NCAA reveals West Region All-Tournament Team following Elite Eight
The West Region All-Tournament Team has been revealed by the NCAA following the Sweet Sixteen and the Elite Eight.
Connecticut entered as the No. 4 seed in the region, but they’ll leave as it’s champions, and the Huskies stars lead the way on the All-Tournament Team as well, with Jordan Hawkins and Adama Sanogo starting things off.
Gonzaga, who was blown out by Connecticut in the Elite Eight, add Drew Timme and Julian Strawther to the team, while UCLA, who fell to the Bulldogs in the Sweet Sixteen, had Jaime Jaquez selected, as well.
Moreover, the West Region was a fascinating one throughout the NCAA Tournament, as the reigning champions of the college basketball world, the Kansas Jayhawks, entered as the No. 1 seed. However, after taking care of business against Howard in the Round of 64, Kansas was eliminated by the Arkansas Razorbacks.
That opened the door for a host of other teams to break it down, and none took advantage quite like the aforementioned Huskies. Not only did Connecticut win, but they ravaged their opponents in each round, capping off an impressive four-game stretch with a victory over Gonzaga in the Elite Eight by 28 points.
Hawkins and Sanogo more than earned their selections, as they both were two of the most impressive players in the entire NCAA Tournament. As for the Bulldogs stars who were selected, many will remember Strawther’s insane three-pointer to send Gonzaga past UCLA in the Sweet Sixteen, and Times 36-point performance against the Bruins won’t be soon forgotten either.
Moving forward, Connecticut enters the Final Four as the betting favorite, and many won’t go against that until the Huskies show some weakness. That hasn’t happened yet, as the West Region found out over the first two weekends of the NCAA Tournament.
More on UCLA star Jaime Jaquez being selected to West Region All-Tournament Team
Moreover, UCLA may not have achieved their ultimate goal, but accolades are still rolling in for one of their best players in Jaime Jaquez.
The Bruins forward only played in three games, but he made an undeniable impact throughout the 2023 NCAA Tournament. In what could be his last hurrah with UCLA, Jaquez made sure the program will never forget the contributions he’s made, as he was named to the West Region All-Tournament team.
During UCLA’s loss in the Sweet Sixteen to Gonzaga, Jaquez was on and then some, amassing 29 points against the Bulldogs. It simply wasn’t meant to be for the Bruins though, as they fell to Gonzaga on a last-second three-pointer, ending their dreams of another Final Four run.
Nevertheless, Jaime Jaquez deserves to be celebrated for all he brought to the table, and UCLA certainly didn’t lose because of him. They ran into a buzzsaw in Gonzaga, and will use the foundation laid by Jaquez and his teammates for future success.