It is March and the madness has already begun. The bubble changes all the time, with teams strengthening their resume and solidifying their spot in the tournament and others taking devastating losses that will be hard to overcome to get in. Here is my bracket:
Midwest Region
1. Purdue
16. Merrimack/Stetson
8. Gonzaga
9. Texas
5. South Carolina
12. James Madison
4. Illinois
13. Akron
6. Wisconsin
11. Indiana State
3. Creighton
14. High Point
7. Colorado State
10. Virginia
2. Iowa State
15. Colgate
West Region
1. Arizona
16. South Dakota State
8. Boise State
9. Michigan State
5. BYU
12. Grand Canyon
4. Alabama
13. UC Irvine
6. Washington State
11. Princeton
3. Kansas
14. Louisiana Tech
7. St Mary’s
10. Mississippi State
2. Marquette
15. E Washington
East Region
1. UCONN
16. Quinnipiac
8. Florida Atlantic
9. Oklahoma
5. Utah State
12. Richmond
4. Kentucky
13. Samford
6. Dayton
11. Drake/Utah
3. Duke
14. Vermont
7. Florida
10. TCU
2. North Carolina
15. Morehead State
South Region
1. Houston
16. Grambling/Norfolk State
8. Nevada
9. Northwestern
5. San Diego State
12. South Florida
4. Auburn
13. McNeese State
6. Clemson
11. New Mexico/Colorado
3. Baylor
14. College of Charleston
7. Texas Tech
10. Nebraska
2. Tennessee
15. Oakland
Last 4 In
New Mexico
Colorado
Drake
Utah
First teams out
Wake Forest
Iowa
Pitt
The best mid-major schools are usually seeded 11, 12, or 13. The lack of quality opponents that they play hurts their seed line, but usually these teams are better than the teams that get at-large bids ahead of them. It sounds strange, but Washington State could be in a better position if they were seeded lower to avoid potential Cinderella teams. Princeton (23-3; 11-2 Ivy League) is one of those teams.
Key players on Princeton:
Xaivian Lee: He is the favorite to win Ivy League player of the year. He was the sixth man on last year’s team that made a run to the Sweet 16 as a 15 seed. Lee averages 17.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game.
Caden Pierce: Averages 15.7 ppg, 9.3 rpg, and 3.2 apg. Pierce is a stretch-four that forces opponents’ big men to guard him on the perimeter.
Matt Allocco: Averages 12.7 ppg, shoots 42% from three and 92% from the line. He is a spot-up shooter off the ball.
Blake Peters: Comes off the bench, usually for Allocco, and has a similar style of play. Averages 7.7 ppg and 2.4 rpg.
Dalen Davis: Has come along for the Tigers recently. He does not have the stats to show it, only averaging 6.1 ppg and 1.1 rpg with 14 minutes per game off the bench, but coach Mitch Henderson is playing him more, now that he has his feet under him as a true freshman.
Princeton is one of the best mid-majors this year, if not the best. What makes them so dangerous is the ability of all five men on the court being able to make a shot when needed for the Tigers. Out of the key players, Allocco is the only senior, with Lee, Pierce, and Davis all being underclassmen. Princeton beat Rutgers on the road in November and has a chance of being the first team in Ivy League history to get an at-large spot if they do not win the conference tournament.
