Bracketology 12/11/17

By Jason Earle

PROJECTED CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS:
America East: Albany (10-1)

AAC: Wichita State (8-1)

Atlantic 10: Rhode Island (5-3)

ACC: Miami (8-0)

Atlantic Sun: Florida Gulf Coast (7-4)

Big 12: Kansas (7-2)

Big East: Villanova (10-0)

Big Sky: Portland State (8-2)

Big South: Liberty (7-3)

Big Ten: Michigan State (9-1)

Big West: UC Davis (7-2)

Colonial: Towson (10-1)

C-USA: Middle Tennessee (7-1)

Horizon: Oakland (6-4)

Ivy: Pennsylvania (8-4)

MAAC: Iona (4-4)

MAC: Ball State (6-4)

MEAC: North Carolina A&T (5-4)

Missouri Valley: Loyola-Chicago (10-1)

Mountain West: Nevada (8-2)

Northeast: Wagner (7-1)

Ohio Valley: Murray State (6-1)

Pac-12: Arizona State (9-0)

Patriot: Navy (9-3)

SEC: Kentucky (8-1)

Southern: East Tennessee State (6-3)

Southland: Stephen F. Austin (9-1)

SWAC: Grambling (3-6)

Summit: South Dakota State (8-4)

Sun Belt: Georgia Southern (7-2)

WCC: Gonzaga (8-2)

WAC: New Mexico State (7-2)
 
MATCHUPS:
East Region

1 Villanova vs 16 UC Davis/Grambling          

8 Saint Mary’s vs 9 UCLA

5 Florida vs 12 Ball State

4 Notre Dame vs 13 East Tennessee State

3 Texas A&M vs 14 Portland State

6 Texas vs 11 USC

7 Creighton vs 10 Tennessee

2 North Carolina vs 15 Stephen F. Austin
 

TEAM OF THE WEEK: Villanova (10-0)
As the nation’s top teams continue to fall, Jay Wright’s squad remains unbeaten.  The Wildcats picked up their best win of the season earlier this week over Gonzaga and should head into conference play 12-0.  Villanova has become one of the most consistent and reliable teams in college basketball over the past few seasons, constantly replacing star guards with more than capable perimeter talent (i.e. Ryan Arcidiacono, Josh Hart, Jalen Brunson).  The Cats are far and away the best team in the Big East.  They should win the regular season conference title and walk into the NCAA Tournament with an easy first matchup.
 
West Region

1 Michigan State vs 16 Georgia Southern/North Carolina A&T

8 Arkansas vs 9 Virginia Tech

5 Arizona vs 12 Middle Tennessee

4 Xavier vs 13 New Mexico State

3 Kansas vs 14 Loyola-Chicago

6 Seton Hall vs 11 Georgia/Ohio State

7 Louisville vs 10 Michigan

2 West Virginia vs 15 Florida Gulf Coast
 
TEAM OF THE WEEK: Arizona (7-3)
Ever since the horrid three-game stretch that saw the Wildcats fall to NC State, SMU, and Purdue, Sean Miller’s crew has played exceptionally well.  In their past three games, Arizona has defeated a solid UNLV team, #7 Texas A&M, and a tournament-bound Alabama group with one of the nation’s top freshmen.  Three early, non-conference losses certainly hurt this team’s resume, but the Pac-12 will be significantly weaker this season than last.  Arizona should have no problem competing with the Sun Devils by the end of the year with a serious chance to win this conference.  Trier and Ayton are still one of college basketball’s best duos, which makes it tough for anybody to take down the Wildcats.

South Region

1 Miami vs 16 Wagner

8 Oklahoma vs 9 Houston

5 Cincinnati vs 12 Navy

4 Virginia vs 13 Murray State

3 Gonzaga vs 14 South Dakota State

6 Purdue vs 11 Rhode Island

7 Texas Tech vs 10 Washington

2 Wichita State vs 15 Pennsylvania
 
TEAM OF THE WEEK: Washington (7-3)
The Huskies took down Kansas this week in a shocking upset over the then-#2 team in the nation.  Washington followed the win with a 27-point loss to Gonzaga on their home floor.  Nonetheless, a win over Kansas gets them on the map.  Again, in a year where the Pac-12 seems to be weak, Washington will have the opportunity to pick up many conference wins if they can perform anywhere close to the level they did on Wednesday night.  It’s too early to place the Huskies any higher than 10 at this point, but this Washington group has the potential to reach March.
 

Midwest Region

1 Duke vs 16 Iona

8 Alabama vs 9 Minnesota

5 Florida State vs 12 Towson

4 TCU vs 13 Oakland

3 Arizona State vs 14 Albany

6 Baylor vs 11 SMU/Syracuse

7 Butler vs 10 Nevada

2 Kentucky vs 15 Liberty
 

TEAM OF THE WEEK: Arizona State (9-0)
The Sun Devils are, quite fittingly, the hottest team in college basketball right now.  After entering the season off of everyone’s radar, Bobby Hurley’s crew has soared to #5 in the latest AP Rankings after victories over San Diego State, Kansas State, Xavier, and Kansas.  If this group continues this level of play throughout the season, they could very well end the year with less than five losses.  Winning in the Phog Allen Fieldhouse is one of the toughest things to do in all of sports.  If the Sun Devils needed to convince anyone that they were for real, that’s about the best sign of proof to give.  Arizona State will be a fun team to watch this season.
 
Last Four Byes:

Tennessee

Washington

Michigan

USC
 
Last Four In:

SMU

Georgia

Ohio State

Syracuse
 
First Four Out:

NC State

Clemson

Temple

Mississippi State
 
Next Four Out:

Maryland

Northwestern

Nebraska

LSU
 
Conference Breakdown:

ACC: 9

Big 12: 7

SEC: 6

Big East: 5

Big Ten: 5

Pac-12: 5

American: 4

WCC: 2