Bracketology 1/29/18

By Jason Earle

PROJECTED CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS:
America East: Vermont (17-5)
AAC: Cincinnati (19-2)
Atlantic 10: Rhode Island (17-3)
ACC: Virginia (20-1)
Atlantic Sun: Florida Gulf Coast (16-8)
Big 12: Kansas (17-4)
Big East: Villanova (20-1)
Big Sky: Montana (16-5)
Big South: Winthrop (13-8)
Big Ten: Purdue (21-2)
Big West: UCSB (16-5)
Colonial: Charleston (16-6)
C-USA: Middle Tennessee (16-5)
Horizon: Wright State (17-6)
Ivy: Pennsylvania (13-6)
MAAC: Iona (13-8)
MAC: Buffalo (16-5)
MEAC: North Carolina A&T (13-9)
Missouri Valley: Loyola-Chicago (18-4)
Mountain West: Nevada (18-4)
Northeast: Wagner (15-6)
Ohio Valley: Belmont (17-6)
Pac-12: Arizona (18-4)
Patriot: Bucknell (15-8)
SEC: Florida (15-6)
Southern: East Tennessee State (18-4)
Southland: Stephen F. Austin (17-4)
SWAC: Arkansas-Pine Bluff (7-15)
Summit: South Dakota State (18-6)
Sun Belt: Louisiana (19-3)
WCC: Saint Mary’s (21-2)
WAC: New Mexico State (18-3)

MATCHUPS:
Midwest Region
1 Virginia vs 16 Winthrop/Arkansas-Pine-Bluff
8 Creighton vs 9 TCU
5 Florida State vs 12 Middle Tennessee
4 Auburn vs 13 Stephen F. Austin
3 Texas Tech vs 14 Bucknell
6 Louisville vs 11 USC
7 Michigan vs 10 Syracuse
2 Xavier vs 15 Loyola-Chicago

TEAM OF THE WEEK: Virginia (20-1)
Virginia is for real. There’s no more denying it. The Cavaliers knocked off Duke at the Cameron Indoor, one of the hardest things to do in all of college basketball. Their resume wasn’t necessarily bad before the win, but it lacked many good wins. Home victories over Rhode Island, North Carolina, and Clemson were really all Virginia had to boast. Not anymore. A road win over Mike Krzyzewski’s highly talented Duke team erases all question marks about UVA. They’ve earned the #1 overall seed in this week’s bracket.

East Region
1 Villanova vs 16 Wagner/North Carolina A&T
8 Texas vs 9 Virginia Tech
5 Gonzaga vs 12 New Mexico State
4 Wichita State vs 13 Belmont
3 West Virginia vs 14 Montana
6 Rhode Island vs 11 Arkansas
7 NC State vs 10 Butler
2 Kansas vs 15 Florida Gulf Coast

TEAM OF THE WEEK: Rhode Island (17-3)
The Rams rallied to their 12th consecutive win on Saturday, pulling out a close one over conference foe Duquesne. Rhode Island’s best wins come against Seton Hall and Providence, but they lack any bad losses and are unbeaten in Atlantic 10 competition. They’ve been very consistent all season, and if they can keep it up, they’ll have a solid first round position in the dance as A-10 champions.

South Region
1 Duke vs 16 Iona
8 Seton Hall vs 9 Tennessee
5 Miami vs 12 Louisiana
4 Saint Mary’s vs 13 East Tennessee State
3 Arizona vs 14 Wright State
6 North Carolina vs 11 Oklahoma State/Mississippi State
7 Kansas State vs 10 Marquette
2 Michigan State vs 15 Hawaii

TEAM OF THE WEEK: Arizona (18-4)
The Wildcats seemed to have figured out a lot of the problems that plagued them at the beginning of the season. However, it’s uncertain whether that’s due to definitive improvement or just an overall bad year for the Pac-12. The Cats’ best wins so far are Texas A&M, Alabama, and Arizona State, none of which are too impressive right now. The good news is that they’re very unlikely to drop many more games throughout the rest of conference play. We’ll see just how far raw talent can take Arizona come March, as Allonzo Trier and DeAndre Ayton look to lead the team to a Final Four.

West Region
1 Purdue vs 16 Pennsylvania
8 Florida vs 9 Nevada
5 Ohio State vs 12 Vermont
4 Oklahoma vs 13 Buffalo
3 Clemson vs 14 Charleston
6 Kentucky vs 11 Houston/Providence
7 Arizona State vs 10 Alabama
2 Michigan State vs UCSB

TEAM OF THE WEEK: Kentucky (16-5)
What a bounceback game for Kentucky. After falling out of the top 25 for the first time in four years, Calipari’s crew had the prime opportunity for redemption with a road game against #7 West Virginia, and they took advantage of it. Kentucky erased a 17-point deficit in the second half en route to what is certainly their most impressive W of the season thus far. This gives them lots of momentum heading into the rest of the SEC schedule which includes three ranked matchups against Tennessee, Auburn, and Florida.

Last Four Byes:
Butler
Alabama
USC
Arkansas

Last Four In:
Houston
Oklahoma State
Mississippi State
Providence

First Four Out:
Boise State
Oregon
UCLA
SMU

Next Four Out:
Maryland
Notre Dame
Texas A&M
Missouri

Conference Breakdown:
ACC: 10
Big 12: 8
SEC: 7
Big East: 7
Big Ten: 4
American: 3
Pac-12: 3
WCC: 2