Selection Sunday is less than two weeks away.
We will be updating the bracket daily during this stretch.
Here is the latest projection of what the field will be on March 11.
* Indicates the team is new to the bracket.
Be sure to check out all the brackets in the Bracket Matrix: http://bracketproject.50webs.com/matrix.htm
1 seeds: Syracuse, Kentucky, Kansas, Michigan St.
Syracuse stands at an impressive 29-1 as they get ready to host #18 Louisville in their regular season finale. The Orange have already secured a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament, and will be placed in the Boston/East region. Kentucky enters the week 28-1 and hosts Georgia, then travels to #13 Florida. The Wildcats have locked up a #1 seed as well. They will head to the Atlanta/Southeast region. Kansas beat Oklahoma St. on Monday night and clinched the outright Big 12 title. They finish up the regular season with a home game against Texas, who is the only team to beat the Jayhawks at home in the last four seasons. Michigan St. was beaten badly at #20 Indiana on Tuesday night, but can still clinch the outright Big 10 title with a win over Ohio St. on Sunday. While most brackets will push Michigan St. down to the #2 line, keep in mind that the committee will most likely reward the regular season champion - from the nation's best conference. Also, the Spartans have played the second most difficult schedule in the nation this year.
2 seeds: Duke, North Carolina, Missouri, Ohio St
Duke survived yet another home loss, by beating Virginia Tech in overtime on Saturday. Tuesday night they beat Wake Forest, now they come home to battle arch rival #6 UNC. North Carolina has a home game against Maryland Wednesday, before traveling to Duke. The ACC's crown will be on the line Saturday, and the winner will keep hopes alive for a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Missouri lost two hard fought games last week to Kansas St. & Kansas, but showed that they will be a dangerous team come tournament time. They host Iowa St on Wednesday then travel to struggling Texas Tech. Ohio St. has began to struggle, losing 3 of 5. They must regroup quickly as this week they have trips to Northwestern, and Michigan St. Buckeyes must split the pair or will likely be looking at a 3 seed come March 11.
3 seeds: Marquette, Georgetown, Michigan, Baylor
Marquette continues their impressive stretch, winning 12 of 13 games and are poised to jump Ohio St and reach the #2 seed line. This week will test the Golden Eagles as they travel to bubble bound Cincinnati, then host #12 Georgetown. If Marquette can win at least 1 of those two games, they will be the #2 seed in the Big East tourney. Georgetown picked up a solid home win over Notre Dame on Monday night 59-41. The win helped them keep pace for a #3 seed not only in the Big East tourney, but in the NCAA tournament as well. Michigan lost their first home game of the season on Saturday to Purdue, and have two road games this week to close out their Big 10 schedule - at struggling Illinois & at Penn St. If Michigan wins both games, they will likely be the #2 seed in the Big 10 tournament next week. Baylor faces Iowa St. on the road in their regular season finale. This will be a key game for the Bears as they try to wrap up third place in the Big 12. A loss would likely put Baylor on the #4 seed line for the big dance.
4 seeds: Wisconsin, Indiana, Vanderbilt, Florida St.
5 seeds: Wichita St, Louisville, Florida, Notre Dame
6 seeds: Temple, New Mexico, Murray St, San Diego St.
7 seeds: UNLV, Gonzaga, St. Marys, Kansas St.
8 seeds: St. Louis, Purdue, Memphis, Iowa St
9 seeds: Seton Hall, Creighton, S. Miss, Washington
10 seeds: Long Beach St, West Virginia, Alabama, Virginia
11 seeds: California, BYU, Texas, Drexel
12 seeds: Cincinnati, Miami (FL), St. Joseph's*, Northwestern/Arizona
13 seeds: South Florida/Colorado St*, Oral Roberts, Middle Tenn, Harvard
14 seeds: Valparaiso, Davidson, Iona, Nevada
15 seeds: Belmont, Bucknell, Montana*, Akron
16 seeds: Norfolk St, Vermont, Miss Valley St/UNC Asheville, Texas Arlington/Wagner
Last Four In: Northwestern, Arizona, South Florida, Colorado St.
First Four Out: UConn, Xavier, Dayton, VCU
Next Four Out: NC State, Miss. St, Oregon, Colorado
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Sunday, February 26, 2012
2/27/12 Bracket
Selection Sunday is only two weeks away.
We will be updating the bracket daily during this stretch.
Here is the latest projection of what the field will be on March 11.
Be sure to check out all the brackets in the Bracket Matrix: http://bracketproject.50webs.com/matrix.htm
1 seeds: Syracuse, Kentucky, Michigan St, Kansas
Syracuse stands at an impressive 29-1 has the get ready to host #18 Louisville in their regular season finale. Kentucky enters the week 28-1 and hosts Georgia then travels to #13 Florida. Michigan St. has already clinched at least a tie for the Big 10 title. The Spartans visit #20 Indiana Tuesday night, then hosts #11 Ohio St Sunday. Kansas beat Oklahoma St. on Monday night and clinched the outright Big 12 title. They finish up the regular season with a home game against Texas, who is the only team to beat them at home in the last four seasons.
2 seeds: Missouri, Duke, North Carolina, Ohio St
Missouri lost two hard fought games last week to Kansas St. & Kansas, but showed that they will be a dangerous team come tournament time. They host Iowa St on Wednesday then travel to a struggling Texas Tech. Duke survived yet another home loss, by beating Virginia Tech in overtime on Saturday. This week they travel to Wake Forest, then come home to battle #6 UNC. North Carolina has a home game against Maryland Wednesday, before traveling to rival Duke. The ACC's crown will be on the line Saturday, and the winner will keep hopes alive for a #1 seed in the tournament. Ohio St. has began to struggle, losing 3 of 5. They muste regroup quickly as this week they have trips to a hungry Northwestern, and Michigan St. Buckeyes must split the pair or will likely be looking at a 3 seed come March 11.
3 seeds: Marquette, Georgetown, Michigan, Baylor
Marquette continues their impressive stretch, winning 12 of 13 games. This week will test the Golden Eagles as they travel to bubble bound Cincinnati, then host #12 Georgetown. If Marquette can win at least 1 of two games, they will be the #2 seed in the Big East tourney. Georgetown picked up a solid home win over Notre Dame on Monday night 59-41. The win helped them keep pace for a #3 seed not only in the Big East tourney, but in the NCAA tournament.
4 seeds: Florida St, Wisconsin, Florida, Notre Dame
5 seeds: Wichita St, Louisville, Vanderbilt, Indiana
6 seeds: Temple, New Mexico, Murray St, San Diego St.
7 seeds: UNLV, Gonzaga, St. Marys, Kansas St.
8 seeds: St. Louis, Purdue, Memphis, Iowa St
9 seeds: Seton Hall, Creighton, S. Miss,Washington
10 seeds: UConn, West Virginia, Virginia, Alabama
11 seeds: California, BYU, Long Beach St, Drexel
12 seeds: Cincinnati, Miami (FL), Texas, Xavier/Northwestern
13 seeds: Arizona/South Florida, Oral Roberts, Middle Tenn, Harvard
14 seeds: Valparaiso, Davidson, Iona, Nevada
15 seeds: Belmont, Bucknell, Weber St, Akron
16 seeds: Norfolk St, Vermont, Miss Valley St/UNC Asheville, Texas Arlington/Wagner
Last Four In: Xavier, Northwestern, Arizona, South Florida
First Four Out: Colorado St, St. Joseph's, NC State, Dayton
Next Four Out: UCF, VCU, Oregon, George Mason
We will be updating the bracket daily during this stretch.
Here is the latest projection of what the field will be on March 11.
