QT: West Virginia breaks through; Seton Hall enters bubble

Eventually, West Virginia was going to break through and win a Big 12 game.  The Mountaineers did just that Wednesday against TCU in Morgantown.  It ended a five-game league slide. WVU gets a chance to back it up Saturday when Texas arrives.

Let’s also note Seton Hall.  The Pirates rallied past reeling Connecticut to enter the bubble picture.  Up next: a visit from Marquette.

In the ebbs of flows of a college hoops season, Xavier absorbed a surprising loss at DePaul; XU’s first glitch in an otherwise strong season.  Georgetown arrives this weekend before a pair of potentially dangerous road trips: wounded Connecticut and desperate Creighton.

Bracketology: Xavier grabs Big East lead, vaults ahead

The Xavier Musketeers have won 11 straight and stand alone atop the Big East conference.  Three of those league wins are against other contenders, landing Xavier a two-seed in the East Region this morning.  XU will be favored to reach 9-0 within the conference before back-to-back trips to Connecticut and Creighton to close January.

Bracketology

All four No. 1 seeds remain in place to begin another week: Kansas (Midwest), Purdue (South), Alabama (East) and Houston (West).  The top three can all survive a loss.  Alabama is pushing Purdue for King of the South Region.  Take your pick.  For now, Purdue stays slightly ahead due the variance of a shared opponent on a neutral court: Purdue beat Gonzaga by 18 points; Alabama lost to Gonzaga by 10.

QT: Xavier builds its resume; Kansas survives

Xavier added a significant resume-building victory to its team sheet on Saturday by taking down previously unbeaten Connecticut at the Cintas Center.  XU improved to 2-3 against Quad 1 opponents, having also beaten West Virginia at home.  The Musketeers three losses are by a combined 13 points, all to Quad 1 teams.  They travel to Villanova next Saturday before a pair of home games with Creighton and Marquette.

Kansas rallied and then survived an upset bid by Oklahoma State.  The Jayhawks are now 6-1 against Quad 1-2 opponents.  Missed opportunity for the Cowboys, who entered Saturday among the Next 4 OUT grouping.  Predictive metrics are higher on OSU than results-based options; likely because the Cowboys’ best win remains Sam Houston State.  Huge week ahead for OSU with West Virginia and Texas coming to Stillwater.

Bracket Report: Long waits for Xavier, Wake Forest

Wake Forest and Xavier exited Stage Left on Wednesday – opening the door for a host of other bubble teams who are taking the court today and Friday.  All Wake and XU can do now is wait – and it may not end well for either.  Until we see results additional results, both the Demon Deacons and Musketeers hold onto spots in the Field – slated to face each other in Dayton.  By 6:00 p.m. today – that could change.

Bracketology
Seed List

Notable bubble teams in action today:
Indiana vs. Michigan – The Wolverines might survive a loss; it’s much less likely for the Hoosiers.
Florida vs. Texas AM – Feels like an elimination game.
Oklahoma (vs. Baylor) – The Sooners need a run to the B12 title game.
Virginia Tech vs. Notre Dame – The Irish are among the Last 4 Byes, so this game matters to both.  In an odd way, Virginia Tech and Virginia can help Wake’s case.
Virginia (vs. North Carolina) – The Cavaliers survived Louisville, but have to beat red-hot Carolina.

Among No. 1 seed contenders – Arizona takes the court against Stanford.  The Wildcats are trying to garner a No. 1 seed in the South Region since it appears Gonzaga owns the West.

Bracket Report: Gonzaga clinches West Region

Following Gonzaga’s win over Saint Mary’s, we should have a least one piece of the No. 1 seed puzzle in place.  The Zags will reign over the West Region – and they will likely be the NCAA Tournament’s top overall seed on Sunday night.

Bracketology
Seed List

Today, action begins for some bubble teams:
Xavier battles Butler in its Big East opener;
Wake Forest takes on Boston College in the ACC;
Virginia meets Louisville (ACC).

A couple of minor adjustments on the Seed List – and Tuesday’s automatic qualifiers – are reflected in this morning’s bracket update.  Tomorrow, we turn the pressure cooker up a few degrees.