Bracket Update- 3/11

Final Projections

The only change I made from yesterday's projections was to flip GW and New Mexico St.

1 seeds
Ohio St. (Big Ten)
UNC (ACC)
Kansas (Big 12)
UCLA

2 seeds
Florida (SEC)
Wisconsin
Georgetown (Big East)
Texas A&M

3 seeds
Memphis (C-USA)
Pitt
Southern Illinois
Washington St.

4 seeds
Texas
Oregon (Pac-10)
UNLV (Mt. West)
Maryland

5 seeds
Louisville
Marquette
Tennessee
Virginia Tech

6 seeds
Notre Dame
Nevada
Virginia
BYU

7 seeds
Vandy
Arizona
Duke
Butler

8 seeds
Indiana
Villanova
BC
USC

9 seeds
Creighton (MVC)
Kentucky
Georgia Tech
Michigan St.

10 seeds
Syracuse
Illinois
VCU (CAA)
Xavier

11 seeds
Texas Tech
Air Force
ODU
Missouri St.

12 seeds
Winthrop (Big South)
Davidson (SoCon)
Gonzaga (WCC)
New Mexico St. (WAC)

13 seeds
George Washington (A-10)
Holy Cross (Patriot)
Wright St. (Horizon)
Miami OH (MAC)

14 seeds
Penn (Ivy)
Oral Roberts (MCC)
Albany (America East)
Long Beach St. (Big West)

15 seeds
Texas A&M-CC (Southland)
Eastern Kentucky (OVC)
Belmont (A-Sun)
Niagara (MAAC)

16 seeds
North Texas (Sun Belt)
Weber St. (Big Sky)
CCSU (NEC)
Florida A&M* (MEAC)
Jackson St.* (SWAC)

*- play-in game

Multi-Bid Conferences
Big East- 7
ACC- 7
Big Ten- 5
Pac-10- 5
Big 12- 4
SEC- 4
MVC- 3
Mt. West- 3
A-10- 2
CAA- 2
Horizon- 2
WAC- 2

In
Miami OH
Albany
Florida A&M
Jackson St.

Out
Akron
Vermont
Delaware St.
Miss. Valley St.

Also Considered
Stanford
Oklahoma St.
West Virginia
Drexel
Purdue
Arkansas
Kansas St.
Florida St.

Bracket Update- 3/10

1 seeds
Ohio St. (Big Ten)
UNC (ACC)
Kansas (Big 12)
UCLA (Pac-10)

2 seeds
Florida (SEC)
Wisconsin
Georgetown (Big East)
Texas A&M

3 seeds
Memphis (C-USA)
Pitt
Southern Illinois
Washington St.

4 seeds
Texas
Oregon
Louisville
UNLV (Mt. West)

5 seeds
Marquette
Maryland
Tennessee
Virginia Tech

6 seeds
Notre Dame
Nevada
Virginia
Vandy

7 seeds
BYU
Arizona
Duke
Butler

8 seeds
Indiana
Villanova
BC
Creighton (MVC)

9 seeds
USC
Kentucky
Air Force
Georgia Tech

10 seeds
Michigan St.
Syracuse
Illinois
VCU (CAA)

11 seeds
Texas Tech
ODU
Xavier
Missouri St.

12 seeds
Winthrop (Big South)
Davidson (SoCon)
Gonzaga (WCC)
New Mexico St. (WAC)

13 seeds
Akron (MAC)
George Washington (A-10)
Holy Cross (Patriot)
Wright St. (Horizon)

14 seeds
Vermont (America East)
Penn (Ivy)
Oral Roberts (MCC)
Long Beach St. (Big West)

15 seeds
Texas A&M-CC (Southland)
Belmont (A-Sun)
Eastern Kentucky (OVC)
Delaware St. (MEAC)

16 seeds
Niagara (MAAC)
North Texas (Sun Belt)
Weber St. (Big Sky)
CCSU* (NEC)
Miss. Valley St.* (SWAC)

*- play-in game

Multi-Bid Conferences
Big East- 7
ACC- 7
Big Ten- 5
Pac-10- 5
Big 12- 4
SEC- 4
MVC- 3
Mt. West- 3
A-10- 2
CAA- 2
Horizon- 2
WAC- 2

In
GW (Auto)
New Mexico St. (Auto)

Out
Stanford
Fresno St.

