As Selection Sunday is now a little more than two weeks away, it’s time to start putting out brackets a bit more frequently. My next projection will come Monday, and I’ll continue on the Saturday/Monday schedule for one more week.
SB Nation Bracketology: Duke Jumps To The Top Line For The Weekend
During Championship Week, I’ll post a new bracket on Tuesday and Wednesday if necessary to reflect conference title games. Starting Thursday, I’ll go daily (or more frequently, if events warrant) until I post my final projection at around 5 p.m. ET on Selection Sunday.
As for this bracket, there are two big changes. Duke replaces Purdue on the top line for the moment. If the Boilermakers can beat Michigan State without Robbie Hummel (Sunday, 4 p.m. ET, CBS) they'll move back up, provided Villanova doesn't stun Syracuse at the Carrier Dome (Saturday, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN) later in the evening.
The other change is that San Diego State is out after their loss to BYU Wednesday. The Aztecs are the first team out, certainly not dead, but they need to make some noise at the Mountain West Tournament to get back. Charlotte replaces them, though at this point, I could have drawn any one of four names from a hat to fill that final spot.
It’s a safe bet that a completely different team will be the final at-large on Monday.
Here are links to my seed list and tracking spreadsheet.
The Rundown
Top Four Seeds: Kansas, Syracuse, Kentucky, Duke
Last Four In: Rhode Island, Oklahoma State, UAB, Charlotte
First Four Out: San Diego State, Cincinnati, Notre Dame, Arizona State
Next Four Out: Mississippi State, Mississippi, Washington, Dayton
Conference Breakdown
Big East: 8
Syracuse (1), Villanova (2), West Virginia (3), Georgetown (3), Pittsburgh (4), Louisville (9),
Marquette (9), Connecticut (10)
ACC: 7
Duke (1), Wake Forest (6), Maryland (7), Clemson (8), Florida State (8), Georgia Tech (8), Virginia Tech (10)
A-10: 5
Temple (5), Richmond (6), Xavier (7), Rhode Island (11), Charlotte (13)
Big Ten: 5
Purdue (2), Ohio State (3), Michigan State (4), Wisconsin (4), Illinois (9)
SEC: 4
Kentucky (1), Vanderbilt (4), Tennessee (8), Florida (10)
C-USA: 2
UTEP (11), UAB (12)
WCC: 2
Gonzaga (5), St. Mary's (10)
One Bid Leagues (22): America East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Horizon, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, Mid-Eastern, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Pacific-10, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Southwestern, Summit, Sun Belt, Western Athletic
Visit Bubble Watch for a detailed look at the last few teams in and the group that hopes to replace them, along with game previews and recaps.
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