team in its bracket.