Also Considered
Stanford
Oklahoma St.
West Virginia
Drexel
Kansas St.
Purdue
Florida St.
Arkansas
Bradley

Conference Tournament Picks, Part VI

ACC
Winner- UNC
At-large- Maryland, Duke, Virginia, Virginia Tech, BC, Georgia Tech
NIT- Florida St., Clemson

Of all the teams that could win, North Carolina has the most to play for with a top seed on the line. They also have the adequate depth to stay fresh for three games in three days while other teams could be tired. I don’t see Clemson or Florida St. making a big enough run to get an at-large bid but Georgia Tech is pretty much safe unless they fall to WF.

Big 12
Winner- Kansas
At-large- Texas A&M, Texas, Texas Tech
NIT- OK St., Kansas St.

Kansas is another team that should be successful in a three games in three days format over teams that won’t have as much depth. Texas Tech might give them a challenge if they reach the semis but that would be the Red Raiders third game in as many days.

Big Ten
Winner- Ohio St.
At-large- Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan St., Illinois
NIT- Purdue, Michigan, Iowa

Ohio St. and Wisconsin are by far the two best teams in this conference. Wisconsin is in a mini-slump and to win the title would probably have to beat the three teams that beat them in the regular season (Michigan St., Indiana and Ohio St.). So the pick here is Ohio St. Indiana and Michigan St. are in pretty good shape right now while I like Illinois to win a few games to also get a bid.

SEC
Winner- Florida
At-large- Vandy, Tennessee, Kentucky
NIT- Ole Miss, Miss St., Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia

This year’s Florida team is playing a lot like last year’s squad. A quick start followed by a slump with everyone questioning the team’s ability. Well last year’s team won the SEC tournament and I like it to happen again. Facing Tennessee in the semis will be their toughest challenge but I like the Gators to prevail.

Southland
Winner- Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

TAMU-CC finally got a conference and proceeded to dominate going 14-2. The two teams they lost to (#2 seed Sam Houston St. and #7 seed Lamar) play each other in the first round and the winner wouldn’t face TAMU-CC until the finals if they reach it. The Islanders also won at Sam Houston by 17 to end the regular season so you have to like them for the rubber game.

Bracket Update- 3/08

1 seeds
Ohio St. (Big Ten)
UCLA (Pac-10)
UNC (ACC)
Kansas (Big 12)

2 seeds
Florida (SEC)
Wisconsin
Georgetown (Big East)
Texas A&M

3 seeds
Memphis (C-USA)
Pitt
Southern Illinois
Washington St.

4 seeds
Maryland
Texas
Tennessee
Marquette

5 seeds
Oregon
Louisville
UNLV (Mt. West)
Nevada (WAC)

6 seeds
Virginia
Virginia Tech
Vandy
Notre Dame

7 seeds
Duke
Arizona
BYU
Butler

8 seeds
Indiana
Georgia Tech
Villanova
Kentucky

9 seeds
BC
Creighton (MVC)
USC
Air Force

10 seeds
Michigan St.
Xavier (A-10)
Stanford
Syracuse

11 seeds
Texas Tech
Missouri St.
VCU (CAA)
ODU

12 seeds
Illinois
Winthrop (Big South)
Davidson (SoCon)
Gonzaga (WCC)

13 seeds
Fresno St.
Akron (MAC)
Holy Cross (Patriot)
Wright St. (Horizon)

14 seeds
Vermont (America East)
Penn (Ivy)
Oral Roberts (MCC)
Long Beach St. (Big West)

15 seeds
Texas A&M-CC (Southland)
Belmont (A-Sun)
Eastern Kentucky (OVC)
Delaware St. (MEAC)

16 seeds
Niagara (MAAC)
North Texas (Sun Belt)
Weber St. (Big Sky)
CCSU* (NEC)
Miss. Valley St.* (SWAC)

*- play-in game

Multi-Bid Conferences
Big East- 7
ACC- 7
Pac-10- 6
Big Ten- 5
Big 12- 4
SEC- 4
MVC- 3
Mt. West- 3
CAA- 2
Horizon- 2
WAC- 2

In
Wright St. (Auto)

Out
Drexel

Also Considered
West Virginia
Drexel
Kansas St.
Clemson
Purdue
Alabama
UMass
Florida St.
Michigan
Bradley
Oklahoma St.
Arkansas
San Diego St.
Appalachian St.