Be sure to check out all the brackets in the Bracket Matrix: http://bracketproject.50webs.com/matrix.htm
1 seeds: Syracuse, Kentucky, Michigan St, Kansas
Syracuse stands at an impressive 29-1 has the get ready to host #18 Louisville in their regular season finale. Kentucky enters the week 28-1 and hosts Georgia then travels to #13 Florida. Michigan St. has already clinched at least a tie for the Big 10 title. The Spartans visit #20 Indiana Tuesday night, then hosts #11 Ohio St Sunday. Kansas beat Oklahoma St. on Monday night and clinched the outright Big 12 title. They finish up the regular season with a home game against Texas, who is the only team to beat them at home in the last four seasons.
2 seeds: Missouri, Duke, North Carolina, Ohio St
Missouri lost two hard fought games last week to Kansas St. & Kansas, but showed that they will be a dangerous team come tournament time. They host Iowa St on Wednesday then travel to a struggling Texas Tech. Duke survived yet another home loss, by beating Virginia Tech in overtime on Saturday. This week they travel to Wake Forest, then come home to battle #6 UNC. North Carolina has a home game against Maryland Wednesday, before traveling to rival Duke. The ACC's crown will be on the line Saturday, and the winner will keep hopes alive for a #1 seed in the tournament. Ohio St. has began to struggle, losing 3 of 5. They muste regroup quickly as this week they have trips to a hungry Northwestern, and Michigan St. Buckeyes must split the pair or will likely be looking at a 3 seed come March 11.
3 seeds: Marquette, Georgetown, Michigan, Baylor
Marquette continues their impressive stretch, winning 12 of 13 games. This week will test the Golden Eagles as they travel to bubble bound Cincinnati, then host #12 Georgetown. If Marquette can win at least 1 of two games, they will be the #2 seed in the Big East tourney. Georgetown picked up a solid home win over Notre Dame on Monday night 59-41. The win helped them keep pace for a #3 seed not only in the Big East tourney, but in the NCAA tournament.
4 seeds: Florida St, Wisconsin, Florida, Notre Dame
5 seeds: Wichita St, Louisville, Vanderbilt, Indiana
6 seeds: Temple, New Mexico, Murray St, San Diego St.
7 seeds: UNLV, Gonzaga, St. Marys, Kansas St.
8 seeds: St. Louis, Purdue, Memphis, Iowa St
9 seeds: Seton Hall, Creighton, S. Miss,Washington
10 seeds: UConn, West Virginia, Virginia, Alabama
11 seeds: California, BYU, Long Beach St, Drexel
12 seeds: Cincinnati, Miami (FL), Texas, Xavier/Northwestern
13 seeds: Arizona/South Florida, Oral Roberts, Middle Tenn, Harvard
14 seeds: Valparaiso, Davidson, Iona, Nevada
15 seeds: Belmont, Bucknell, Weber St, Akron
16 seeds: Norfolk St, Vermont, Miss Valley St/UNC Asheville, Texas Arlington/Wagner
Last Four In: Xavier, Northwestern, Arizona, South Florida
First Four Out: Colorado St, St. Joseph's, NC State, Dayton
Next Four Out: UCF, VCU, Oregon, George Mason
Monday, February 20, 2012
2/20/12 Bracket
Selection Sunday is only three weeks away.
Here is the latest projection of what the field will be on March 11.
Our bracket features:
"Why They're In" analysis - Last 4 teams in: S. Florida, Arizona, Miami, St. Joseph's
"Why They're Out" analysis - First 4 teams out: NC State, Alabama, UConn, Colorado St.
(Let us know what you think of our blog via comments)
Be sure to check out all the brackets in the Bracket Matrix: http://bracketproject.50webs.com/matrix.htm
1 seeds: Syracuse, Kentucky, Missouri, Michigan St.
Syracuse had another impressive week, winning two road games at Louisville and at Rutgers. This week they host upstart South Florida, then travel to a desperate UConn team on Saturday. At 27-1 Syracuse is a lock for a 1 seed come Selection Sunday. Kentucky, also a lock for a 1 seed, enters a challenging stretch in their schedule. Tuesday they travel to Miss. St who is need of a marquee win. Then on Saturday Vanderbilt comes to town. Looming is a March 4 trip to Florida. Even though the league is just about wrapped up, look for Kentucky to pick up a loss or two before the end of the regular season. If Missouri is to win the Big 12 and receive a top seed come Selection Sunday, this week will be the week the heavy lifting was done. Up first on Tuesday, Missouri looks for payback against Kansas St. who beat them by 16 earlier in the year on the road. Then the border war game with a Kansas team looking for revenge. Kansas is a perfect 15-0 at home this year, and with Missouri moving to the SEC next year, this game carries with it a lot of bragging rights. Michigan St. had another superb week and sits alone atop the Big 10 standings after beating Wisconsin and Purdue this past week. This week will be the calm before the storm for the Spartans. They travel to Minnesota to face a reeling Gophers team, then host Nebraska. On the horizon, a trip to Indiana and a visit from Ohio St.
2 seeds: Kansas, Ohio St, Duke, North Carolina
Kansas collected a very solid road win at Kansas St. and beat up on a struggling Texas Tech team last week. This week they have somewhat of a trap game visit to Texas A&M Wednesday, before the huge showdown with Missouri. Missouri typically plays a four guard lineup, while Kansas has two of the best big men in the country in Thomas Robinson and improved Jeff Withey. The key to this matchup will be Kansas' patience in feeding the ball inside. Since their first matchup when Missouri held Withey scoreless, he has averaged an outstanding 18ppg. Ohio St. picked up a road split last week, beating Minnesota, but losing to rival Michigan 66-61. Ohio St. has struggled recently from 3-point range and were 3-16 for 18% against Michigan Saturday. The Buckeyes need to get more touches inside with All American Jared Sullinger, and rely less on perimeter shooting. Ohio St. has two home games this week Illinois & Wisconsin. Duke overcame a 20 point deficeit in the second half to beat N.C. State on Thursday night and dismantled an undermatched Boston College team Sunday. This Thursday Duke travels to Florida St in a huge ACC battle. Both teams enter the game with a 10-2 conference record, and the winner will be in the driver's seat. North Carolina picked up two wins last week beating bubble bound Miami and Clemson. This week UNC has two tough road games against two bubble teams in need of signature victories - NC State & Virginia. UNC has struggled on the road at times this year, and may very well end up with a split this week.
3 seeds: Marquette, Georgetown, Michigan, Florida St.
4 seeds: Florida, Notre Dame, Baylor, Wisconsin
5 seeds: Louisville, Wichita St, Vanderbilt, Temple
6 seeds: Indiana, New Mexico, Murray St, San Diego St.
7 seeds: UNLV, Gonzaga, St. Marys, St. Louis
8 seeds: West Virgina, S. Miss, Seton Hall, Kansas St.
9 seeds: Iowa St, Harvard, California, Creighton
10 seeds: BYU, Memphis, Purdue, Virginia
11 seeds: Washington, Cincinnati, Texas, Long Beach St
12 seeds: Northwestern, Xavier, Miss. St, South Florida/Arizona
13 seeds: Miami (FL)/St. Joseph's, Oral Roberts, Middle Tenn, Drexel
14 seeds: Cleveland St, Davidson, Iona, Nevada
15 seeds: Belmont, Bucknell, Weber St, Akron
16 seeds: Norfolk St, Vermont, Miss Valley St/UNC Asheville, Texas Arlington/Wagner
Last Four In: South Florida, Arizona, Miami (FL), St. Joseph's
Why They're In:
South Florida beat Pittsburgh Sunday night get their 10th Big East win of the year. In a year when so many major conference bubble teams will finish 9-9, the Bulls have a realistic shot at 11-7 or 12-8. That win total will likely be enough for their first NCAA tournament selection since 1992. Arizona has three remaining games against inferior competition and will finish the year 13-5 in the Pac12 and 22-9 overall. A win or two in the conference tournament will be crucial for a team that made the elite 8 last year. Miami (FL) continues to sit squarely on the bubble after missing out on a chance last week at home to UNC. This week they travel to Maryland in a must win game, then host Florida St. NC State, Virginia and Miami are all 7-5 in the ACC. Whichever team can break away and finish 4th in the league will be a lock. St. Joseph's has a very sneaky good profile. The question remains whether the Atlantic 10 conference will be strong enough to get 4 teams in the tournament. They sit behind Temple, St. Louis & Xavier in the pecking order. Saturday they host Temple in what is essentially a win or go home game for the Hawks.
