Busting Bracketology 2.0: ACC and Big 12 in command
By Doug Winkey
10 Seeds: Saint Josephs, VCU, Cincinnati, Monmouth
Monmouth has managed to bump up their seeding in the past couple weeks with continued success in the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference. The Hawks sit first in conference play at 13-2 with five games left. There is very little danger from the likes of Iona or Saint Peters at this stage, barring a conference tournament upset.
Related Story: CAA balance could create Cinderella
VCU is in a dead heat for the Atlantic 10 with Saint Joe’s and Dayton, who hold slightly better overall records. All three are 11-2 in A-10 play. The Rams have three of their final four on the road, so they absolutely need to play solid and maybe even knock off Dayton on the Flyers’ home court to feel confident in their post season.
Cincinnati still sits in a strong position in a logjam for second in the American Conference. The Bearcats recently collected a bad loss at Memphis (RPI 134), but still has multiple quality wins both in and out of conference play. If Cincinnati wins at Tulsa, at Houston, or at home against SMU in the regular season finale, they should probably make the Big Dance.
Saint Josephs now technically leads the A-10 after beating Dayton at home Wednesday night. The Hawks’ resume doesn’t stand out, but they haven’t lost to anyone outside the RPI top 100 this year. Saint Joe’s hardest remaining game before the A-10 Conference tournament is at fourth place St. Bonaventure, who will try and play spoiler.
Next: The Divine 9s