Conference Tournament Picks, Part V

Big East
Winner- Georgetown
At-large- Pitt, Louisville, Notre Dame, Marquette, Villanova, Syracuse
NIT- WV, DePaul, Providence, UConn

I think Georgetown will win the conference tournament since they earned a bye and only one team has won the championship without one (Syracuse, last year). They will face a tired and hurt Nova team in the second round and likely play Notre Dame in the semis who they easily handled in their only meeting.

A-10
Winner- Xavier
NIT- UMass, GW, Rhode Island

Xavier ended the year on an eight-game winning streak sharing the conference championship with UMass at 13-3. They also beat UMass in their only meeting. The three teams they lost are all on the other side of the bracket so they would only need to beat one to get the auto bid but neither of those teams should be able to get by GW or UMass. If GW or UMass win the auto bid then I like Xavier to get an at-large. If UMass doesn’t get the auto then they will probably be one of the teams on the last four out list.

C-USA
Winner- Memphis

Memphis went undefeated in the league and won it by five games. They will play all their games at home where they haven’t lost all year and only had one game decided by less than ten points.

Big West
Winner- Long Beach St.

Long Beach won 9 straight conference games to end the year and 12 of 14 overall. They earned a bye to the semis along with Cal Poly whom they beat twice. They should have no problems winning the postseason title.

SWAC
Winner- Miss. Valley St.

Conference champion Miss. Valley St. ended the season on a four game winning streak and didn’t get swept by anyone except Southern who has very little chance of making the conference championship. On a neutral floor, this should favor the Delta Devils but the winner of this league is at best a 16-seed regardless.

Conference Tournament Picks, Part IV

Pac-10
Winner- UCLA
At-large- Washington St., Oregon, Arizona, USC, Stanford
NIT- Washington

The Bruins have had no problems winning at home this year and although the conference tournament isn’t in their gym, it’s still in Los Angeles where UCLA hasn’t lost this year. I think they will beat Washington St. in the finals.

Mt. West
Winner- UNLV
At-large- BYU, Air Force
NIT- San Diego St.

UNLV is playing really well right now. In addition they are also playing at home where they haven’t lost in conference play. They also have an easy road to the finals because Air Force and BYU are on the other side of the bracket. I expect them to play BYU in the finals since Air Force is struggling but the Cougars and Falcons are both good for at-large bids.

WAC
Winner- Nevada
At-large- Fresno St.
NIT- New Mexico St., Utah St.

Nevada has proven they will be in every game they play and I expect them to pull out the title on New Mexico St.’s floor. I think they will face Fresno St. in the finals since the Bulldogs ended the season on a 6 game winning streak including wins at NMSU and Utah St. I also think Fresno will get an at-large since this was a two-bid conference last year even though the conference didn’t deserve it and since this is virtually the same committee and the WAC has a similar conference RPI, the WAC will get an at-large bid.

MAC
Winner- Akron
NIT- Toledo

I’ve liked Akron all season so no reason to change to Kent St. or Toledo now. They beat Kent St. twice and only lost at Toledo by 3. I think they’ll make up that difference on a neutral floor. Plus the only three teams they lost to in the regular season are all on the other side of the bracket.

MEAC
Winner- Delaware St.

Delaware St. was the best team in MEAC last year finishing four games ahead of Florida A&M but got upset in the conference tournament this year, it won’t happen again.

Bracket Update- 3/06

1 seeds
Ohio St. (Big Ten)
UCLA (Pac-10)
UNC (ACC)
Kansas (Big 12)

2 seeds
Florida (SEC)
Wisconsin
Georgetown (Big East)
Texas A&M

3 seeds
Memphis (C-USA)
Pitt
Southern Illinois
Washington St.

4 seeds
Maryland
Texas
Tennessee
Marquette

5 seeds
Oregon
Louisville
UNLV (Mt. West)
Nevada (WAC)

6 seeds
Virginia
Butler (Horizon)
Virginia Tech
Vandy

7 seeds
Duke
Arizona
Notre Dame
BYU

8 seeds
Indiana
Georgia Tech
Villanova
Kentucky

9 seeds
BC
Creighton (MVC)
USC
Air Force

10 seeds
Michigan St.
Xavier (A-10)
Stanford
Syracuse

11 seeds
Texas Tech
Missouri St.
VCU (CAA)
ODU

12 seeds
Illinois
Drexel
Winthrop (Big South)
Davidson (SoCon)

13 seeds
Fresno St.
Gonzaga (WCC)
Akron (MAC)
Holy Cross (Patriot)