First Four Out: N.C. State, Alabama, UConn, Colorado St.
Why They're Out:
N.C. State blew a 20 point lead on the road at Duke on Thursday and followed that up with an uninspired effort at home vs. Florida St. They must regroup quickly because all can be made well if they can beat UNC at home on Tuesday. Alabama is in a free-fall. At 6-6 in the SEC there is no margin for error left. They have a solid computer profile with an RPI of 38, but have lost 6 of their last 9 games. Thursday's game at Arkansas may determine their fate. While most of the media has given up on UConn, history tells us that a team with an RPI of 21 this late in the year has a very good shot to get in the tournament. UConn sits at 6-8 in the Big East so they are going to have to win 3 of 4 to get to the magical .500 mark. On Monday they travel to Villanova and Saturday they host #2 Syracuse. Colorado St. is another team with an outstanding RPI ranking of 36, but their resume is mostly a fraud. Their lone top 75 RPI win was a home win against San Diego St. The committee will need more than that for a selection. The Rams will have a chance to prove their worth as they get a visit from red hot New Mexico on Tuesday night. Saturday they travel to San Diego St. A split is a must.
Next Four Out: VCU, LSU, Dayton, George Mason
Here is the latest projection of what the field will be on March 11.
Our bracket features:
"Why They're In" analysis - Last 4 teams in: S. Florida, Arizona, Miami, St. Joseph's
"Why They're Out" analysis - First 4 teams out: NC State, Alabama, UConn, Colorado St.
(Let us know what you think of our blog via comments)
Be sure to check out all the brackets in the Bracket Matrix: http://bracketproject.50webs.com/matrix.htm
1 seeds: Syracuse, Kentucky, Missouri, Michigan St.
Syracuse had another impressive week, winning two road games at Louisville and at Rutgers. This week they host upstart South Florida, then travel to a desperate UConn team on Saturday. At 27-1 Syracuse is a lock for a 1 seed come Selection Sunday. Kentucky, also a lock for a 1 seed, enters a challenging stretch in their schedule. Tuesday they travel to Miss. St who is need of a marquee win. Then on Saturday Vanderbilt comes to town. Looming is a March 4 trip to Florida. Even though the league is just about wrapped up, look for Kentucky to pick up a loss or two before the end of the regular season. If Missouri is to win the Big 12 and receive a top seed come Selection Sunday, this week will be the week the heavy lifting was done. Up first on Tuesday, Missouri looks for payback against Kansas St. who beat them by 16 earlier in the year on the road. Then the border war game with a Kansas team looking for revenge. Kansas is a perfect 15-0 at home this year, and with Missouri moving to the SEC next year, this game carries with it a lot of bragging rights. Michigan St. had another superb week and sits alone atop the Big 10 standings after beating Wisconsin and Purdue this past week. This week will be the calm before the storm for the Spartans. They travel to Minnesota to face a reeling Gophers team, then host Nebraska. On the horizon, a trip to Indiana and a visit from Ohio St.
2 seeds: Kansas, Ohio St, Duke, North Carolina
Kansas collected a very solid road win at Kansas St. and beat up on a struggling Texas Tech team last week. This week they have somewhat of a trap game visit to Texas A&M Wednesday, before the huge showdown with Missouri. Missouri typically plays a four guard lineup, while Kansas has two of the best big men in the country in Thomas Robinson and improved Jeff Withey. The key to this matchup will be Kansas' patience in feeding the ball inside. Since their first matchup when Missouri held Withey scoreless, he has averaged an outstanding 18ppg. Ohio St. picked up a road split last week, beating Minnesota, but losing to rival Michigan 66-61. Ohio St. has struggled recently from 3-point range and were 3-16 for 18% against Michigan Saturday. The Buckeyes need to get more touches inside with All American Jared Sullinger, and rely less on perimeter shooting. Ohio St. has two home games this week Illinois & Wisconsin. Duke overcame a 20 point deficeit in the second half to beat N.C. State on Thursday night and dismantled an undermatched Boston College team Sunday. This Thursday Duke travels to Florida St in a huge ACC battle. Both teams enter the game with a 10-2 conference record, and the winner will be in the driver's seat. North Carolina picked up two wins last week beating bubble bound Miami and Clemson. This week UNC has two tough road games against two bubble teams in need of signature victories - NC State & Virginia. UNC has struggled on the road at times this year, and may very well end up with a split this week.
3 seeds: Marquette, Georgetown, Michigan, Florida St.
4 seeds: Florida, Notre Dame, Baylor, Wisconsin
5 seeds: Louisville, Wichita St, Vanderbilt, Temple
6 seeds: Indiana, New Mexico, Murray St, San Diego St.
7 seeds: UNLV, Gonzaga, St. Marys, St. Louis
8 seeds: West Virgina, S. Miss, Seton Hall, Kansas St.
9 seeds: Iowa St, Harvard, California, Creighton
10 seeds: BYU, Memphis, Purdue, Virginia
11 seeds: Washington, Cincinnati, Texas, Long Beach St
12 seeds: Northwestern, Xavier, Miss. St, South Florida/Arizona
13 seeds: Miami (FL)/St. Joseph's, Oral Roberts, Middle Tenn, Drexel
14 seeds: Cleveland St, Davidson, Iona, Nevada
15 seeds: Belmont, Bucknell, Weber St, Akron
16 seeds: Norfolk St, Vermont, Miss Valley St/UNC Asheville, Texas Arlington/Wagner
Last Four In: South Florida, Arizona, Miami (FL), St. Joseph's
Why They're In:
South Florida beat Pittsburgh Sunday night get their 10th Big East win of the year. In a year when so many major conference bubble teams will finish 9-9, the Bulls have a realistic shot at 11-7 or 12-8. That win total will likely be enough for their first NCAA tournament selection since 1992. Arizona has three remaining games against inferior competition and will finish the year 13-5 in the Pac12 and 22-9 overall. A win or two in the conference tournament will be crucial for a team that made the elite 8 last year. Miami (FL) continues to sit squarely on the bubble after missing out on a chance last week at home to UNC. This week they travel to Maryland in a must win game, then host Florida St. NC State, Virginia and Miami are all 7-5 in the ACC. Whichever team can break away and finish 4th in the league will be a lock. St. Joseph's has a very sneaky good profile. The question remains whether the Atlantic 10 conference will be strong enough to get 4 teams in the tournament. They sit behind Temple, St. Louis & Xavier in the pecking order. Saturday they host Temple in what is essentially a win or go home game for the Hawks.
First Four Out: N.C. State, Alabama, UConn, Colorado St.
Why They're Out:
N.C. State blew a 20 point lead on the road at Duke on Thursday and followed that up with an uninspired effort at home vs. Florida St. They must regroup quickly because all can be made well if they can beat UNC at home on Tuesday. Alabama is in a free-fall. At 6-6 in the SEC there is no margin for error left. They have a solid computer profile with an RPI of 38, but have lost 6 of their last 9 games. Thursday's game at Arkansas may determine their fate. While most of the media has given up on UConn, history tells us that a team with an RPI of 21 this late in the year has a very good shot to get in the tournament. UConn sits at 6-8 in the Big East so they are going to have to win 3 of 4 to get to the magical .500 mark. On Monday they travel to Villanova and Saturday they host #2 Syracuse. Colorado St. is another team with an outstanding RPI ranking of 36, but their resume is mostly a fraud. Their lone top 75 RPI win was a home win against San Diego St. The committee will need more than that for a selection. The Rams will have a chance to prove their worth as they get a visit from red hot New Mexico on Tuesday night. Saturday they travel to San Diego St. A split is a must.
