Bracketology
South
1. Auburn vs. 16. Norfolk State
8. New Mexico vs. 9. Gonzaga
5. Marquette vs. 12. McNeese
4. Michigan State vs. 13. Arkansas State
6. Clemson vs. 11. West Virginia
3. Wisconsin vs. 14. Lipscomb
7. Memphis vs. 10. Vanderbilt
2. Houston vs. 15. Marist
West
1. Florida vs. 16. American/Southern
8. Oregon vs. 9. Utah State
5. UCLA vs. 12. UC San Diego
4. Kentucky vs. 13. Liberty
6. Illinois vs. 11. San Diego State/BYU
3. Arizona vs. 14. Grand Canyon
7. St. Mary’s vs. 10. Oklahoma
2. Texas A&M vs. 15. Montana
Midwest
1. Alabama vs. 16. Omaha/SE Missouri State
8. Creighton vs. 9. Nebraska
5. Kansas vs. 12. Yale
4. Michigan vs. 13. Akron
6. Ole Miss vs. 11. Drake
3. Purdue vs. 14. Chattanooga
7. Mississippi State vs. 10. Ohio State
2. Iowa State vs. 15. Cleveland State
East
1. Duke vs. 16. Bryant
8. Baylor vs. 9. UConn
5. Missouri vs. 12. VCU
4. St. John’s vs. 13. High Point
6. Maryland vs. 11. Arkansas/Wake Forest
3. Texas Tech vs. 14. Towson
7. Louisville vs. 10. Texas
2. Tennessee vs. 15. Central Connecticut
Last Four In:
San Diego State, BYU, Arkansas, Wake Forest
First Four out:
Georgia, North Carolina, Indiana, SMU
Next Four Out:
Xavier, Boise State, UC Irvine, Cincinnati
SEC’s Historic Pursuit:
This would be a historic number of teams from one conference in the tournament. The Southeastern Conference is projected to have 13 teams in the tournament with Georgia as the potential 14th team in the conference and the first team out. In 2011, the Big East sent 11 teams to the tournament and set a record. The SEC will continue to beat each other up and a lot of teams will lose in their first game in the conference tournament. The SEC will most likely get 12 or less, but it will be fun to continue watching their historic pursuit.
Bubble Watch:
The part of the season where bubble teams separate themselves and the committee decides what they value more; metrics, resume or eye test, has been reached. Every bubble team has flaws that can hold them out of the tournament. It is more about preference rather than any team deserving it more than the others. Here are the resumes of the teams on the bubble:
San Diego State:
NET ranking: 50, Q1 record: 4-4, Q2 record: 3-1, Q3 record: 2-1, Q4 record: 7-0
BYU:
NET: 36, Q1: 3-6, Q2: 4-2, Q3: 4-0, Q4: 6-0
Arkansas:
NET: 42, Q1: 3-8, Q2: 1-2, Q3: 4-0, Q4: 7-0
Wake Forest:
NET: 58, Q1: 2-6, Q2: 5-0, Q3: 6-1, Q4: 6-0
Georgia:
NET: 39, Q1: 2-10, Q2: 3-0, Q3: 3-0, Q4: 8-0
North Carolina:
NET: 47, Q1: 1-10, Q2: 5-0, Q3: 5-1, Q4: 4-0
Indiana:
NET: 57, Q1: 2-11, Q2: 3-0, Q3: 6-0, Q4: 4-0
SMU:
NET: 40 Q1: 0-4, Q2: 5-2, Q3: 9-0, Q4: 5-0
Xavier:
NET: 54, Q1: 1-8, Q2: 6-2, Q3: 2-0, Q4: 7-0
Boise State:
NET: 48, Q1: 2-5, Q2: 2-2, Q3: 4-0, Q4: 8-1
UC Irvine:
NET: 61, Q1: 1-0, Q2: 3-2, Q3: 9-2, Q4: 8-0
Cincinnati:
NET: 45, Q1: 1-9, Q2: 7-1, Q3: 0-0, Q4: 7-0
