Betting the West Region in 2026 NCAA Tournament: Predictions, Odds Upsets for March Madness

The West Region in the 2026 NCAA Tournament features the Big 12 Tournament winner (Arizona), the SEC Tournament winner (Arkansas) and the Big Ten Tournament winner (Purdue).

So, there are a bunch of battle-tested teams that improved their resumes ahead of the NCAA Tournament.

Arizona is the favorite to come out of this region, but there are a ton of elite guards that could take over games, including the Wildcats’ Brayden Burries, Arkansas’ Darius Acuff Jr., Purdue’s Braden Smith and Wisconsin’s Nick Boyd.

Let’s take a look at the odds for each first round matchup, each team to win the national title and some of my predictions for the West Region.

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

West Region Opening Odds

No. 16 LIU vs. No. 1 Arizona (-31.5)
No. 9 Utah State (-2.5) vs. No. 8 Villanova
No. 12 High Point vs. No. 5 Wisconsin (-10.5)
No. 13 Hawaii vs. No. 4 Arkansas (-15.5)
No. 11 NC State/Texas vs. No. 6 BYU (TBA)
No. 14 Kennesaw State vs. No. 3 Gonzaga (-20.5)
No. 10 Missouri vs. No. 7 Miami (-1.5)
No. 15 Queens vs. No. 2 Purdue (-25.5)

Odds to Win West Region

Arizona: -145
Purdue: +450
Gonzaga: +1000
Arkansas: +900
Wisconsin: +1700
BYU: +4000
Miami: +4500
Villanova: +15000
Utah State: +7500
Missouri: +10000
Texas: +10000
NC State: +10000
High Point: +50000
Hawaii: +50000
Kennesaw State: +50000
Queens: +50000
Long Island: +50000

Each West Region Team’s Odds to Win March Madness

Arizona: +330
Purdue: +2700
Gonzaga: +8000
Arkansas: +6000
Wisconsin: +12500
BYU: +50000
Miami: +60000
Villanova: +100000
Utah State: +100000
Missouri: +100000
Texas: +100000
NC State: +100000
High Point: +100000
Hawaii: +100000
Kennesaw State: +100000
Queens: +100000
Long Island: +100000

Predicting Who Will Win the West Region in 2026 NCAA Tournament

Arizona (-145)

My national champion is in this region, as the Arizona Wildcats have the most complete team in the NCAA Tournament.

The Wildcats have elite guard play, and fit the historic KenPom trend: 22 of the last 23 national champions have finished in the top-25 in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency and adjusted defensive efficiency.

Jaden Bradley and Brayden Burries are two of the best guards in the country, but the Wildcats also have the talent down low with Koa Peat and Motiejus Krivas to match up with bigger teams like Michigan and Duke.

The Wildcats have been battle-tested all season long in a loaded Big 12 conference, and they have seven high-quality rotation players that all average at least nine points per game. It’s hard to find that depth anywhere else in college basketball. Arizona is also the No. 2 team in KenPom, posting the No. 5 adjusted offensive efficiency and the third-best adjusted defensive efficiency.

West Region Upset Pick and Prediction

High Point (+370) vs. Wisconsin

If you’re going to get really bold with an upset pick in the first round, the High Point Panthers have an interesting profile – and an elite offense – that may be able to win a shootout with Wisconsin.

The Badgers beat Michigan during the regular season and have a ton of great wins under their belt, but they rank 177th in the country in opponent effective field goal percentage and 324th in opponent turnover rate.

The Panthers are going to thrive in the turnover battle, as they are fourth in the country in turnover rate and fifth in opponent turnover rate this season. They also are 48th in the country in effective field goal percentage.

For as many good wins as Wisconsin has, it also has some weird losses, dropping a game by 14 points to Oregon, 17 points to Ohio State and 30 to Nebraska during Big Ten play.

The Badgers are vulnerable if they have a bad night from 3, as Wisconsin has the fifth-highest 3-point rate in the country. Opponents are shooting just 31.9 percent from deep against the Panthers, which could be their trump card in this matchup.

Plus, this game is going to be a 10:50 a.m. local time start, which could cause some crazy things to happen (the game is 1:50 p.m. EST, but played in Portland).