Next Four Out: VCU, LSU, Dayton, George Mason
Saturday, February 18, 2012
2/18/12 Bracket
Selection Sunday is a little over three weeks away.
Here is the latest projection of what the field will be on March 11.
Our bracket features:
"Why They're In" analysis - Last 4 teams in: Alabama, UConn, Xavier, Miami
"Why They're Out" analysis - First 4 teams out: Illinois, S. Florida, Arizona, St. Joes
Also, we break down each team with a 1 through 4 seed.
(Let us know what you think of our blog via comments)
Be sure to check out all the brackets in the Bracket Matrix: http://bracketproject.50webs.com/matrix.htm
1 seeds: Syracuse, Kentucky, Missouri, Michigan St.
Syracuse had an impressive road win Monday night at Louisville, even though they made one field goal outside of the key. An amazing statistic which shows how dominant they can be defensively. Sunday the Orange visit Rutgers, a place they typically struggle. Kentucky had a dominant win over Florida and a gut check road win at Vanderbilt Saturday. They have only one game this week, home to Ole Miss - remember John Callipari has never lost at home during his time at Kentucky. Missouri got revenge on Oklahoma St this week, and travels to Texas A&M on Saturday. Michigan St. had one of the impressive wins of the season, holding Ohio St to 26% shooting in Columbus last week. Wednesday night they dominated a solid Wisconsin team. Tom Izzo is doing what he always does, preparing his team for a run in March.
2 seeds: Ohio St, Kansas, Duke, North Carolina
Ohio State bounced back from their Michigan St. loss with a solid road win at Minnesota. Saturday night they face rival Michigan. The Wolverines lack size inside, so Sullinger staying out of foul trouble could be the deciding factor. Also, keep an eye on a great matchup of point guards - OSU's Aaron Craft (defensively) & Michigan's Trey Burke (offensively) Kansas pulled out a hard fought win over state rival Kansas St. on Monday. Saturday the Jayhawks have what amounts to a home scrimmage against a struggling Texas Tech team. Duke overcame a 20 point deficeit in the second half to beat N.C. State. Duke has made a habit of great comebacks recently, including one at North Carolina, but one aspect lacking in Duke's overall play is their lack of interior defense. They rank only 81st in the country in total reboudning, and alarming stat for a possible Final Four threat. North Carolina leads the nation in points per game (83.5) and rebounding (46), but is only 56th in field goal percentage at 46%. Their lack of quality shooting from the perimeter is cause for concern when they play perimeter teams such as Duke.
3 seeds: Marquette, Georgetown, Baylor, UNLV
Marquette has won 9 of 10 games, and stands at 10-3 in the Big East. They travel to a very desperate UConn team on Saturday, a win their would set the Golden Eagles up for at least an impressive 13-5 conference record. Georgetown suffered a hard fought loss in OT at Syracuse Wednesday, but definitely won't be penalized for their loss. They face St. Johns and Providence this week, before embarking on a tough season closing stretch. Baylor has a great record (21-4) and a great RPI (7), but they have missed out on signature wins losing both games to Kansas & Missouri. They face two likely tournament teams in Iowa St & Kansas St - both at home this week. UNLV picked up a crucial road win at San Diego St on Saturday. They are a team that is very quietly 22-4 and has solid wins over North Carolina, Illinois, Cal, Nevada, New Mexico & SDSU. A always difficult visit to The Pitt (@ New Mexico) awaits them on Saturday.
4 seeds: Louisville, Michigan, Wisconsin, Notre Dame
Louisville has won 8 of their last 10 games and came up one point short vs. Syracuse on Monday. Michigan picked up a solid win over Illinois on Sunday, and now prepares for a huge Saturday night showdown with Ohio St. Michigan has not lost at home all year and with a win would climb to second place in the Big 10. Wisconsin was dominated by Michigan St. on Wednesday, but have a chance to get back on track against struggling Penn St. on Sunday. A very favorable schedule the rest of the way will have Wisconsin no worse than a four seed come Selection Sunday. Notre Dame continues to be one of the hottest teams in the country, and the fact that they weren't ranked last week shows how flawed the polls really are. In the last four weeks they have beaten: Syracuse, Seton Hall, Marquette & West Virginia. Early season struggles are forgiven after that stretch.
5 seeds: Florida St, Indiana,Vanderbilt, Florida
6 seeds: Temple, San Diego St, New Mexico, Wichita St.
7 seeds: Gonzaga, St. Marys, S. Miss, Memphis
8 seeds: West Virgina, Virginia, St. Louis, Murray St.
9 seeds: Seton Hall, Miss. St, Iowa St, BYU
10 seeds: California, Harvard, Purdue, N.C. State
11 seeds: Texas, Creighton, Washington, Kansas St.
12 seeds: Northwestern, Cincinnati, Alabama/UConn, Xavier/Miami (FL)
13 seeds: Middle Tenn, VCU, Long Beach St, Oral Roberts
14 seeds: Cleveland St, Davidson, Loyola (MD), Nevada
15 seeds: Belmont, Bucknell, Weber St, Akron
16 seeds: Norfolk St, Vermont, Miss Valley St/UNC Asheville, Texas Arlington/Wagner
Last Four In: Alabama, UConn, Xavier, Miami (FL)
Why they are in:
Alabama sat three of its best players for disciplinary reasons in a losses @ LSU and Florida but they should be back soon to provide much needed help. The Tide are in the bracket because of their solid wins agains Wichita St, Purdue, VCU & Arkansas, as well as a strong RPI of 39. UConn is another team with a very strong RPI 21, which is something weighed heavily by the selection committee. Their 6-7 Big East conference record has them squarely on the bubble, but their wins over Fla. St, Arkansas, Harvard, South Florida, Seton Hall, West Virginia & Notre Dame are too good to keep out of the bracket. Xavier sits at 7-4 in the A-10, but has a manageable closing stretch. They have a lot of work still left to do, but their resume does contain solid wins over Vanderbilt, Purdue & Cincinnati. Miami (FL) will continue to hang its hat on their huge road win against Duke. Their RPI of 45 positions them nicely, as long as they can finish 9-7 in the ACC. They missed on a big chance to solidify a spot when they lost to North Carolina at home Wednesday night.
First Four Out: Illinois, South Florida, Arizona, St. Joseph's
Why they are out:
Illinois is 5-8 in the Big 10 and will need to scrap out at least 9-9 to have a shot. They have a decent RPI of 56 and a wins over Mich. St & Ohio St, but ultimately will need to get to .500 in the league to get in. South Florida is 1-6 against top 50 RPI teams, and with this lack of quality wins they will need to get to 11-7 in the Big East and hope that is good enough. Arizona is playing their best basketball of the year, winning five in a row, including a big road win at conference leader Cal. If they get to 12-6 or 13-5 in the Pac12, the committee will most likely vote them in. This is a team that has a very good chance to be playing in Dayton at the First Four. St. Joseph's is a team that is quietly putting together a solid year. An RPI of 50 and wins over Creighton & Dayton will keep them on the bubble. Their Feb. 25 home date with Temple will likely decide their tournament fate.
Next Four Out: Minnesota, Ole Miss, Dayton, Colorado St
Here is the latest projection of what the field will be on March 11.
Our bracket features:
"Why They're In" analysis - Last 4 teams in: Alabama, UConn, Xavier, Miami
"Why They're Out" analysis - First 4 teams out: Illinois, S. Florida, Arizona, St. Joes
Also, we break down each team with a 1 through 4 seed.
