Projected Bracket as of 2-23

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

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