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.

Under-the-Radar ‘Bracket’ Games: Opening week

The 2018-19 college hoops season kicks off with a pair of heavyweight matchups at the State Farm Classic in Indianapolis on Tuesday, November 6: Kansas vs. Michigan State and Kentucky vs. Duke.  There’s also the Florida vs. Florida State rivalry.  If those three don’t get your hoops’ juices flowing then, well, we’ll just leave it at that.

The reality, though, is that all six of those schools are likely to end up with solid seeds come Selection Sunday.  So let’s focus here on some Under-the-Radar (UTR) matchups of Opening Week.

Preseason bracket deals Cards another No. 1 seed

The Road to the Final Four is about to begin, and a host of familiar names sit atop our preseason bracket projection.

Reigning NCAA champion Louisville opens as the top overall seed in the Midwest Region, which again goes through nearby Indianapolis.  The Cardinals are followed by Michigan State (East), Kentucky (South), and Kansas (West) as favorites to reach AT&T Stadium in April.  Close behind are Duke, Arizona, Syracuse, and Oklahoma State.  Need more heavyweights?  How about Michigan, Ohio State, Florida, and North Carolina as possible three-seeds?

2013-14 Preseason Bracket Projection

Beyond conference realignment – and remembering that Syracuse, Notre Dame and Pittsburgh are now in the ACC, for example – the NCAA has changed a few of its bracketing principles for 2014.  If you want to read them for yourself, visit www.ncaa.com.  The most significant updates are an emphasis on maintaining a team’s true seed (from the seed list), and allowing teams from the same conference to potentially meet before a regional final if they played less than three times during the regular season. (Note: This could happen previously but only if more than eight teams from a conference were selected).  There are a lot of variables, but the goal is to provide the Selection Committee with more options during the bracketing process.  In year’s past, bracketing procedures often required moving several teams up or down a seed line to avoid such things as conference conflicts within the region.  While this may still occur, it should be less frequently.   What we can’t predict in the preseason is how many times conference foes will actually meet because conference tournament games are included.

With the arrival of the American Athletic Conference (AAC), there will also be one less at-large bid in 2014.  We now have 32 automatic qualifiers and 36 at-large spots. In our preseason bracket the First Five out are Illinois, California, Providence, Massachusetts, and Xavier.  Purdue, Iowa State, Pittsburgh, Missouri, Washington, and Florida State are next.  A host of other potential at-large candidates were also evaluated.  View the full s-curve for the preseason bracket.

Our opening First Four?  BYU, Indiana State, San Diego State, and SMU (Southern Methodist).

Fortunately, the actual bracket will develop over the course over four and a half months.  At this point, it’s guesswork.  The journey will be tremendous.  Think about the storylines we already have:  Will John Calipari blend his vaunted recruits into a championship team?  Can the Cardinals repeat?  Will Tom Izzo return Michigan State to the Final Four?  Who will be this year’s Wichita State, Butler, VCU, or George Mason?  And the list goes on.

It’s almost time for tip-off.  Grab a seat.  It’s going to be quite a ride toward Selection Sunday.