(Let us know what you think of our blog via comments)
Be sure to check out all the brackets in the Bracket Matrix: http://bracketproject.50webs.com/matrix.htm
1 seeds: Syracuse, Kentucky, Missouri, Michigan St.
Syracuse had an impressive road win Monday night at Louisville, even though they made one field goal outside of the key. An amazing statistic which shows how dominant they can be defensively. Sunday the Orange visit Rutgers, a place they typically struggle. Kentucky had a dominant win over Florida and a gut check road win at Vanderbilt Saturday. They have only one game this week, home to Ole Miss - remember John Callipari has never lost at home during his time at Kentucky. Missouri got revenge on Oklahoma St this week, and travels to Texas A&M on Saturday. Michigan St. had one of the impressive wins of the season, holding Ohio St to 26% shooting in Columbus last week. Wednesday night they dominated a solid Wisconsin team. Tom Izzo is doing what he always does, preparing his team for a run in March.
2 seeds: Ohio St, Kansas, Duke, North Carolina
Ohio State bounced back from their Michigan St. loss with a solid road win at Minnesota. Saturday night they face rival Michigan. The Wolverines lack size inside, so Sullinger staying out of foul trouble could be the deciding factor. Also, keep an eye on a great matchup of point guards - OSU's Aaron Craft (defensively) & Michigan's Trey Burke (offensively) Kansas pulled out a hard fought win over state rival Kansas St. on Monday. Saturday the Jayhawks have what amounts to a home scrimmage against a struggling Texas Tech team. Duke overcame a 20 point deficeit in the second half to beat N.C. State. Duke has made a habit of great comebacks recently, including one at North Carolina, but one aspect lacking in Duke's overall play is their lack of interior defense. They rank only 81st in the country in total reboudning, and alarming stat for a possible Final Four threat. North Carolina leads the nation in points per game (83.5) and rebounding (46), but is only 56th in field goal percentage at 46%. Their lack of quality shooting from the perimeter is cause for concern when they play perimeter teams such as Duke.
3 seeds: Marquette, Georgetown, Baylor, UNLV
Marquette has won 9 of 10 games, and stands at 10-3 in the Big East. They travel to a very desperate UConn team on Saturday, a win their would set the Golden Eagles up for at least an impressive 13-5 conference record. Georgetown suffered a hard fought loss in OT at Syracuse Wednesday, but definitely won't be penalized for their loss. They face St. Johns and Providence this week, before embarking on a tough season closing stretch. Baylor has a great record (21-4) and a great RPI (7), but they have missed out on signature wins losing both games to Kansas & Missouri. They face two likely tournament teams in Iowa St & Kansas St - both at home this week. UNLV picked up a crucial road win at San Diego St on Saturday. They are a team that is very quietly 22-4 and has solid wins over North Carolina, Illinois, Cal, Nevada, New Mexico & SDSU. A always difficult visit to The Pitt (@ New Mexico) awaits them on Saturday.
4 seeds: Louisville, Michigan, Wisconsin, Notre Dame
Louisville has won 8 of their last 10 games and came up one point short vs. Syracuse on Monday. Michigan picked up a solid win over Illinois on Sunday, and now prepares for a huge Saturday night showdown with Ohio St. Michigan has not lost at home all year and with a win would climb to second place in the Big 10. Wisconsin was dominated by Michigan St. on Wednesday, but have a chance to get back on track against struggling Penn St. on Sunday. A very favorable schedule the rest of the way will have Wisconsin no worse than a four seed come Selection Sunday. Notre Dame continues to be one of the hottest teams in the country, and the fact that they weren't ranked last week shows how flawed the polls really are. In the last four weeks they have beaten: Syracuse, Seton Hall, Marquette & West Virginia. Early season struggles are forgiven after that stretch.
5 seeds: Florida St, Indiana,Vanderbilt, Florida
6 seeds: Temple, San Diego St, New Mexico, Wichita St.
7 seeds: Gonzaga, St. Marys, S. Miss, Memphis
8 seeds: West Virgina, Virginia, St. Louis, Murray St.
9 seeds: Seton Hall, Miss. St, Iowa St, BYU
10 seeds: California, Harvard, Purdue, N.C. State
11 seeds: Texas, Creighton, Washington, Kansas St.
12 seeds: Northwestern, Cincinnati, Alabama/UConn, Xavier/Miami (FL)
13 seeds: Middle Tenn, VCU, Long Beach St, Oral Roberts
14 seeds: Cleveland St, Davidson, Loyola (MD), Nevada
15 seeds: Belmont, Bucknell, Weber St, Akron
16 seeds: Norfolk St, Vermont, Miss Valley St/UNC Asheville, Texas Arlington/Wagner
Last Four In: Alabama, UConn, Xavier, Miami (FL)
Why they are in:
Alabama sat three of its best players for disciplinary reasons in a losses @ LSU and Florida but they should be back soon to provide much needed help. The Tide are in the bracket because of their solid wins agains Wichita St, Purdue, VCU & Arkansas, as well as a strong RPI of 39. UConn is another team with a very strong RPI 21, which is something weighed heavily by the selection committee. Their 6-7 Big East conference record has them squarely on the bubble, but their wins over Fla. St, Arkansas, Harvard, South Florida, Seton Hall, West Virginia & Notre Dame are too good to keep out of the bracket. Xavier sits at 7-4 in the A-10, but has a manageable closing stretch. They have a lot of work still left to do, but their resume does contain solid wins over Vanderbilt, Purdue & Cincinnati. Miami (FL) will continue to hang its hat on their huge road win against Duke. Their RPI of 45 positions them nicely, as long as they can finish 9-7 in the ACC. They missed on a big chance to solidify a spot when they lost to North Carolina at home Wednesday night.
First Four Out: Illinois, South Florida, Arizona, St. Joseph's
Why they are out:
Illinois is 5-8 in the Big 10 and will need to scrap out at least 9-9 to have a shot. They have a decent RPI of 56 and a wins over Mich. St & Ohio St, but ultimately will need to get to .500 in the league to get in. South Florida is 1-6 against top 50 RPI teams, and with this lack of quality wins they will need to get to 11-7 in the Big East and hope that is good enough. Arizona is playing their best basketball of the year, winning five in a row, including a big road win at conference leader Cal. If they get to 12-6 or 13-5 in the Pac12, the committee will most likely vote them in. This is a team that has a very good chance to be playing in Dayton at the First Four. St. Joseph's is a team that is quietly putting together a solid year. An RPI of 50 and wins over Creighton & Dayton will keep them on the bubble. Their Feb. 25 home date with Temple will likely decide their tournament fate.
Next Four Out: Minnesota, Ole Miss, Dayton, Colorado St
Monday, February 13, 2012
2/13/12 Bracket
Selection Sunday is four weeks away.
Here is the latest projection of what the field will be on March 11.
Our bracket features:
"Why They're In" analysis for the Last 4 teams in: Alabama, UConn, Xavier, Miami
"Why They're Out" analysis for the Last 4 teams out: Northwestern, South Florida, Arkansas, Colorado St
Also, we break down each team with a 1 through 4 seed.
(Let us know what you think of our blog via comments)
Be sure to check out all the brackets in the Bracket Matrix: http://bracketproject.50webs.com/matrix.htm
1 seeds: Syracuse, Kentucky, Missouri, Michigan St.
Syracuse had another very impressive week beating rival Georgetown in an overtime thriller, then handling UConn at home on Saturday before over 33,430 fans. They now face a red-hot Louisville team on the road Monday night. Sunday the Orange visit Rutgers, a place they typically struggle. Kentucky had a dominant win over Florida and a gut check road win at Vanderbilt Saturday. They have only one game this week, home to Ole Miss - remember John Callipari has never lost at home during his time at Kentucky. Missouri survived a road trap game at Oklahoma on Monday and buried Baylor over the weekend. Their route of Baylor was suprising considering 3 of Missouri's last 4 wins have been by 3 points or less. Michigan St. had one of the impressive wins of the season, holding Ohio St to 26% shooting in Columbus. They ended the Buckeyes 39 games home win streak, but they must re-focus quickly with Wisconsin coming to town on Thursday.
