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Bracketology 2019: Duke, Kansas headline the projected field

By Lukas Harkins

DURHAM, NC - DECEMBER 08: RJ Barrett #5 of the Duke Blue Devils goes up for a dunk against the Yale Bulldogs in the second half at Cameron Indoor Stadium on December 8, 2018 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NC - DECEMBER 08: RJ Barrett #5 of the Duke Blue Devils goes up for a dunk against the Yale Bulldogs in the second half at Cameron Indoor Stadium on December 8, 2018 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 20: Jones #3 of the Duke Blue Devils looks on. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 20: Jones #3 of the Duke Blue Devils looks on. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /

East Region

(1) Duke vs. (16) Texas Southern/Howard

(8) Arizona State vs. (9) Purdue

(4) Buffalo vs. (13) UC Irvine

(5) Nebraska vs. (12) Murray State

(6) Florida State vs. (11) UCF/Ole Miss

(3) Wisconsin vs. (14) Loyola-Chicago

(7) Kentucky vs. (10) UCLA

(2) Nevada vs. (15) Georgia State

Duke was easily the most hyped team in the nation heading into this season and they have proved why through the first month. With Zion Williamson and R.J. Barrett, among many others leading the way, the Blue Devils can seemingly score on anyone. This much was evident the other night when Duke hung 41 points in the second half alone against Texas Tech. Quite simply, the Blue Devils, who have only lost to Gonzaga, deserve a No. 1 seed at this point in time.

The story of this region, though, is clearly Buffalo. A mid-major darling, the Bulls returned a ton of talent from an NCAA Tournament appearance a year ago and have dominated in the early going this season. En route to an AP top-15 ranking, the Bulls have compiled their fair share of strong wins. They could move up even further with a road matchup against Marquette coming up. C.J. Massinburg and Co. look poised for an at-large bid.

Additionally, Ole Miss has certainly exceeded expectations in the first season under head coach Kermit Davis. The Rebels currently stand at 8-2 and their only losses have come against a couple of future tournament teams in Butler and Cincinnati. The expectation should be that Ole Miss enters SEC play with only two losses and high hopes for a potential at-large bid that very few would have expected.

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