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NCAA West Regional preview: Michigan vs. Texas A&M; Gonzaga vs. Florida State

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A look at how the teams match up in the NCAA tournament’s West Regional semifinals in Los Angeles at Staples Center:

No. 3 Michigan (30-7) vs. No. 7 Texas A&M (22-12)

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

Update: Defense is key for both teams. Michigan led the Big Ten Conference in scoring defense at 63.1 points a game. Texas A&M has held opponents to 32% shooting on three-pointers and 40% overall. The Wolverines have won 11 in a row and are in their fourth regional semifi-nal in six seasons.

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The Aggies’ frontcourt starters — Tyler Davis, D.J. Hogg and Robert Williams — are all 6 feet 9 or taller. Texas A&M, which blew out 2017 NCAA champion North Carolina in the second round, has never reached the Elite Eight.

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No. 4 Gonzaga (32-4) vs. No. 9 Florida State (22-11)

Time: 6:45 p.m. PDT TV: TBS.

Update: Gonzaga has the nation’s longest active winning streak (16 games) and its free-throw shooting down the stretch is a big reason why. In the final three minutes of their last 14 games, the Bulldogs have made 50 of 59 free throws. In 19 seasons with Mark Few as coach, Gonzaga is 21-5 as the higher seed, including a 15-1 mark since 2009.

Florida State reached the Sweet 16 with an impressive second-round victory over top-seeded Xavier. The Seminoles trailed by 12 points midway through the second half but out-scored the Musketeers 31-14 down the stretch in a 75-70 victory.

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