Bracketology: Alabama vaults to top line

Combined with Connecticut’s third road loss in Big East play, Alabama’s victory at Arkansas vaults the Crimson Tide onto the No. 1 seed line, ahead of Houston for third position overall.  Alabama now leads the East Region, starting in nearby Birmingham and funneling through New York.

Bracketology

It’s been a roller-coaster week across college hoops.  Exhibit A: Ohio State’s home loss to Minnesota.  Exhibit B: The cutline has changed three times in three days.

From a housekeeping perspective, the middle of the bracket is littered with teams from the Big Ten and ACC.  The result is a few quirks, albeit within bracketing principles.  Example: Pittsburgh and Northwestern are slated to meet in an 8/9 game opposite No. 1 seed Purdue in the South Region.  As the Panthers and Wildcats have already played, this type of first-round matchup would typically be avoided.  But it’s not a firm rule, and given the clog of Big 10 teams from seeds 7-10, the only option would be alter one of the team’s seed lines.  For years, this type of maneuver occurred frequently.  However, there has been (and rightly so) a more concerted effort to keep teams on their actual seed line – as it improves the integrity of the bracket.