As play in the West Region of the NCAA Tournament gets under way, Texas Tech basketball fans are dreaming of a run to the Final Four. And as we discussed Sunday when the bracket was revealed, the West is the most wide-open of the regions with no truly dominant team meaning that Tech is a somewhat trendy pick to reach Minneapolis.
But another reason that the Red Raiders are a trendy pick to win the West is that they have arguably the best player in the region in Jarrett Culver. Though Tech has had some tremendous players in their other NCAA Tournament seasons, there has always been a player on another team in that was the clear-cut best player in Tech’s quadrant such as Allen Iverson of Georgetown in 1996 or Jalen Brunson of Villanova last year.