Welcome to March. Three new teams have joined the bracket: Colorado State, South Florida, and VCU. Sliding out: Northwestern, Dayton, and St. Joseph’s. It’s going to be an interesting nine days until Selection Sunday.
Fresh off a week of great games, here’s your lates update:
March 2 Bracket Projection – Bracketology
The race for No. 1 seeds continues with Goliath matchups this weekend. Michigan State hosts Ohio State, and the Spartans can wrap up an outright Big Ten championship by beating the Buckeyes. There’s also Round 2 of the Duke and North Carolina rivalry. Results from those games will have a direct impact on the No. 1 seed line as we head into Championship Week. Kentucky and Syracuse continue to lead the field, and that’s unlikely to change. Kansas now has the inside track for the Midwest Regional in St. Louis, but it’s not locked in place. The No. 4 overall seed will be shipped West. In essence, there are five teams fighting for two spots on the top line. Ohio State could re-enter the discussion if the Buckeyes beat MSU this weekend and win the Big Ten conference tournament.
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While there are several surprises in our first bracket projection of the 2011-2012 season, there’s no surprise about which team is the overall No. 1 seed: Kentucky. Fresh off a thrilling victory over North Carolina on Saturday, the Wildcats take their place as the top seed in the South – going to Atlanta. The remaining No. 1 seeds are Ohio State, Syracuse and Duke. One could easily make the case for North Carolina to stay on the one-line based on talent and expectations. No one will be surprised to see the Tar Heels in New Orleans. For today, however, Duke’s overall resume is superior and Carolina has lost two games. Let’s just remember, it’s very early.
DECEMBER 5 – BRACKET PROJECTION
DECEMBER 5 – POWER 24
The rest of the bracket is quite interesting. Several major conference teams have been less than stellar through the first month of the season. That’s opened the door for the mid majors and today’s bracket reflects some quality non-conference work by teams from the Mid-American, Mountain West, Sun Belt, Conference USA, and Missouri Valley. All have multiple teams in the field.
We’ve played a little less than a quarter of the season. There are certain to be a lot of changes in the coming weeks. The journey to Selection Sunday is here again – let’s enjoy the ride. More to come soon.
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With the start of college hoops season just a week away, it’s no surprise that North Carolina tops our Preseason Power 24 at Bracketville. Kentucky, Connecticut, and Ohio State are right behind.
One can debate whether UConn or Ohio State should be switched. Fair-minded people can also discuss North Carolina and Kentucky. But with a host of experience back, the Tar Heels are early favorites to cut down the nets in New Orleans. UK, UConn, and Ohio State should challenge, as will a handful of others. Spots 5-10 look like this … Syracuse, Duke, Memphis, Florida, Vanderbilt, and Louisville.
Cautious optimism is always wise. If we’ve learned anything the past few years it’s that preseason expectations and on-court performance aren’t always the same. We’ve also seen talented teams struggle early as they learn to play together. Because we have no real evidence, preseason rankings are merely a starting point. Thankfully, come March, what matters is actual results. Sure, we’ll have our debates about a few teams, but the tournament will be great because we play the games.
I’m excited about another journey toward Selection Sunday. Thanks for your interest. Follow along here and at NBC Sports.com.
Welcome to Bracketville
Four days until Selection Sunday. The next 48 hours are like Saturday at the Masters: Moving Days. The Big Ten, ACC, and SEC join the post-season tournament party with a host of teams trying to make a final impression on Selection Committee members gathered in Indianapolis. We also have the Mountain West, Atlantic 10, and Pac-10 moving into quarterfinal action. Every bubble team gets its day on the court.
March 9 Bubble Banter | updated at 11:30 p.m. ET
Away from the bubble, it’s all about seeding. A couple of spots on the s-curve might make the difference between playing closer to home or being sent cross-country. We also have at least one No. 1 seed up for grabs. In the west, all eyes will be on BYU - what statement will the Cougars make at the Mountain West tournament?
With Marquette’s win over West Virginia Wednesday night, it looks all but certain that 11 Big East teams will earn bids to the NCAA tournament. A couple will limp in – Villanova and Georgetown – but we’ll have a first (besides the First Four) during the 2011 Madness. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Villanova, Georgetown, and Marquette in 8-9 games (unless the Eagles keep winning or we get confirmation that Chris Wright is returning for the Hoyas).
Any upsets this year? Last year, we went down to the wire with Mississippi State in the SEC tournament. What if Utah State loses in the WAC? What about UAB if they fall in the Conference USA final? It looks like we still have 10 spots available. For the latest, follow along on Twitter @BracketguyDave. March Madness. Gotta love it.
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Selection Sunday is quickly approaching. While the bottom of the bracket remains highly volatile, the No. 1 seed contenders are taking shape. We have four front-runners with eight total teams remain in the hunt. Keep in mind that a team’s entire body of work is examined by the Selection Committee. So one good week in early March isn’t justification for a No. 1 seed. Here’s a look at the contenders …
Ohio State - The Buckeyes are a lock. OSU could potentially lose its spot in the East Region, but I can’t imagine a scenario in which the Buckeyes fall off the top line. OSU’s only two losses are at Wisconsin and at Purdue – both are in line for top-three seeds. The Buckeyes are 15-2 vs. the RPI Top 100 and beat Florida and Florida State on the road.
Pittsburgh - The Panthers lead the Big East and have been very consistent throughout the season. Pitt also has a non-conference victory over Texas on its resume and six Top 25 RPI wins. While not yet a lock, the Panthers control their path to a top seed in the East or Southeast. They may not have to win the Big East Tournament title, but they do need to avoid back-to-back losses to end the season. Their worst loss is Tennessee (neutral court).
Kansas - Kansas sits at No. 1 in the RPI (for what that’s worth) and has 17 wins vs. Top 100 teams – best in the nation. The Jayhawks also own the inside track to a Big 12 regular-season title. Why is Kansas not a lock? Only because there is the potential to be bumped should they lose a couple of games this next week and other teams below them excel. Kansas’ losses are to Texas at home and Kansas State on the road.
Duke – The Blue Devils close their regular season at North Carolina. A victory would give them the outright ACC title. A loss would leave Duke tied with Carolina pending the ACC Tournament. While Duke’s overall body of work is better to this point, if the Blue Devils were to lose twice to UNC in the next week, their odds to stay on the top line would certainly diminish. Duke is 14-3 vs. the Top 100. It’s best non-conference wins are Kansas State and Temple. Read more…
Welcome to March. Three new teams have joined the bracket: Colorado State, South Florida, and VCU. Sliding out: Northwestern, Dayton, and St. Joseph’s. It’s going to be an interesting nine days until Selection Sunday.
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