Welcome to Bracketville
Update: Bubble Banter has been updated through Thursday, March 3. It’s somewhat hard to believe, but there about 11 spots still open in the bracket as we move into Championship Week. Fortunately, we have pared down the bubble some. We now have 11 spots open with 28 teams in contention.
March 4 Bubble Banter - New Update | 6:15 a.m. March 4
Will we add a few teams before or during Championship Week? I would expect it – especially given the nature of college hoops this season. As weak as the bubble is, it’s not a great challenge to work your way into consideration.
Outside Ohio State, Purdue and Wisconsin, the Big Ten remains highly unsettled. Illinois, Michigan State, Michigan, and Penn State are trying to hold on or play their way in. In the Big 12, Baylor and Colorado could go either way. And in the Pac-10, Washington and Washington State remain question marks. The ACC is equally uncertain with Boston College and Clemson right on the cutline. Florida State and Virginia Tech are in front of them, but need to avoid a letdown this next week. In the SEC, the bubble teams are Georgia and Alabama.
Have an opinion? Send a rebound. Bring some data. Enjoy the hoops and the conversation. March Madness is almost here.
Welcome to Bracketville
Fresh off an impressive victory at San Diego State – with help from Texas and Duke – BYU claims the fourth spot on our latest S-Curve and a No. 1 seed in the West Region. Welcome to March. Our other No. 1 seeds remain the same – Ohio State, Pittsburgh, and Kansas. We have a strong set of 2-seeds: Texas, Duke, Notre Dame, Purdue. If you’re looking for San Diego State, the Aztecs are the highest ranked 3-seed. No shame in losing to BYU (twice this season). Instead, SDSU was passed by Purdue. Few teams are playing better than the Boilermakers.
February 28 Bracket Projection
We’re still sorting through the bottom of the bracket. The bubble has shrunk a bit. We’re now at roughly 28 teams battling for 12 spots. Every team seeded 10 and lower in this update has work to do. A lot of the teams are interchangeable. It’s very likely that conference tournaments will help determine the last few in and the last few out.
Send a rebound if you like. We’re in for an exciting two weeks until Selection Sunday.
Welcome to Bracketville
For a while now, the Big East has taken center stage. Will conference teams earn a record 11 bids? That’s been the question. The answer is starting to look like, yes. We’ve also talked about No. 1 seeds. The five leading contenders haven’t changed much in the past month. Which leads us to BYU at San Diego State this weekend.
Jimmer and Company took the first matchup. Now we’ll see if the Aztecs can return the favor in San Diego. At stake is a slot out West for the NCAA Tournament. Both teams are going to be high seeds when the actual bracket is released. What we don’t yet is whether BYU or SDSU will hold down a spot in Anaheim should they reach the Sweet 16. BYU’s only other option is New Orleans because it’s a Thursday-Saturday site, same as the West. San Diego State could conceivable be sent anywhere, including the Southwest Region.
A No. 1 seed isn’t out of the question for BYU or SDSU, but they’ll need the Mountain West Tournament title, too – and likely some help by the teams in front of them. Not that it will matter much. Both are capable of making a run to the Elite 8 or beyond.
Elswhere, the bubble remains a complete mess. Let’s hope these next two weeks clarify a few things. I’m fully expecting an insane Championship Week. Send a rebound if you like. Follow along @BracketguyDave on Twitter.
Welcome to Bracketville
Put your fingers together very closely. That’s the margin we now have in the race for No. 1 seeds. At least among the five leading contenders – Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Texas, Kansas, and Duke. San Diego State and BYU could be in play if one wins both the outright Mountain West title and the MTW conference tournament crown. Despite losses by all top four seeds this week, the top line remains status-quo. Kansas keeps a slight edge for the final No. 1 spot thanks to a few more Top 100 wins. Winning the ACC (league and tourney) would likely vault the Blue Devils above the Jayhawks, but this is where we’re at for a few more days.
The bubble remains highly suspect, although we did lose a few teams this week. More to come in an updated Bubble Banter (Tuesday). Not sure you like any of the final few teams in or out? Same here. We still have a lot to be decided. Virginia Tech is once again right on the cutline, and the Hokies project to just miss (again) today.
As always, rebounds welcome. Bring along some notes. Follow more on Twitter at BracketguyDave. Enjoy the hoops. Next bracket update will be Friday as we begin two-a-weeks until Selection Sunday.
Welcome to Bracketville
Entering the stretch run, the Big East continues to claim 11 spots in our Valentine’s Day bracket. Whether Marquette and Cincinnati can keep two of those spots is becoming more questionable. Few teams have better losses than Marquette – the Golden Eagles have played 12 games against teams ranked in the Top 25 of the RPI and gone 3-9 in those games. The problem is that Marquette’s best non-conference win is Bucknell, and the Golden Eagles are 8-10 vs. the RPI Top 200. Teams with that type of resume have generally not fared well on Selection Sunday. Cincinnati’s biggest hurdle is it’s non-conference SOS (No. 285). Other than a good win over Xavier, the Bearcats did nothing before January and have only a win at St. John’s within league play.
The bottom of the bracket remains highly suspect. I’m not sold on any of the last in or last out. In fact, teams seeded nine (9) and lower all have some realistic concerns. We do have to fill 68 spots, so there will likely be a team or two whose profile would have produced an NIT bid last season.
An updated Bubble Banter on Wednesday. Then next week we’ll start more frequent updates – including an extra bracket projection during the week. Have a different opinion? Send a rebound. Bring some information along. March is just around the corner.
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