NCAA West Regional preview: Gonzaga vs. West Virginia and Xavier vs. Arizona

How the teams match up in the NCAA tournament’s West Regional semifinals at San Jose on Thursday night.

No. 1-seeded Gonzaga (34-1) vs. No. 4-seeded West Virginia (28-8)

Time: 4:30 p.m. TV: TBS.

Bottom line: The Bulldogs make their eighth Sweet 16 appearance during a run of 19 straight tournament trips. They have lost in five of the previous seven trips and are still seeking the first Final Four in school history. The Mountaineers seek their third trip to the regional final since a runner-up appearance with Jerry West in 1959.

No need to sweat: With 29 wins by double digits and 13 by at least 30 points, Gonzaga has breezed through most games with little drama at the end. The Bulldogs had to hold off Northwestern in a 79-73 win in the second round and probably will have even tougher tests the rest of the way.

Giant slayers: The Mountaineers became the first team in five years to beat the No. 1 (Baylor) and No. 2 (Kansas) teams in the AP poll during the season. They won both those games by at least 15 points, becoming the fourth team to do that. Now they get another shot at a No. 2 team in Gonzaga.

Pressing need: Led by a relentless full-court press, West Virginia has forced almost as many turnovers this season (724) as it has given up baskets made (806). Gonzaga’s season high in turnovers (20, versus Tennessee) is less than the average for a Mountaineers opponent (20.1 per game).

No. 11-seeded Xavier (23-13) vs. No. 2-seeded Arizona (32-4)

Time: 7:09 p.m. TV: TBS.

Bottom line: Xavier is the lone double-digit seed left in a Sweet 16 filled with power programs. The Musketeers pulled off a pair of upsets to reach the regional semifinals, beating No. 6 seed Maryland and No. 3 Florida State.

Miller and Mack: Arizona Coach Sean Miller and Xavier’s Chris Mack will be facing each other in regional semifinals for the second time in three years. The two are close; Mack was an assistant under Miller and was elevated to the head job when he left for Arizona.

Keep an eye on: Xavier’s Trevon Bluiett and Arizona’s Lauri Markkanen. Bluiett struggled with injuries during the regular season, but has rounded back into form at the right time after the Musketeers lost point guard Edmond Sumner in late January. Markkanen is a difficult matchup for any team, a 7-foot freshman with the skills of a guard.