Bracketology: Duke leads updated Field of 68

Merry Christmas from Bracketville!
With those wishes comes our annual Christmas Eve bracket update and seed list.  If we were watching Polar Express, the first gift of Christmas would go to the Duke Blue Devils, who hold the No. 1 overall seed.  Kansas is a close second, followed by Michigan and Tennessee.  Virginia is next in line.

Bracketology   |   Seed List

As usual for this time of year, we have a lot of ho-hum resumes.  Some teams have gifted themselves with strong schedules, others have been enjoying a feast of pre-Holiday treats, often served with icing on their home court.  As the New Year approaches and conference play begins, we’ll learn a lot more – or at least we hope so.

Until then, enjoy the Holidays.  Have a blessed Christmas with your family and friends.

Quick Takes: NC State wraps up notable win over Auburn

It wasn’t pretty – NC State and Auburn combined for 47 turnovers – but the Wolfpack wrapped up notable win over the Tigers Wednesday night in Raleigh.  Why so notable?  To put it simply – even with early victories over Vanderbilt and Penn State on neutral courts, the Wolfpack’s resume was somewhat overshadowed by seven Group 4 victories (per NET rankings) and an associated a non-conference schedule ranked around 300.  That’s quite a feast of pre-Holiday cupcakes.  And while a victory over Auburn doesn’t change those facts, it does add validity to the large margin of victory in most of those outcomes.  Up next: a couple more pastries before an opening ACC trip to Miami on January 3.

Bracket Games: Buffalo-SIU headline UTR matchups this week

College hoops ramps up this week.  We get the Gavitt Tip-Off games, the Charleston Classic, the Myrtle Beach Invitational, and a variety of other goodies.  Headliners include Marquette at Indiana, Michigan at Villanova, Connecticut vs. Syracuse, and Iowa vs. Oregon.  Link to Bracket Games for an updated listing of contests worth tracking.

We also get some really good Under-the-Radar (UTR) matchups; none better than Buffalo at Southern Illinois on Monday.  Let’s take a look …

Buffalo at Southern Illinois (Monday) – MAC favorite Buffalo arrives in Carbondale fresh off its upset of West Virginia in Morgantown.  Southern Illinois isn’t WVU, but they are one of this year’s MVC favorites and hung with Kentucky in Lexington until late in the game.  Think of this as a kind of retired “Bracket Buster” game we used to see in February.

Quick Takes: Duke dominates, Buckeyes happy in ‘Nati

With the 2018-19 college basketball season underway, it’s time to bring back Quick Takes.  So let’s get to it …

Duke dominated Kentucky in Indianapolis on opening night, sending a few shockwaves though the college hoops world along the way.  That said, let’s reign in the talk of an undefeated season.  The Blue Devils still have a host of worthy non-conference opponents in front of them, not to mention some tricky road trips through the Atlantic Coast Conference.  Does Duke look like a title contender? Absolutely.  Are they unbeatable?  That’s a question better reserved for February or March.

Kansas looked pretty good, too, mind you.  As did Michigan State – particularly in the second half.  KU get’s the benefit of an early resume boost, but nothing else changed.  Both teams looked the part of being high seeds come Selection Sunday.

Preseason preparation for 2018-19

As another college basketball season prepares to dawn, a group of familiar names greets us with the anticipation of March Madness and April glory.  Teams like Kansas, Kentucky, Duke, and even Gonzaga are considered title contenders.  Prognosticators are also rightfully intrigued by Nevada, Tennessee, North Carolina, and even a re-focused Virginia outfit trying to bounce back from an historic upset at the hands of UMBC.

Then there’s defending National Champion, Villanova, with some fresh faces among its returning talent.  Dismiss the Wildcats at your own risk.

By most accounts, the SEC will be strong again, and the Big Ten is likely to send more than a handful of teams to the Dance.  The race for bids is tightening even before we tip in early November.  Will the Missouri Valley send multiple teams?  While someone beyond Nevada emerge as a second or third NCAA team from the Mountain West?  How many bids can the Atlantic 10 garner?  Can both both Marshall and Western Kentucky survive Conference USA and Selection Sunday?  And what about the MAC?  Both Buffalo and Eastern Michigan are contenders.