Bracketology 2019: Arizona rises, Nevada drops in projected field

Midwest Region

(1) Michigan vs. (16) Norfolk State

(8) LSU vs. (9) UCF

(4) NC State vs. (13) South Dakota State

(5) Buffalo vs. (12) Murray State

(6) Ohio State vs. (11) Butler 

(3) Oklahoma vs. (14) Old Dominion

(7) Marquette vs. (10) Arizona

(2) North Carolina vs. (15) UC Irvine

Thanks to the play of several other top mid-majors, three of which are also in this region, South Dakota State has flown a bit under-the-radar so far this season. Out of the Summit League, the Jackrabbits should be one of the more dangerous double-digit seeds in the NCAA Tournament thanks to their elite scoring trio. The versatility and leadership of Mike Daum, David Jenkins Jr., and Skyler Flatten make them a potentially scary team to face in March. Oh…their depth is very young and should only improve over the course of the year.

From a power conference perspective, let’s take a look at where Arizona stands at this point in time. On the whole, the Pac-12 has disappointed tremendously so far this season as a potential one-bid league. And while many expected that team would be Arizona State for the past few weeks, it is their in-state rivals who snag the auto-bid in this projected field. The Wildcats, led by head coach Sean Miller, have won five consecutive games and are undefeated in conference play. Arizona stands at 12-4 on the year and is steadily rising up the predictive metrics and NET rankings thanks to a very strong defense.

To round out the discussion on this region, North Carolina has risen up to the No. 2 line despite already suffering three losses. The Tar Heels, who are rated as the sixth-best team in the nation by KenPom, have played a rigorous schedule and are currently in the midst of a four-game winning streak over teams all ranked in the KP top-100. With three of their next four at home, UNC should stick on the No. 2 line.