2 seeds: Ohio St, Kansas, Duke, North Carolina
Ohio State lost their first home game since Feb 17, 2010 nearly two years ago. They were only 2-15 (13%) from 3pt range against Michigan St, and shoot a below average of 33% from 3pt range for the year. While Jared Sullinger gets the headlines, their tournament fate will be determined by the outside shooting of William Buford & Deshaun Thomas. Kansas rebounded nicely from last weeks tough loss at Missouri, and beat Baylor on the road, then dominated Ok. St. Monday night they visit the Octagon of Doom (@ K-State) in what should be an all out battle. Duke overcame a 12 point deficeit with just under three minutes to go at North Carolina on Wednesday. Austin Rivers' buzzer beater three-pointer moved Duke into a tie for the ACC lead, and a very manageable schedule the rest of the way has Duke back at the 2 seed line. North Carolina leads the nation in points per game (83.5) and rebounding (46), but is only 56th in field goal percentage at 46%. Their lack of quality shooting from the perimeter is cause for concern when they play perimeter teams such as Duke.
3 seeds: Marquette, Georgetown, Baylor, UNLV
Marquette has won 9 of 10 games, and stands at 10-3 in the Big East. They travel to a very desperate UConn team on Saturday, a win their would set the Golden Eagles up for at least an impressive 13-5 conference record. Georgetown suffered a hard fought loss in OT at Syracuse Wednesday, but definitely won't be penalized for their loss. They face St. Johns and Providence this week, before embarking on a tough season closing stretch. Baylor has a great record (21-4) and a great RPI (7), but they have missed out on signature wins losing both games to Kansas & Missouri. They face two likely tournament teams in Iowa St & Kansas St - both at home this week. UNLV picked up a crucial road win at San Diego St on Saturday. They are a team that is very quietly 22-4 and has solid wins over North Carolina, Illinois, Cal, Nevada, New Mexico & SDSU. A always difficult visit to The Pitt (@ New Mexico) awaits them on Saturday.
4 seeds: Louisville, Michigan, Wisconsin, Notre Dame
Louisville enters Monday's big matchup against #2 Syracuse winning 8 of their last 9 games. The Cardinals have beat Syracuse their last four trips to Louisville. The Orange must beware. Michigan picked up a solid win over Illinois on Sunday, and now prepares for a huge Saturday night showdown with Ohio St. Michigan has not lost at home all year and with a win would climb to second place in the Big 10. Wisconsin outlasted Minnesota in OT on the road last week, and now prepares for a tough battle in against Michigan St. Thursday. At 8-4 in the Big 10, if Wisconsin has any hope to win the league, they must beat the Spartans. Notre Dame continues to be one of the hottest teams in the country, and the fact that they weren't ranked last week shows how flawed the polls really are. In the last four weeks they have beaten: Syracuse, Seton Hall, Marquette & West Virginia. Early season struggles are forgiven after that stretch.
5 seeds: Florida St, Indiana, Vanderbilt, Florida
6 seeds: Temple, San Diego St, Iowa St, Wichita St.
7 seeds: Gonzaga, St. Marys, S. Miss, Memphis
8 seeds: Miss. St, Virginia, California, Murray St.
9 seeds: St. Louis, N.C. State, New Mexico, Kansas St
10 seeds: BYU, Harvard, Seton Hall, West Virginia
11 seeds: Purdue, Creighton, Washington, Illinois
12 seeds: Texas, Minnesota, Alabama/UConn, Xavier/Miami (FL)
13 seeds: Middle Tenn, VCU, Long Beach St, Oral Roberts
14 seeds: Cleveland St, Davidson, Loyola (MD), Nevada
15 seeds: Belmont, Bucknell, Weber St, Akron
16 seeds: Norfolk St, Vermont, Miss Valley St/UNC Asheville, Texas Arlington/Wagner
Last Four In: Alabama, UConn, Xavier, Miami (FL)
Why they are in:
Alabama sat three of its best players for disciplinary reasons in a loss @ LSU, but they should be back for their big matchup with Florida on Tuesday. The Tide are in the bracket because of their solid wins agains Wichita St, Purdue, VCU & Arkansas, as well as a strong RPI of 32. UConn is another team with a very strong RPI 21, which is something weighed heavily by the selection committee. Their 5-7 Big East conference record has them squarely on the bubble, but their wins over Fla. St, Arkansas, Harvard, South Florida, Seton Hall, West Virginia & Notre Dame are too good to keep out of the bracket. Xavier sits at 7-4 in the A-10, but has a manageable closing stretch. They have a lot of work still left to do, but their resume does contain solid wins over Vanderbilt, Purdue & Cincinnati. Miami (FL) will continue to hang its hat on their huge road win against Duke. Their RPI of 37 positions them nicely, as long as they can finish 9-7 in the ACC. They have a big opportunity to solidify their spot in the dance when UNC comes to town Wednesday.
First Four Out: Northwestern, South Florida, Arkansas, Colorado St
Why they are out:
Northwestern is 5-7 in the Big 10 and will need to scrap out at least 9-9 to have a shot. They have a strong RPI of 37 and a win over Mich. St, but ultimately will need to get to .500 in the league to get in. South Florida is 1-6 against top 50 RPI teams, and with this lack of quality wins they will need to get to 11-7 in the Big East and hope that is good enough. Arkansas has solid home wins over Miss. St, Michigan, & Vanderbilt, but has been absolutely brutal on the road. They currently don't have any road wins, including losses at LSU & Georgia. Upcoming road trips to Tenn & Auburn are now must wins. Colorado St. has a very good RPI of 30, but only truly has one win over a tournament team - San Diego St. They will be a tough call for the committee, because they will likely finish fourth in the eight team Mountain West. With home games against Wyoming, New Mexico & UNLV remaining, the Rams control their own destiny.
Next Four Out: Cincinnati, St. Joseph's, Wyoming, Arizona
Here is the latest projection of what the field will be on March 11.
Our bracket features:
"Why They're In" analysis for the Last 4 teams in: Alabama, UConn, Xavier, Miami
"Why They're Out" analysis for the Last 4 teams out: Northwestern, South Florida, Arkansas, Colorado St
Also, we break down each team with a 1 through 4 seed.
(Let us know what you think of our blog via comments)
Be sure to check out all the brackets in the Bracket Matrix: http://bracketproject.50webs.com/matrix.htm
1 seeds: Syracuse, Kentucky, Missouri, Michigan St.
Syracuse had another very impressive week beating rival Georgetown in an overtime thriller, then handling UConn at home on Saturday before over 33,430 fans. They now face a red-hot Louisville team on the road Monday night. Sunday the Orange visit Rutgers, a place they typically struggle. Kentucky had a dominant win over Florida and a gut check road win at Vanderbilt Saturday. They have only one game this week, home to Ole Miss - remember John Callipari has never lost at home during his time at Kentucky. Missouri survived a road trap game at Oklahoma on Monday and buried Baylor over the weekend. Their route of Baylor was suprising considering 3 of Missouri's last 4 wins have been by 3 points or less. Michigan St. had one of the impressive wins of the season, holding Ohio St to 26% shooting in Columbus. They ended the Buckeyes 39 games home win streak, but they must re-focus quickly with Wisconsin coming to town on Thursday.
2 seeds: Ohio St, Kansas, Duke, North Carolina
Ohio State lost their first home game since Feb 17, 2010 nearly two years ago. They were only 2-15 (13%) from 3pt range against Michigan St, and shoot a below average of 33% from 3pt range for the year. While Jared Sullinger gets the headlines, their tournament fate will be determined by the outside shooting of William Buford & Deshaun Thomas. Kansas rebounded nicely from last weeks tough loss at Missouri, and beat Baylor on the road, then dominated Ok. St. Monday night they visit the Octagon of Doom (@ K-State) in what should be an all out battle. Duke overcame a 12 point deficeit with just under three minutes to go at North Carolina on Wednesday. Austin Rivers' buzzer beater three-pointer moved Duke into a tie for the ACC lead, and a very manageable schedule the rest of the way has Duke back at the 2 seed line. North Carolina leads the nation in points per game (83.5) and rebounding (46), but is only 56th in field goal percentage at 46%. Their lack of quality shooting from the perimeter is cause for concern when they play perimeter teams such as Duke.
3 seeds: Marquette, Georgetown, Baylor, UNLV
Marquette has won 9 of 10 games, and stands at 10-3 in the Big East. They travel to a very desperate UConn team on Saturday, a win their would set the Golden Eagles up for at least an impressive 13-5 conference record. Georgetown suffered a hard fought loss in OT at Syracuse Wednesday, but definitely won't be penalized for their loss. They face St. Johns and Providence this week, before embarking on a tough season closing stretch. Baylor has a great record (21-4) and a great RPI (7), but they have missed out on signature wins losing both games to Kansas & Missouri. They face two likely tournament teams in Iowa St & Kansas St - both at home this week. UNLV picked up a crucial road win at San Diego St on Saturday. They are a team that is very quietly 22-4 and has solid wins over North Carolina, Illinois, Cal, Nevada, New Mexico & SDSU. A always difficult visit to The Pitt (@ New Mexico) awaits them on Saturday.
4 seeds: Louisville, Michigan, Wisconsin, Notre Dame
Louisville enters Monday's big matchup against #2 Syracuse winning 8 of their last 9 games. The Cardinals have beat Syracuse their last four trips to Louisville. The Orange must beware. Michigan picked up a solid win over Illinois on Sunday, and now prepares for a huge Saturday night showdown with Ohio St. Michigan has not lost at home all year and with a win would climb to second place in the Big 10. Wisconsin outlasted Minnesota in OT on the road last week, and now prepares for a tough battle in against Michigan St. Thursday. At 8-4 in the Big 10, if Wisconsin has any hope to win the league, they must beat the Spartans. Notre Dame continues to be one of the hottest teams in the country, and the fact that they weren't ranked last week shows how flawed the polls really are. In the last four weeks they have beaten: Syracuse, Seton Hall, Marquette & West Virginia. Early season struggles are forgiven after that stretch.
5 seeds: Florida St, Indiana, Vanderbilt, Florida
6 seeds: Temple, San Diego St, Iowa St, Wichita St.
7 seeds: Gonzaga, St. Marys, S. Miss, Memphis
8 seeds: Miss. St, Virginia, California, Murray St.
9 seeds: St. Louis, N.C. State, New Mexico, Kansas St
10 seeds: BYU, Harvard, Seton Hall, West Virginia
11 seeds: Purdue, Creighton, Washington, Illinois
12 seeds: Texas, Minnesota, Alabama/UConn, Xavier/Miami (FL)
13 seeds: Middle Tenn, VCU, Long Beach St, Oral Roberts
14 seeds: Cleveland St, Davidson, Loyola (MD), Nevada
15 seeds: Belmont, Bucknell, Weber St, Akron
16 seeds: Norfolk St, Vermont, Miss Valley St/UNC Asheville, Texas Arlington/Wagner
Last Four In: Alabama, UConn, Xavier, Miami (FL)
Why they are in:
Alabama sat three of its best players for disciplinary reasons in a loss @ LSU, but they should be back for their big matchup with Florida on Tuesday. The Tide are in the bracket because of their solid wins agains Wichita St, Purdue, VCU & Arkansas, as well as a strong RPI of 32. UConn is another team with a very strong RPI 21, which is something weighed heavily by the selection committee. Their 5-7 Big East conference record has them squarely on the bubble, but their wins over Fla. St, Arkansas, Harvard, South Florida, Seton Hall, West Virginia & Notre Dame are too good to keep out of the bracket. Xavier sits at 7-4 in the A-10, but has a manageable closing stretch. They have a lot of work still left to do, but their resume does contain solid wins over Vanderbilt, Purdue & Cincinnati. Miami (FL) will continue to hang its hat on their huge road win against Duke. Their RPI of 37 positions them nicely, as long as they can finish 9-7 in the ACC. They have a big opportunity to solidify their spot in the dance when UNC comes to town Wednesday.
First Four Out: Northwestern, South Florida, Arkansas, Colorado St
Why they are out:
Northwestern is 5-7 in the Big 10 and will need to scrap out at least 9-9 to have a shot. They have a strong RPI of 37 and a win over Mich. St, but ultimately will need to get to .500 in the league to get in. South Florida is 1-6 against top 50 RPI teams, and with this lack of quality wins they will need to get to 11-7 in the Big East and hope that is good enough. Arkansas has solid home wins over Miss. St, Michigan, & Vanderbilt, but has been absolutely brutal on the road. They currently don't have any road wins, including losses at LSU & Georgia. Upcoming road trips to Tenn & Auburn are now must wins. Colorado St. has a very good RPI of 30, but only truly has one win over a tournament team - San Diego St. They will be a tough call for the committee, because they will likely finish fourth in the eight team Mountain West. With home games against Wyoming, New Mexico & UNLV remaining, the Rams control their own destiny.
Next Four Out: Cincinnati, St. Joseph's, Wyoming, Arizona
Monday, February 6, 2012
2/6/12 Bracket
Selection Sunday is five weeks away.
Here is the latest projection of what the field will be on March 11.
New to the blog this week: "Why They're In" analysis for the Last 4 teams in: NC State, Ole Miss, Pittsburgh & St. Joseph's. As usual, we break down each team with a 1 through 4 seed.
Be sure to check out all the brackets in the Bracket Matrix: http://bracketproject.50webs.com/matrix.htm
1 seeds: Syracuse, Kentucky, Ohio St, Missouri
Syracuse crushed St. Johns at Madison Square Garden on Saturday in a warm-up for two big home games against Georgetown & UConn this week. Kentucky continues to dominate lower-tier SEC teams, but their schedule gets considerably tougher as Florida comes to Rupp, and the Cats travel to Vandy Saturday. Upset pick of the week: Look for Vandy to pull off the upset. Ohio St. picked up a very solid road win at Wisconsin on Saturday, a place where they hadn't won since 2000. Missouri beat Kansas in an emotional thriller on Saturday night, but better not look past Oklahoma in Norman on Monday.
2 seeds: North Carolina, Kansas, Michigan St, Baylor
North Carolina picked up two road wins against Wake & Maryland last week. This week they welcome Duke & Virginia to Chapel Hill. Kansas battled Missouri down to the wire Saturday night, but does not have time to sulk because they face Baylor on the road Wednesday. Michigan St. improved to 7-3 in the Big 10, and will travel to Ohio St. on Saturday night in a huge conference battle. Baylor quietly picked up two road wins this week at Texas A&M and Ok. St. Next week will go a long way to determine their seeding as they welcome Kansas to town, then travel to Missouri.
3 seeds: Duke, Florida, UNLV, Florida St
While it may seem odd, Duke is simply not deserving of anything better than a 3 seed. They haven't beat a team in the top 35 of the RPI since the first week of December and historically teams that earn 1 & 2 seeds in March don't lose at home twice during conference play very often. Florida has won 7 in a row, but will now face the meat of their SEC schedule, starting with a trip to Kentucky on Tuesday. UNLV lost at the buzzer to Wyoming on Saturday, but will get a chance to bounce back when San Diego St comes to town this week. As I've said before, their neutral court win over North Carolina will keep them in the hunt for a very impressive seed. Florida St. is one of the hottest teams in the country winning 7 in a row, beating North Carolina & Duke. This week they travel to BC, then face the suddenly on the bubble Miami (FL) team.
