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Quick Takes: Duke topples Gonzaga, Iowa State wows in Brooklyn
Easy headlines for the latest Quick Takes: Duke beats Gonzaga, two teams that could end up at the Final Four in New Orleans. And … Iowa State wows in Brooklyn.
Let’s start with Duke. The Blue Devils added another major asset to their non-conference resume; they opened with a victory over Kentucky. Next up: Ohio State in the B10-ACC challenge. An overlooked stat from Friday night? Duke induced Gonzaga into 17 turnovers. Those extra possessions and an eight-point edge at the free throw line helped account for the final margin. Truth be told, neither team fared particularly well at the charity stripe. Whether that’s a short or long-term issue remains to be seen.
Now, for Iowa State. Picked to finish near the bottom of the Big 12, the Cyclones arrived in Brooklyn without much fanfare. Best win was a quickly-fading Oregon State outfit. ISU left the Big Apple with impressive victories over Xavier and Memphis – by a combined 31 points. Can the Cyclones sustain their early success? We’ll find out together. But it’s a great start, nonetheless. In early December, ISU travels to Creighton and hosts Iowa. Win those, and the Cyclones should be 12-0 heading into a January 1 matchup with Baylor. Read more…
Bracketology: Gonzaga, Baylor against the Field
We are a month away from Selection Sunday, and as we sit today, it’s Gonzaga and Baylor against the Field of 68. The Zags and Bears remain perfect and are about as locked-in as the top two overall seeds as two teams can be. This morning, Michigan and Ohio State continue to occupy the other two slots along the top line. It will be interesting to see how the Selection Committee handles a team like the Wolverines, who have just one blemish and lead the Big Ten, but who haven’t played for two weeks. The Committee’s initial Top 16 seeds are revealed today.
Elsewhere, many eyes will be on the Missouri Valley as Drake and Loyola-Chicago lock horns for a back-to-back set this weekend in Des Moines. In a weird way, it would help the MVC if the teams split those games. The bubble is as fluid as ever; we’ll start taking a closer look there after what figures to be a critical weekend for many teams.
Bracketology: Top line stays steady
As February approaches, Gonzaga and Baylor remain atop the bracket, and it will take more than one loss from either to change that. Heading into a busy weekend, the rest of the top line stays steady, with Michigan and Villanova holding the final No. 1 seeds. Houston keeps winning and a continued dominant run through the American Athletic Conference would keep the Cougars in the conversation for a one-seed.
With the exception of aforementioned Michigan (thus far), the Big Ten continues its internal assault on each other, with Illinois taking down Iowa on Friday night. The league currently has six teams on the top six seed lines, with four stashed along lines 3-4 and five among the top 15 teams on the Seed List.
Although Virginia’s resume certainly has some question marks, the Cavaliers grab the final No. 2 seed this morning, based on its overall record, metrics and status as ACC leader. They could be re-passed by numerous Big Ten contenders if some separation develops. Enjoy a busy weekend. More frequent updates ahead.
Seed List: Gonzaga, Baylor lead the Field
The opening Seed List here at Bracketville has many questions – and we don’t yet know exactly how the potential bracket will shape up, including the number of teams. Fortunately, the top line was a pretty easy set-up: Gonzaga, Baylor, Kansas and Villanova.
After that, it gets more tricky – as teams try to navigate schedules, postponements and the potential loss of players due to quarantines. As a result, resumes offer us a predictably mixed bag. Some teams have played multiple games against quality opponents. Others have yet to face a notable foe, for whatever reason. We also have some questions about Oklahoma State’s availability for the tournament; stay tuned.
So … take this for what it is, a snapshot at the moment of publication. Right now, the first bracket is scheduled to arrive on New Year’s Day. Until then, best wishes for a healthy Holiday season.
Bracketology: Kansas grabs overall No. 1 Seed
Following its win at Baylor, Kansas grabs the No. 1 overall seed in today’s bracket update. That said, it’s basically semantics. Kansas continues to lead the Midwest Region and Baylor the South Region. The margin between the two is more of a 1-A and 1-B approach.
The biggest surprise of the weekend was San Diego State losing at home to UNLV. For now, the Aztecs hold onto their No. 1 seed in the East. Maryland could have made a strong case had the Terrapins won at Ohio State on Sunday. Either way, the door is now open for a Big Ten, Big East, or ACC champion to potentially overtake SDSU. Dayton is squarely in the mix, too.
As for the Bubble, the Providence Friars and UCLA Bruins have both recovered from challenging starts to emerge as serious at-large contenders.
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