Bracketology: Xavier grabs Big East lead, vaults ahead

The Xavier Musketeers have won 11 straight and stand alone atop the Big East conference.  Three of those league wins are against other contenders, landing Xavier a two-seed in the East Region this morning.  XU will be favored to reach 9-0 within the conference before back-to-back trips to Connecticut and Creighton to close January.

Bracketology

All four No. 1 seeds remain in place to begin another week: Kansas (Midwest), Purdue (South), Alabama (East) and Houston (West).  The top three can all survive a loss.  Alabama is pushing Purdue for King of the South Region.  Take your pick.  For now, Purdue stays slightly ahead due the variance of a shared opponent on a neutral court: Purdue beat Gonzaga by 18 points; Alabama lost to Gonzaga by 10.