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Bracketology: Villanova earns No. 1 overall seed
Selection Sunday is here. Tonight, the Selection Committee will reveal its 2017 NCAA tournament bracket. While there will be a healthy debate about whether Duke’s late-season run should vault them onto the No. 1 seed line, what we do know – or at least believe – is that reigning champ Villanova will be the No. 1 overall seed.
For now, North Carolina remains the top seed in the South Region. It may change this afternoon. Either way, your top line figures to end up with Villanova (East), Kansas (Midwest), North Carolina/Duke (South), Gonzaga (West).
With league favorites winning most of their conference tournaments, potential bid thieves have largely been eliminated. The biggest bubble debate figures to be centered around Syracuse. Will the Orange’s high quality wins outweigh its losses, record-high RPI, and poor record away from the Carrier Dome? That’s something we won’t know for sure until tonight.
Bracketology: Duke looks dangerous
As the final seconds ticked away in Brooklyn on Friday night, Duke celebrated a victory over rival North Carolina. With it, the Blue Devils may also have secured the No. 2 seed in the East Region behind Villanova. They certainly look dangerous. Arizona tripped UCLA in the Pac-12, setting up a rematch with Oregon. The winner will likely be the No. 2 seed out West.
Vanderbilt continues its climb and could become the first at-large team with 15 losses, assuming they fall short in the SEC tourney. Elsewhere on the bubble, teams like Kansas State, Wake Forest, USC, and Illinois State must sit and watch; their resumes complete. Pay special attention to the Atlantic 10 semifinals. Rhode Island is close to grabbing a spot, and two potential bid thieves lurk opposite the sets of Rams (URI, VCU). Today, it’ll be time to re-scrub the seed list again as more resumes fill up.
Quick Takes: Moving Day in college hoops
If you’re a golf fan, you’ll understand the reference to Moving Day. Moving Day in a Major tournament is Saturday. It’s the day when golfers position themselves for the final round on Sunday. Today is a Moving Day in college hoops.
Bubble teams Kansas State, Illinois, Iowa, California, and Vanderbilt- among others – take the court with a lot on the line. The same can be said, potentially, for Xavier, and even USC, although both helped themselves by avoiding a bad loss on Wednesday. Elsewhere, middle of the bracket teams like Michigan and Northwestern look to solidify their positions. Read more…
Bracketology: Wichita State punches its ticket
Wichita State took care of business Sunday in St. Louis, locking up the Missouri Valley’s automatic bid, and with it, a ticket to the Big Dance. Winners of 15 straight, the Shockers enter the 2017 tournament on quite a roll. Advanced metric models like their profile more than the RPI. We’ll know more about how the Selection Committee views them when seeding is revealed on Sunday. Regardless of where they fall, the Shockers will be a dangerous opponent.
Meanwhile, Illinois State begins a long, arduous wait. The Redbirds’ body of work is complete. All they can do is watch what unfolds in places like the Big 12, Big Ten, Atlantic 10, SEC, and even the Pac-12. They’ll be rooting for league favorites to advance.
Quick Takes: Championship Week begins
The final Saturday of the regular season is upon us. Which means Championship Week is officially here. Were it not for NCAA tournament itself, this would arguably be one of the best weeks in sports. So much rides on every outcome, especially for those teams fighting for dance tickets. Friday night gave us a glimpse of the perils ahead, as Ohio Valley Conference favorite Belmont was bounced in the OVC tournament semifinals. With that, here are the latest updates:
As this is Quick Takes, we won’t go in-depth. But here are a few highlights and questions regarding the next eight days… Read more…
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