Bracketology 1/1/18
By Jason Earle
PROJECTED CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS:
America East: Albany (12-3)
AAC: Cincinnati (12-2)
Atlantic 10: St. Bonaventure (11-2)
ACC: Duke (13-1)
Atlantic Sun: Florida Gulf Coast (9-8)
Big 12: Kansas (11-2)
Big East: Villanova (13-1)
Big Sky: Montana (9-5)
Big South: Winthrop (7-5)
Big Ten: Michigan State (14-1)
Big West: UCSB (11-3)
Colonial: Charleston (10-3)
C-USA: Middle Tennessee (9-4)
Horizon: Wright State (10-5)
Ivy: Pennsylvania (9-5)
MAAC: Canisius (8-7)
MAC: Ball State (9-4)
MEAC: North Carolina A&T (7-8)
Missouri Valley: Missouri State (12-3)
Mountain West: Nevada (13-3)
Northeast: Robert Morris (8-7)
Ohio Valley: Murray State (10-3)
Pac-12: Arizona (11-3)
Patriot: Navy (9-5)
SEC: Kentucky (11-2)
Southern: UNC Greensboro (10-4)
Southland: Stephen F. Austin (11-3)
SWAC: Grambling (4-9)
Summit: South Dakota (13-4)
Sun Belt: Louisiana (12-3)
WCC: Gonzaga (12-3)
WAC: New Mexico State (12-3)
MATCHUPS:
Midwest Region
1 Michigan State vs 16 Canisius/Grambling
8 Clemson vs 9 Creighton
5 Cincinnati vs 12 Charleston
4 TCU vs 13 Stephen F. Austin
3 North Carolina vs 14 Albany
6 Arkansas vs 11 UCLA
7 Butler vs 10 Virginia Tech
2 Kansas vs 15 Pennsylvania
TEAM OF THE WEEK: Butler (12-3)
The Bulldogs know the secret to beating Jay Wright, a secret that the rest of the country has yet to discover. Nonetheless, the win for Butler, in which they put up 101 on the #1 team in college basketball, gets them well into the field, at least for now. Nova will likely win the Big East regular season once again and be the favorite to take the conference tournament, but Butler will compete with the second tier of Big East contenders with Creighton, Seton Hall, and Xavier.
South Region
1 Duke vs 16 Robert Morris/North Carolina A&T
8 Seton Hall vs 9 Tennessee
5 Purdue vs 12 New Mexico State
4 Wichita State vs 13 Wright State
3 Arizona vs 14 South Dakota
6 Texas vs 11 Nevada
7 Michigan vs 10 Florida
2 Oklahoma vs 15 Winthrop
TEAM OF THE WEEK: Duke (13-1)
The loss to Boston College was most likely a fluke for this Duke team that’s loaded with freshman talent, highlighted by Marvin Bagley III, who is younger than many high school seniors. The Blue Devils picked up their first ACC win of the year over #24 Florida State and put their impressive, high-energy offense on display. They also benefit from three top fives going down this week in Villanova, Arizona State, and Texas A&M. They’ve still got a lot to prove before consideration as the clear-cut best ACC team, but they’ve looked the best in the league so far.
East Region
1 Villanova vs 16 Louisiana
8 Minnesota vs 9 Louisville
5 Gonzaga vs 12 Middle Tennessee
4 Miami vs 13 Navy
3 Kentucky vs 14 UNC Greensboro
6 Notre Dame vs 11 Mississippi State/Maryland
7 Baylor vs 10 St. Bonaventure
2 Arizona State vs 15 Missouri State
TEAM OF THE WEEK: Kentucky (11-2)
Similar to the Blue Devils, Kentucky’s freshman-heavy group bounced back from a recent loss in impressive fashion. The Cats took down in-state rival Louisville in a 29-point blowout before picking up a win over Georgia in their first SEC game of the season. Tennessee and Texas A&M are the only currently ranked SEC opponents on Kentucky’s schedule, but they’ll also get a prime opportunity for a marquee non-conference win over West Virginia on January 27th. Alabama and Arkansas are also proving to be tough contenders in the conference.
West Region
1 West Virginia vs 16 UC Santa Barbara
8 Saint Mary’s vs 9 Syracuse
5 Texas Tech vs 12 Murray State
4 Texas A&M vs 13 Ball State
3 Xavier vs 14 Montana
6 Florida State vs 11 Ohio State/Houston
7 Alabama vs 10 SMU
2 Virginia vs 15 Florida Gulf Coast
TEAM OF THE WEEK: Alabama (9-4)
A 22-point win over the #5 team in the country? Bama wouldn’t want SEC play to start any other way. The Tide are a four-loss 7 seed right now, but the losses to Minnesota, UCF, Arizona, and Texas are all pretty acceptable, UCF being the only question mark of the four. The Crimson Tide will be one of the most exciting teams to watch in the SEC this season, led by freshmen Collin Sexton and John Petty. If the Tide can consistently compete to their full potential, they’ll be a top 25 group that could make a run in March. We’ve seen what they can do. It’s just a matter of how often they can do it.
Last Four Byes:
SMU
Florida
Virginia Tech
UCLA
Last Four In:
Ohio State
Mississippi State
Maryland
Houston
First Four Out:
Auburn
Washington
Oklahoma State
Kansas State
Next Four Out:
Marquette
Georgia
Boise State
Boston College
Conference Breakdown:
ACC: 10
Big 12: 7
SEC: 7
Big Ten: 6
Big East: 5
American: 4
Pac-12: 3
WCC: 2
