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The Bracketology field is based on how the tourney looks "as of this moment." The field below is not based on who I think deserves to be in, but a prediction of what the committee would do as things stand. Beginning this week, I'll be posting Bracketology updates every Tuesday & Friday. In late February, I release Bracketology updates daily as the season approaches crunch time.
Why should you care what I have to say? In 2007 & 2008, I was considered to have one of the Top 2 or 3 brackets amongst 53 national experts including Joe Lunardi, Gary Parrish and the like. (Admittedly my 2009 final bracket was rather weak.. not sure what happened. Can't win 'em all.)
Notes:
Arrows indicate movement by seed. Green indicates new to the field this week. Conference champions are not my end of season predictions, but current leaders. (Ties atop conference standings go to the higher RPI team).
ONE
Kansas**
Syracuse**
Kentucky**
TWO
Duke**
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
Butler**
SIX
SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
Cornell**
TEN
ELEVEN
Siena**
Florida
UTEP**
TWELVE
Oklahoma St ![]()
Old Dominion
Illinois
Wichita St
THIRTEEN
Utah St**
Northeastern**
Murray State**
Kent St**
FOURTEEN
Charleston**
Oakland**
Weber St**
Pacific**
FIFTEEN
Sam Houston St**
Coastal Carolina**
Morgan St**
Arkansas St**
SIXTEEN + ONE
Stony Brook**
Belmont**
Robert Morris**
Lehigh** / Jackson St**
** = Automatic Bid
League Leaders/Winners (31)
- Leaders throughout the season are merely the first place team in the standings as of the update, and not projected winners. Ties go to the higher RPI team. New teams this week in green.
America East - Stony Brook
A-10 - Charlotte
ACC - Duke
Atlantic Sun - Belmont
Big 12 - Kansas
Big East - Syracuse
Big Sky - Weber St
Big South - Coastal Carolina
Big Ten - Michigan St
Big West - Pacific
CAA - Northeastern
Conference USA - UTEP
Horizon - Butler
Ivy - Cornell
MAAC - Siena
MAC - Kent St
MEAC - Morgan St
MVC - Northern Iowa
MWC - New Mexico
Northeast - Robert Morris
Ohio Valley - Murray St
Pac-10 - California
Patriot - Lehigh
SEC - Kentucky
Southern - Charleston
Southland - Sam Houston St
SWAC - Jackson St
Summit - Oakland
Sun Belt - Arkansas St
WAC - Utah St
WCC - St Mary's
*** = Locked Up Automatic Bid
Last In: Oklahoma St, Old Dominion, Illinois, Wichita St
Last Out: Dayton, Marquette, Virginia Tech, Washington, Cincinnati
Further Four: South Florida, Notre Dame, Virginia, Northwestern
Dropped Out Of Field (at-large): Arizona, Cincinnati, Mississippi St
Post your thoughts on this week's field below:

I'm sorry if I sound like I hate the "small" schools, but New Mexico will not be a top three seed this year. All of the four seeds plus Ohio State have a much better look at a 3 seed than New Mexico. The committee tends to give the big teams unless you are absolutely dominant. Losing at Oral Roberts does not count as absolutely dominant. OK, they beat Texas A&M and Texas Tech. So what? Ohio State has beaten Purdue and Wisconsin. I think one of those groups of big wins far outweighs the other. Vandy swept Tennessee and Tennessee beat Kansas. I also say Butler doesn't get a 5 seed. Look at last year, a very similar resume, but an 8 seed due to a lack of prestigious wins. Butler beat Ohio State (minus Evan Turner) and Xavier on a last second clock malfunction (both at home) while losing on a neutral court to Clemson and Minnesota (and beating UCLA by 1 point). I can maybe see No. Iowa as a 5 or 6 with New Mex., but Butler and BYU probably will find themselves playing a 1 or 2 seed in the second round by earning a 7 or 8 seed.
Bracketology Thoughts
-- Arizona, Cincy, and Mississippi St drop out of the field this week.. replaced by Florida & Illinois as at-large bids, and UTEP as the new CUSA leader which makes the CUSA a two-bid league.
-- Arizona in particular, seems like a distant tourney contender, but I'm convinced things will somehow work out that 2 Pac-10 teams make the Dance. Washington, winners of 4 straight, will perhaps be that 2nd team.
-- Dayton is clearly the best team left out, but it will come down to whether the committee is willing to take 6 A10 teams. If they beat Charlotte later this week, it would shake things up in the A10 substantially however.
-- Texas A&M, with wins at Missouri and against Baylor this week is the big riser. Clemson, with a loss to VT, dropped 3 seeds. A&M, with a 20 RPI and a 6-3 Big 12 record that ties with Kansas St, is surprisingly not ranked this week. Somehow Baylor, despite being 4-4 with the 27th RPI is ranked ahead.
-- Illinois, 72nd in the RPI, is by far the lowest rated team in the field, saved by their 8-3 Big Ten record. The Illini finish with an extremely challenging schedule so still have a lot of work to do.