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Sunday, March 12, 2017
FINAL 2017 BRACKET PROJECTION - 3.12.17
The field is set, well, in this bracketologist's mind. There will be some angst for a few teams, but due to the limited number of bid stealers (Rhode Island maybe being the only one), teams were able to play their way into the tournament with some big, neutral-site conference victories.
Here's our final bracket for 2017 as we hope for 68/68 perfection!
Here's our final bracket for 2017 as we hope for 68/68 perfection!
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| LAST FOUR IN: South Carolina, Kansas State, USC, Wake Forest FIRST FOUR OUT: Illinois State, Syracuse, California, Iowa NEXT FOUR OUT: Georgia, TCU, Illinois, Indiana |
Penultimate Bracketology - 3.12.17 (AM)
The NCAA Tournament has never had a No. 1 seed with 8+ losses. Duke has a great case to be the first. That is just one story from a super Saturday of basketball. Our count of automatic bids is now at 26 with just six more to go on Sunday (We're waiting on you, AAC, A-10, Big Ten, Ivy League, SEC, and Sun Belt).
NO. 1 SEEDS: It took one day for me to regret my "The No. 1 seeds aren't changing" comment. The more you compare resumes, the more you could make a case for UNC and Duke as No. 1 seeds. Gonzaga did everything you'd want a powerful mid-major team to do (besides going 33-0). It has great nonconference wins with three neutral site wins in three tries against Arizona, Florida and Iowa State. If Gonzaga doesn't get a top seed it'll be a travesty. So, that leaves the last No. 1 seed (South) up for grabs between Duke, UNC, and Arizona. My money's on the ACC Tournament Champion Blue Devils (which will evoke plenty of emotions from fans everywhere).
NO. 1 SEEDS: It took one day for me to regret my "The No. 1 seeds aren't changing" comment. The more you compare resumes, the more you could make a case for UNC and Duke as No. 1 seeds. Gonzaga did everything you'd want a powerful mid-major team to do (besides going 33-0). It has great nonconference wins with three neutral site wins in three tries against Arizona, Florida and Iowa State. If Gonzaga doesn't get a top seed it'll be a travesty. So, that leaves the last No. 1 seed (South) up for grabs between Duke, UNC, and Arizona. My money's on the ACC Tournament Champion Blue Devils (which will evoke plenty of emotions from fans everywhere).
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Saturday, March 11, 2017
Bracketology - 3.11.17
What a Friday of hoops!
MICHIGAN: The hottest team in the Big Ten, despite a Wednesday plane crash and an opening round game being played in practice uniforms, dispatched of Purdue in OT to advance to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals. In the 74-70 OT win, Michigan never looked like the underdog and countered every Boilermaker punch. All the metrics, believe it or not, have the eighth-seeded Wolverines as the Big Ten Tournament favorites right now.
VILLANOVA: The Wildcats didn't win convincingly, but they won nonetheless, likely securing the No. 1 overall seed. In the 55-53 win vs. Seton Hall, Villanova showed, in contrast to its 100+ point quarterfinal performance, that it can still win games in the 50s.
VANDERBILT: Welcome the 15-loss at-large team to the NCAA Tournament field. Vanderbilt won its third game against Florida this season to advance to the SEC semifinals Friday night. Vandy's schedule plus big wins means the Commodores will be dancing even with a loss on Saturday. Currently at 19-14, Vandy's notable losses this season have come against the following teams: Marquette (proj. 10 seed), Butler (proj. 4 seed), Minnesota (proj. 5 seed), Middle Tennessee State (proj. 11 seed), Dayton (proj. 8 seed), Kentucky x2 (proj. 2 seed), and Arkansas (proj. 10 seed). That leaves six non-tournament losses, but only a loss to dreadful Missouri is on the resume. All other losses are quality, meaning Vanderbilt is a quality team and an 11 seed that many potential No. 6 seeds will dread seeing.
MICHIGAN: The hottest team in the Big Ten, despite a Wednesday plane crash and an opening round game being played in practice uniforms, dispatched of Purdue in OT to advance to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals. In the 74-70 OT win, Michigan never looked like the underdog and countered every Boilermaker punch. All the metrics, believe it or not, have the eighth-seeded Wolverines as the Big Ten Tournament favorites right now.
VILLANOVA: The Wildcats didn't win convincingly, but they won nonetheless, likely securing the No. 1 overall seed. In the 55-53 win vs. Seton Hall, Villanova showed, in contrast to its 100+ point quarterfinal performance, that it can still win games in the 50s.
VANDERBILT: Welcome the 15-loss at-large team to the NCAA Tournament field. Vanderbilt won its third game against Florida this season to advance to the SEC semifinals Friday night. Vandy's schedule plus big wins means the Commodores will be dancing even with a loss on Saturday. Currently at 19-14, Vandy's notable losses this season have come against the following teams: Marquette (proj. 10 seed), Butler (proj. 4 seed), Minnesota (proj. 5 seed), Middle Tennessee State (proj. 11 seed), Dayton (proj. 8 seed), Kentucky x2 (proj. 2 seed), and Arkansas (proj. 10 seed). That leaves six non-tournament losses, but only a loss to dreadful Missouri is on the resume. All other losses are quality, meaning Vanderbilt is a quality team and an 11 seed that many potential No. 6 seeds will dread seeing.
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| LAST FOUR IN: USC, Wake Forest, Kansas State, Illinois State FIRST FOUR OUT: Rhode Island, Syracuse, California, Iowa |
Friday, March 10, 2017
Bracketology 3.10.17
It wasn't a wild Thursday, but eventful enough.