14 seeds
Vermont (Am East)
Penn (Ivy)
Oral Roberts (MCC)
Long Beach St. (Big West)

15 seeds
Texas A&M-CC (Southland)
Belmont (A-Sun)
Eastern Kentucky (OVC)
Delaware St. (MEAC)

16 seeds
Niagara (MAAC)
North Texas (Sun Belt)
Weber St. (Big Sky)
CCSU* (NEC)
Miss. Valley St.* (SWAC)

*- play-in game

Multi-Bid Conferences
Big East- 7
ACC- 7
Pac-10- 6
Big Ten- 5
Big 12- 4
SEC- 4
MVC- 3
Mt. West- 3
CAA- 3
WAC- 2

In
Drexel
Fresno St.

Out
West Virginia
Oklahoma St.

Also Considered
West Virginia, Kansas St., Clemson, Purdue, Alabama, UMass, Florida St., Michigan, Bradley, Oklahoma St., Arkansas, San Diego St., DePaul, Appalachian St.

Conference Tournament Picks, Part III

Colonial
Pick- Drexel
At-large- ODU
NIT- VCU, Hofstra

Any of the top four could win but I like Drexel. They and ODU are the two teams with the best chance for an at-large bid and I think the Dragons will seize the opportunity. I also think ODU will reach the finals and receive an at-large from the committee.

WCC
Pick- Gonzaga
NIT- Santa Clara

Gonzaga and Santa Clara get byes to the semis and are easily the top two teams in the conference. The two teams split their regular season meetings but I am taking Gonzaga since they are still the king.

America East
Pick- Vermont

Vermont dominated the conference only losing once while beating Albany twice. Factor in the championship being played on their floor if they reach it and they seem like runaway winners. They could cause some noise in the tournament considering their win at Boston College early in the year.

Big Sky
Pick- Weber St.

All the numbers are in favor of Weber. They have home court advantage. They went 7-1 at home during conference play. They beat their Big Sky co-champions twice. They did get blown out a few times down the stretch but those were on the road where they won’t have to go.

MCC
Pick- Oral Roberts

The Golden Eagles are the easy choice here. They went 12-2 in conference with their only two losses by one possession. They also have a win against Kansas which should give them a 13 or 14 seed.

Bracket Update- 3/02

1 seeds
UCLA (Pac-10)
Ohio St. (Big Ten)
UNC (ACC)
Wisconsin

2 seeds
Kansas (Big 12)
Florida (SEC)
Pitt (Big East)
Texas A&M

3 seeds
Memphis (C-USA)
Georgetown
Southern Illinois (MVC)
Washington St.

4 seeds
Texas
Maryland
Tennessee
Duke

5 seeds
Virginia Tech
Vandy
Nevada (WAC)
Oregon

6 seeds
Virginia
Butler (Horizon)
Marquette
UNLV (Mt. West)

7 seeds
USC
Indiana
Louisville
Kentucky

8 seeds
Notre Dame
Arizona
BYU
BC

9 seeds
Villanova
Georgia Tech
Air Force
Michigan St.

10 seeds
Stanford
Xavier (A-10)
Syracuse
Gonzaga (WCC)

11 seeds
Creighton
Texas Tech
Missouri St.
VCU (CAA)

12 seeds
Illinois
West Virginia
ODU
Oklahoma St.

13 seeds
Winthrop (Big South)
Davidson (SoCon)
Holy Cross (Patriot)
Akron (MAC)

14 seeds
Vermont (Am East)
Penn (Ivy)
Oral Roberts (MCC)
Long Beach St. (Big West)

15 seeds
Texas A&M-CC (Southland)
Marist (MAAC)
South Alabama (Sun Belt)
Austin Peay (OVC)

16 seeds
East Tennessee St. (A-Sun)
Delaware St. (MEAC)
Weber St. (Big Sky)
CCSU* (NEC)
Miss. Valley St.* (SWAC)

*- play-in game

Multi-Bid Conferences
Big East- 8
ACC- 7
Pac-10- 6
Big 12- 5
Big Ten- 5
SEC- 4
MVC- 3
Mt. West- 3
CAA- 2

In
Oklahoma St.

Out
Kansas St.

Also Considered
Alabama, Drexel, Kansas St., Clemson, Michigan, Purdue, Florida St., Bradley, UMass, Georgia, Appalachian St., New Mexico St.