Bracketology 2019: Final preseason projected NCAA Tournament field

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SAN ANTONIO, TX – MARCH 31: The Kansas Jayhawks cheerleaders perform (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images) /

Midwest Region

(1) Kansas vs. (16) Texas Southern/NC Central

(8) Xavier vs. (9) Purdue

(4) Syracuse vs. (13) Harvard

(5) Mississippi State vs. (12) Loyola-Chicago

(6) Florida vs. (11) Saint Louis/Cincinnati

(3) Michigan State vs. (14) Stephen F. Austin

(7) Indiana vs. (10) UCLA

(2) Nevada vs. (15) Belmont

It should come as no surprise that Kansas is the No. 1 overall seed in this projected field. The top-ranked team in the country in the preseason AP poll, there are many reasons to be excited about the Jayhawks. Most notably, though, many are excited about the potential of the Lawson Brothers, who sat out last season due to transfer rules. Add in the return of Udoka Azubuike and an incredible influx of freshman talent and KU deserves to be at the top of every list.

Speaking of elite transfers, though, nobody dominates that market better than Nevada head coach Eric Musselman. Even though he is entering just his fourth season as the leader of Nevada, he has already turned the team into a national title contender. This Wolf Pack is no longer the “hunter” but rather the “hunted”.

In addition to the two leaders of this region, there are a few teams that stand out as potential dark horses. For starters, Indiana could be in for a monster season in Year 2 under head coach Archie Miller. Not only do the Hoosiers return a fair amount of talent from last season, including senior forward Juwan Morgan, but they are also bringing in one of the best recruiting classes in the nation (headlined by Romeo Langford).

Furthermore, Saint Louis, although not my pick to win the Atlantic 10, boasts a very dangerous roster that could not only snag the auto-bid in the A-10 but also surprise some folks nationally.

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