Bracketology 2019: Tennessee, Seton Hall rise in projected field

PHOENIX, ARIZONA - DECEMBER 09: Jordan Bowden #23 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrates after defeating the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the game at Talking Stick Resort Arena on December 9, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Volunteers defeated the Bulldogs 76-73. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

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FULLERTON, CA – NOVEMBER 25: Head coach Willard of the Seton Hall Pirates instructs. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

Midwest Region

(1) Michigan vs. (16) Stephen F. Austin

(8) Arizona State vs. (9) St. John’s

(4) Virginia Tech vs. (13) UC-Irvine

(5) Mississippi State vs. (12) Old Dominion

(6) Louisville vs. (11) Seton Hall/Minnesota

(3) Oklahoma vs. (14) Pennsylvania

(7) Cincinnati vs. (10) Maryland

(2) Gonzaga vs. (15) Georgia State

As already alluded to in the title, Seton Hall has been rising steadily up my rankings throughout this young season. And now, following a road victory over Maryland, the team is finally starting to rise up the predictive metrics and NET rankings as well. Because of this, the Pirates are deserving of an at-large bid for the time being. Head coach Kevin Willard’s team has definitely overachieved compared to preseason expectations this year and their strong non-conference schedule should aid them in Big East play. Myles Powell has emerged as one of the nation’s best scorers and will compete for the conference Player of the Year award.

Additionally, Oklahoma continued its rise up the rankings this past week thanks to adding a road win over Northwestern. This marked the Sooners’ third true road win of the year to go with three neutral-site victories. Lon Kruger has his squad playing at an extremely high level and that is evident in their 11-1 record. OU has also played a very difficult schedule, proving that they belong in the nation’s top-25 and near the top of the seed list.

Finally, I want to give some credit to Old Dominion for emerging as the favorite to win the CUSA this season. The conference has disappointed a bit as a whole so far this year but the Monarchs have taken the next step under head coach Jeff Jones. They stand at 10-3 on the year and their impressive guard play (Ahmad Caver and B.J. Stith) will be tough to handle should the team actually reach the Big Dance.

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