Bracketology: Hail to the Wolverines!

Hail to the Victors!  As in the Michigan Wolverines, who have vaulted to the No. 1 seed line in our mid-December bracket update.  Joining Big Blue on the top line: Kansas, Gonzaga, and Duke.  Tennessee, Virginia, and Nevada are next in line.

Bracketology   |   Seed List

Given that its Finals week at many schools, college hoops settles a little.  It’s a good time to step back, take a breath, and appreciate some of the incredible action we witnessed since early November. Soon, we’ll begin our weekly trek toward Selection Sunday.

 

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Quick Takes: Gators, Sooners toast New York

Good vibes this morning in Gainesville and Norman.  Both the Florida Gators and Oklahoma Sooners toasted Madison Square Garden while exiting the Jimmy V Classic Tuesday night in New York.  It was a particularly nice win for Florida, which had started 0-3 against the best teams on its schedule, losing to Florida State, Oklahoma (oddly enough), and Butler.  Not that a victory over West Virginia is going to move any huge swamps right now, but it gives the Gators a little momentum heading to Saturday’s showdown with Michigan State.

Quick Takes: Michigan completes a perfect November

With its victory over North Carolina on Wednesday, the Michigan Wolverines completed a perfect November.  Big Blue hosts Purdue on Saturday, the first day of December.  Their 7-0 start includes a road victory at Villanova (by 27 points), a neutral-court win over Providence, and last night’s 17-point margin at home against the Tar Heels.  Consider this, too … if Michigan beats Purdue this weekend, the Wolverines will be heavy favorites to complete a perfect December – which means UM could be 13-0 heading into January.  Not a bad reprise for last year’s national runner-up.

Quick Takes: Hello, Michigan – and – B10

Hello, Michigan.  Feeling a bit of revenge, perhaps?  Just a tad?

Whether last year’s NCAA Championship game was on their mind or not, the Wolverines put a beat-down on Villanova Wednesday night.  On the road, no less.  It was a mere 44-17 at the half.  Duke’s 34-point win over Kentucky still resonates, obviously, but the Wolverine’s result ranks pretty high on the early-season stunner meter.

The question now … how do both teams respond?

Other Quick Takes …

Bracketology: Purdue, Virginia strengthen No. 1 seed positions

After surviving a game-worthy bunch of Michigan Wolverines on Thursday, the Purdue Boilermakers have only two games remaining against currently-projected NCAA teams: Ohio State at home, Michigan State on the road.  At this point, a split would do nothing to change Purdue’s trajectory as a potential No. 1 seed.  Which means, unless the Boilers trip a couple of times on their way in, a top seed is likely their’s for the taking.

Bracketology    |    Seed List

The same holds true for Virginia, who pulled away from Clemson this week. The Cavaliers, much like Purdue, benefit from an uneven league schedule.  They only play North Carolina and Duke once, and they’ve already beaten the Tar Heels.  Their game with Duke is Saturday.  And while the result matters, of course, UVA is blessed with a two-game lead.  Looking ahead, the ACC is vastly superior to the Big Ten, so it’s not like trips through Florida State, Miami-FL, or Louisville will be easy.  But the Cavaliers’ defense has been dominant enough to think they’ll still have the inside track to an ACC title regardless of Sunday’s outcome.  If Virginia beats Duke, the race could be over.

Quick Takes: Kansas offers a Big 12 reminder

About those 13 straight Big 12 titles: Kansas isn’t conceding No. 14.  Down double-digits at halftime in Morgantown, the Jayhawks rallied to beat West Virginia, and in the process, remind us that the road to a Big 12 title still runs through Lawrence.  There’s this, too: while he played limited minutes, Silvio De Sousa made his Jayhawks’ debut, adding a much-needed body to a thin front line.  As a whole, the Big 12 is as good as its ever been, so one win doesn’t guarantee anything.  But if you had decided, “this was the year,” for Kansas to relinquish its crown, let’s hope you wrote it in pencil.

Other Quick Takes from Monday:

Quick Takes: Early sunshine in the Sun Belt

Early in the afternoon on Monday, the Ragin’ Cajuns of Louisiana upended Iowa at the inaugural Cayman Islands Classic.  Beyond the outcome itself, the victory was another early ray of sunshine for the Sun Belt Conference.  Just over a week into the season, Louisiana has its win over Iowa, UT-Arlington has a win at BYU, and Georgia-Southern has a win at Wake Forest and another over Missouri State, a favorite in the Missouri Valley.  How these early successes end up impacting future resumes remains to be seen, of course.  But it’s worth a mention, regardless.

Other Quick Takes from Monday’s action: