Shawn Siegel's Blog

Here's a look at every game played up until 6 pm on Saturday and how it affects NCAA Tournament Bracketology.

 

Bubble

While getting an 8 or 9 seed as compared to a 10 or 11 seems like an accomplishment, its actually a kiss of death. #1 seeds are usually head and shoulders above the rest of the field, and 8-9 winners get stuck playing them in the 2nd round.

 

While bubble teams were able to breathe easier when Murray St and Creighton won close conference titles, the coast is not entirely clear.

Here's a brief look at the remaining teams most likely to "steal" bids from the bubble hopefuls**.


ACC

Bracketology projections will be coming fast and furious this week. Tennessee enters the field for the first time all season, replacing Arizona, who choked in a loss to Arizona State. UCONN also returns, replacing South Florida. South Florida still has a strong chance to return, while Arizona has been replaced by Oregon as the Pac-12's third most likely team.

 

AP Top 25 Commentary: Gonzaga and Iowa State entered the field this week, with a bevy of teams hot on their trail. For Iowa St, getting into the Top 25 is a substantial accomplishment considering their recent history, and it helps their peaking at the right time. With this new ranking and solid Big 12 record, Iowa St could potentially play their way into a 5 or 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

 

Unless you watch the games on mute or in an extremely loud bar, NCAA Tournament announcers will have a large impact on how you enjoy the games. In fact, by the end of the Tournament (and after watching a whole season of basketball), you'll probably have strong feeling of love or hate towards certain announcing teams.