INDIANA: Indiana, the only team to likely beat two No. 1 seeds (Kansas and UNC) earlier this year, kept its at-large hopes alive by beating Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament second round. Indiana has to beat Wisconsin to keep those hopes alive. Even then, when some people will say it's a "lock" the Hoosiers would be dancing, that's far from true. Indiana had a putrid stretch and likely needs to beat both Wisconsin and the Maryland/Northwestern winner to have a legitimate shot. Indiana might need to win the Big Ten Tournament, too.
XAVIER: The one team that helped itself the most was Chris Mack's X-men. While Xavier was always in my field, it was sweat-inducing close to the cutline due to a rough closing month. A win against Butler was big as the team will be evaluated as a whole but also on how it can play right now. Xavier is in for sure, folks.
TCU: As mentioned Wednesday night, the Horned Frogs snapped a seven-game losing streak by beating Oklahoma in the Big XII first round. The quarterfinal win over Kansas was huge for many reasons. No, it doesn't put TCU in the dance (they're our sixth team out right now), but it keeps hopes alive and gives TCU another shot at a marquee win vs. Iowa State. TCU still might need to win the Big XII Tournament due to a 19-14 record and some bad losses, but at least Jamie Dixon's club is trying to play its way in, unlike some teams (talking to you, Syracuse).
INDIANA: Indiana, the only team to likely beat two No. 1 seeds (Kansas and UNC) earlier this year, kept its at-large hopes alive by beating Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament second round. Indiana has to beat Wisconsin to keep those hopes alive. Even then, when some people will say it's a "lock" the Hoosiers would be dancing, that's far from true. Indiana had a putrid stretch and likely needs to beat both Wisconsin and the Maryland/Northwestern winner to have a legitimate shot. Indiana might need to win the Big Ten Tournament, too.
XAVIER: The one team that helped itself the most was Chris Mack's X-men. While Xavier was always in my field, it was sweat-inducing close to the cutline due to a rough closing month. A win against Butler was big as the team will be evaluated as a whole but also on how it can play right now. Xavier is in for sure, folks.
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| LAST FOUR BYES: Xavier, Providence, Marquette, Vanderbilt LAST FOUR IN: USC, Illinois State, Wake Forest, Kansas State FIRST FOUR OUT: Syracuse, Rhode Island, California, Iowa NEXT FOUR OUT: Indiana, TCU, Illinois, Georgia |
Thursday, March 9, 2017
Bracketology - 3.9.17
Welcome back to the dance, Bucknell. The Bison punched their ticket to the Field of 68 by beating Lehigh in the Patriot League title game Wednesday. Bucknell is dancing for the first time since 2013 and is now looking for its first NCAA Tournament victory since 2006.
CLEMSON: See ya, Clemson. Duke, despite getting zero points from Grayson Allen, put the proverbial nail in Clemson's NCAA Tournament coffin. A team can't go 6-12 in ACC play, lose in the ACC Tournament second round, finish the year 17-15, and even hope the selection committee calls its name. Period.
TCU: The Horned Frogs snapped a seven-game losing streak by beating Oklahoma in the Big XII first round. In improving to 18-14, TCU needs, at the very least, to beat Kansas in the quarterfinals to think about dancing. More than likely, a trip to the finals (which would require a win over Oklahoma State or Iowa State as well) is necessary to get on the right side of the bubble. TCU just has too many losses at this point.
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| LAST FOUR BYES: Providence, Marquette, USC, Xavier LAST FOUR IN: Illinois State, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Syracuse FIRST FOUR OUT: Rhode Island, Iowa, California, Kansas State NEXT FOUR OUT: Illinois, Indiana, Georgia, TCU |
TCU: The Horned Frogs snapped a seven-game losing streak by beating Oklahoma in the Big XII first round. In improving to 18-14, TCU needs, at the very least, to beat Kansas in the quarterfinals to think about dancing. More than likely, a trip to the finals (which would require a win over Oklahoma State or Iowa State as well) is necessary to get on the right side of the bubble. TCU just has too many losses at this point.
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Bracketology - 3.8.17
Clean off your dancing shoes, Mount Saint Mary's, Northern Kentucky and South Dakota State. Welcome back, Gonzaga.
Outside of yesterday's four automatic bids, the only game of note was really the ACC 1st Round game between Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech. Despite a RPI near 90, Georgia Tech's big wins were still keeping the Yellow Jackets in the bubble discussion. However, losing a nailbiter to Pitt sealed the deal and Georgia Tech has no hope of a NCAA Tournament bid.
FINAL NO. 1 SEED: It's Gonzaga's. Plain and simple, Gonzaga will be a No. 1 seed out west. Don't let anyone tell you UCLA can steal it by winning the Pac-12 Tournament or that other Westerners like Oregon and Arizona have a shot. Gonzaga locked it up with its 32-1 record and pair of WCC titles this season. Oh, and Gonzaga beat Arizona, Florida, et. al outside of conference.
Outside of yesterday's four automatic bids, the only game of note was really the ACC 1st Round game between Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech. Despite a RPI near 90, Georgia Tech's big wins were still keeping the Yellow Jackets in the bubble discussion. However, losing a nailbiter to Pitt sealed the deal and Georgia Tech has no hope of a NCAA Tournament bid.
FINAL NO. 1 SEED: It's Gonzaga's. Plain and simple, Gonzaga will be a No. 1 seed out west. Don't let anyone tell you UCLA can steal it by winning the Pac-12 Tournament or that other Westerners like Oregon and Arizona have a shot. Gonzaga locked it up with its 32-1 record and pair of WCC titles this season. Oh, and Gonzaga beat Arizona, Florida, et. al outside of conference.
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| LAST FOUR IN: Syracuse, Illinois State, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest FIRST FOUR OUT: Iowa, Rhode Island, California, Kansas State NEXT FOUR OUT: Illinois, Indiana, Georgia, Houston |
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