Projected Bracket as of 2-23
>> Friday
Well, after about two hours of research(or, 1 hour and 59 minutes more than what Joe Lunardi does), I have pumped out my latest projected bracket. The good guys have dropped a rung since last time, down to a 4 seed. However, with 3-4 straight wins, they can jump right back onto the 3 line.
Our readers who don't like the ACC may be gravely disappointed on Selection Sunday. They look to be in excellent shape for 6-7 bids, with plenty of high seeds. What separates them from other conferences is that their middle of the pack teams, Duke and Maryland, did so well out of conference. That allows them to be higher seeds than your typical 7-6 conference team.
The Big East suddenly looks strong for 6-7 teams. Villanova and West Virginia still have work to do, but I greatly prefer them to other bubble teams like Illinois, Drexel, Georgia, Clemson and Ole Miss.
Anyway, here's the bracket:
West Regional-San Jose:
Sacramento
1. UCLA vs. 16. Weber State
8. BYU vs. 9. Notre Dame
Spokane
4. Virginia Tech vs. 13. Santa Clara
5. UNLV vs. 12. Creighton
Winston Salem
3. Duke vs. 14. Toledo
6. Vanderbilt vs. 11. Texas Tech
Buffalo
2. Pittsburgh vs. 15. South Alabama
7. Arizona vs. 10. Winthrop
East Regional-East Rutherford:
Winston Salem
1. North Carolina vs. 16. Delaware State
8. Indiana vs. 9. Tennessee
Columbus
4. Marquette vs. 13. Oral Roberts
5. Nevada vs. 12. Kansas State
Lexington
3. Memphis vs. 14. Holy Cross
6. Butler vs. 11. West Virginia
Lexington
2. Ohio State vs. 15. Sam Houston State
7. Oregon vs. 10. Xavier
Midwest Regional-St. Louis
Chicago
1. Wisconsin vs. 16. Play-In Winner: Jackson State vs. Central Connecticut State
8. Texas vs. 9. Stanford
Sacramento
4. Maryland vs. 13. Davidson
5. Air Force vs. 12. Old Dominion
Buffalo
3. Georgetown vs. 14. Pennsylvania
6. Kentucky vs. 11. Missouri State
New Orleans
2. Texas A&M vs. 15. Austin Peay
7. USC vs. 10. Georgia Tech
South Regional-San Antonio:
New Orleans
1. Florida vs. 16. East Tennessee State
8. Michigan State vs. 9. Villanova
Spokane
4. Washington State vs. 13. Vermont
5. Virginia vs. 12. Virginia Commonwealth
Columbus
3. Southern Illinois vs. 14. Long Beach State
6. Boston College vs. 11. Purdue
Chicago
2. Kansas vs. 15. Marist
7. Louisville vs. 10. Alabama
Bid Breakdown:
7-ACC, Big East
6-Pac 10
5-Big 10, SEC, Big 12
3-Mountain West, Missouri Valley
2-Colonial
Last Four Teams In: Missouri State, Creighton, Kansas State, Old Dominion
Posts
3 comments:
How the hell is Duke a 3 seed?
...that's not challenging your seeding, because I trust you on these things. It's an honest question: how is Duke a 3?
I also a couple honest questions:
1.) Could Winthrop possibly get seeded so high? I doubt they'll be a 15 again, but do they really have a shot to be seeded ahead of some big-conference at-larges?
2.) Does Georgia Tech deserve an at-large bid? Unless they win 2 of the next 3 (at Virginia, UNC, BC) and pick up a game in the ACC tourney, it seems hard to put them in.
3.) From what I remember of an ESPN graphic this past week, Huggy Bear's Wildcats had pretty poor computer numbers (RPI, SOS, etc.). I guess they're conference record is much better than most bubble teams, but it seems like there's gotta be some team out there more deserving.
Duke is currently a 3 based off strong non-conference wins over Georgetown, Air Force and Indiana. Their computer numbers are excellent, with an RPI of 10 and SOS of 3. Also, they have 8 wins over RPI top 50 teams are a very good 6-4 away from home.
On Winthrop, I may have them a bit high but I feel they deserve to be in the 9-11 seed range. They won going away at a very good Missouri State team, took North Carolina and Wisconsin down to the wire(Wisconsin game went OT) and were undefeated in conference. I could easily see them being a 12 or 13 seed, but I think they deserve much better.
Georgia Tech is a really difficult case. They are awful on the road, and only 6-8 in the ACC. However, it's hard to ignore their 6 wins over top 50 teams. I think if they finish at 7-9 and don't embarass themselves in the ACC Tourney, they will sneak in.
Kansas State is living off of a neutral court win against USC and a win at Texas. Their computer numbers are poor, but I still prefer them to an Illinois who has beaten anyone of note away from home.
It is very fluid with the last 8-10 teams. I think a lot of it is based on personal preferences, as these teams all clearly have faults.
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