4 seeds: St. Mary's, Marquette, Wisconsin, Vanderbilt
St. Mary's is 11-0 in an underrated West Coast Conference. The Gaels will really have a chance to improve their seeding with a game at Gonzaga on Feb. 9 and a Bracketbusters trip to undefeated Murray St on Feb 18. Marquette was taken behind the wood shed by a hot Notre Dame team on Saturday, but still has an 8-3 Big East record, and a very manageable schedule the rest of the way. Wisconsin continues to be very stingy on defense, but is really struggling offensively of late. The Badgers are shooting only 22% from three point land in their last three games - not a good sign for a team that relies heavily on perimeter shooting. Vanderbilt had a two loss week, but will have a chance to bounce back when they welcome Kentucky to town Saturday night. This will be the type of game that can affect their seeding by 2-3 spots come March.
5 seeds: Creighton, Georgetown, Michigan, Murray St.
6 seeds: West Virginia, Indiana, Notre Dame, San Diego St
7 seeds: Iowa St, Wichita St, Temple, Miss. St
8 seeds: Louisville, Virginia, Harvard, Washington
9 seeds: Kansas St, Illinois, UConn, Alabama
10 seeds: California, Gonzaga, S. Miss, New Mexico
11 seeds: Memphis, Colorado St, Purdue, BYU
12 seeds: Oral Roberts, Minnesota, St. Louis, Davidson
13 seeds: NC State/Ole Miss, Pittsburgh/St. Joseph's, Middle Tenn, VCU
14 seeds: Cleveland St, Iona, Long Beach St, Nevada
15 seeds: Belmont, Bucknell, Weber St, Ohio
16 seeds: Norfolk St, Vermont, Southern Univ/Coastal Carolina, Lamar/Wagner
Last Four In: NC State, Ole Miss, Pittsburgh, St. Joseph's
Why they are in:
NC State has wins over fellow bubble teams Texas & Miami (FL) which have them in for now, but they have plenty of work to do. Ole Miss also has wins over bubble teams Miami (FL), Arkansas & Miss. St, but will need to get a marquee win down the stretch to remain in the field. Pittsburgh is probably the toughest team in the country to seed. They started out 0-7 in the Big East, but then star point guard Tray Woodall returned from injury and Pitt has beat WVU & Georgetown in the past week. With Woodall in the lineup the Panthers are 9-2 and a tournament team. St. Joseph's has a very solid RPI of 45 & SOS of 28, which includes wins over Creighton, Dayton, Villanova & Drexel
First Four Out: Miami (FL), Wyoming, Xavier, Arkansas
Next Four Out: Northwestern, Seton Hall, UMass, Texas,
Here is the latest projection of what the field will be on March 11.
New to the blog this week: "Why They're In" analysis for the Last 4 teams in: NC State, Ole Miss, Pittsburgh & St. Joseph's. As usual, we break down each team with a 1 through 4 seed.
Be sure to check out all the brackets in the Bracket Matrix: http://bracketproject.50webs.com/matrix.htm
1 seeds: Syracuse, Kentucky, Ohio St, Missouri
Syracuse crushed St. Johns at Madison Square Garden on Saturday in a warm-up for two big home games against Georgetown & UConn this week. Kentucky continues to dominate lower-tier SEC teams, but their schedule gets considerably tougher as Florida comes to Rupp, and the Cats travel to Vandy Saturday. Upset pick of the week: Look for Vandy to pull off the upset. Ohio St. picked up a very solid road win at Wisconsin on Saturday, a place where they hadn't won since 2000. Missouri beat Kansas in an emotional thriller on Saturday night, but better not look past Oklahoma in Norman on Monday.
2 seeds: North Carolina, Kansas, Michigan St, Baylor
North Carolina picked up two road wins against Wake & Maryland last week. This week they welcome Duke & Virginia to Chapel Hill. Kansas battled Missouri down to the wire Saturday night, but does not have time to sulk because they face Baylor on the road Wednesday. Michigan St. improved to 7-3 in the Big 10, and will travel to Ohio St. on Saturday night in a huge conference battle. Baylor quietly picked up two road wins this week at Texas A&M and Ok. St. Next week will go a long way to determine their seeding as they welcome Kansas to town, then travel to Missouri.
3 seeds: Duke, Florida, UNLV, Florida St
While it may seem odd, Duke is simply not deserving of anything better than a 3 seed. They haven't beat a team in the top 35 of the RPI since the first week of December and historically teams that earn 1 & 2 seeds in March don't lose at home twice during conference play very often. Florida has won 7 in a row, but will now face the meat of their SEC schedule, starting with a trip to Kentucky on Tuesday. UNLV lost at the buzzer to Wyoming on Saturday, but will get a chance to bounce back when San Diego St comes to town this week. As I've said before, their neutral court win over North Carolina will keep them in the hunt for a very impressive seed. Florida St. is one of the hottest teams in the country winning 7 in a row, beating North Carolina & Duke. This week they travel to BC, then face the suddenly on the bubble Miami (FL) team.
4 seeds: St. Mary's, Marquette, Wisconsin, Vanderbilt
St. Mary's is 11-0 in an underrated West Coast Conference. The Gaels will really have a chance to improve their seeding with a game at Gonzaga on Feb. 9 and a Bracketbusters trip to undefeated Murray St on Feb 18. Marquette was taken behind the wood shed by a hot Notre Dame team on Saturday, but still has an 8-3 Big East record, and a very manageable schedule the rest of the way. Wisconsin continues to be very stingy on defense, but is really struggling offensively of late. The Badgers are shooting only 22% from three point land in their last three games - not a good sign for a team that relies heavily on perimeter shooting. Vanderbilt had a two loss week, but will have a chance to bounce back when they welcome Kentucky to town Saturday night. This will be the type of game that can affect their seeding by 2-3 spots come March.
5 seeds: Creighton, Georgetown, Michigan, Murray St.
6 seeds: West Virginia, Indiana, Notre Dame, San Diego St
7 seeds: Iowa St, Wichita St, Temple, Miss. St
8 seeds: Louisville, Virginia, Harvard, Washington
9 seeds: Kansas St, Illinois, UConn, Alabama
10 seeds: California, Gonzaga, S. Miss, New Mexico
11 seeds: Memphis, Colorado St, Purdue, BYU
12 seeds: Oral Roberts, Minnesota, St. Louis, Davidson
13 seeds: NC State/Ole Miss, Pittsburgh/St. Joseph's, Middle Tenn, VCU
14 seeds: Cleveland St, Iona, Long Beach St, Nevada
15 seeds: Belmont, Bucknell, Weber St, Ohio
16 seeds: Norfolk St, Vermont, Southern Univ/Coastal Carolina, Lamar/Wagner
Last Four In: NC State, Ole Miss, Pittsburgh, St. Joseph's
Why they are in:
NC State has wins over fellow bubble teams Texas & Miami (FL) which have them in for now, but they have plenty of work to do. Ole Miss also has wins over bubble teams Miami (FL), Arkansas & Miss. St, but will need to get a marquee win down the stretch to remain in the field. Pittsburgh is probably the toughest team in the country to seed. They started out 0-7 in the Big East, but then star point guard Tray Woodall returned from injury and Pitt has beat WVU & Georgetown in the past week. With Woodall in the lineup the Panthers are 9-2 and a tournament team. St. Joseph's has a very solid RPI of 45 & SOS of 28, which includes wins over Creighton, Dayton, Villanova & Drexel
First Four Out: Miami (FL), Wyoming, Xavier, Arkansas
Next Four Out: Northwestern, Seton Hall, UMass, Texas,
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