CBB: 2021 NCAA Tournament preview, Final Four picks

West Region: Gonzaga goes for 45-year unbeaten record: Top-seeded Gonzaga (26-0) is hoping to become the first undefeated national champion since the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers, who finished the year 32-0, the same record Mark Few's team hopes to finish with. Standing in the way is potential rematches with 2-seed Iowa (21-8) or 3-seed Kansas (20-8), unless USC (22-7) can spring an upset along the way. Players to watch in the West region are Corey Kispert (Gonzaga), Luka Garza (Iowa), Evan Mobley (USC), Jason Preston (Ohio), Austin Reaves (Oklahoma), and Jalen Suggs (Gonzaga).

Final Four Pick: Gonzaga

Best Teams:

#1 Gonzaga

#2 Iowa

#3 Kansas

#6 USC

#7 Oregon

East Region: Alabama aims for first deep run since 2004: Even though Michigan (20-4) can still make a run, their chances became dimmer when senior Isaiah Livers left the Big Ten Tournament with a foot injury. That leaves a pretty wide open bracket and all of a sudden, 2-seed Alabama (24-6) has become the trendy pick to get out of the East Region. There's plenty of options, though, like 3-seed Texas (19-7), 4-seed Florida State (16-6), and 7-seed UConn (15-7). Anything can happen in a region with so many talented players and flawed teams. Make sure to watch guys like Scottie Barnes (Florida State), James Bouknight (UConn), Herb Jones (Alabama), and others.

Final Four Pick: Alabama

Best Teams:

#2 Alabama

#3 Texas

#1 Michigan

#4 Florida State

#7 UConn

South Region: Baylor and Ohio State on a collision course: Baylor (22-2) has looked like one of the top teams in the country except for a couple of late-season losses and they're focused on getting to their first Final Four since 1950. Their biggest challenger is Big Ten Tournament runner-up Ohio State (21-9). Although it seems pretty likely those two will meet in the Elite Eight, keep an eye on 3-seed Arkansas (22-6), 4-seed Purdue (18-9), and 8-seed North Carolina (18-10). A handful of players that can make noise include Jared Butler (Baylor), Moses Moody (Arkansas), Duane Washington (Ohio State), and Trevion Williams (Purdue).

Final Four Pick: Baylor

Best Teams:

#1 Baylor

#2 Ohio State

#3 Arkansas

#5 Villanova

#8 North Carolina

Midwest Region: Illinois eyes 6th Final Four appearance: Illinois (23-6) was crowned Big Ten Tournament champions for the first time since 2005 and they'll look to get back to the national championship game. If the Fighting Illini lose along the way, it'll likely be against 2-seed Houston (24-3), 3-seed West Virginia (18-9), or 4-seed Oklahoma State (20-8). A couple of lower-seeded teams that could put a few wins together are Rutgers and Syracuse. The best players in the Midwest Region include Cade Cunningham (Oklahoma State), Cameron Krutwig (Loyola-Chicago), Kofi Cockburn (Illinois), and Ayo Dosunmu (Illinois).

Final Four Pick: Illinois

Best Teams:

#1 Illinois

#2 Houston

#4 Oklahoma State

#8 Loyola-Chicago

#11 Syracuse

Photo Credit: Sports Illustrated.