Bracketology 2019: Projected field shows Villanova rising, Indiana dropping

VILLANOVA, PA - NOVEMBER 06: (L-R) Brandon Slater #3, Cole Swider #10, Joe Cremo #24, Saddiq Bey #15, and head coach Jay Wright of the Villanova Wildcats react from the bench in the second half against the Morgan State Bears at Finneran Pavilion on November 6, 2018 in Villanova, Pennsylvania. The Wildcats defeated the Bears 100-77. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

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EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN – JANUARY 08: Michigan State Spartans celebrate. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

West Region

(1) Michigan State vs. (16) Abilene Christian

(8) Ole Miss vs. (9) St. John’s

(4) Nevada vs. (13) Hofstra

(5) Oklahoma vs. (12) Murray State

(6) Louisville vs. (11) Temple

(3) Houston vs. (14) Texas State

(7) Purdue vs. (10) Kansas State

(2) Gonzaga vs. (15) Radford

I know I just said this about Tennessee as well but it hard to find a team playing better than Michigan State at this moment. The Spartans, who are rated in the top-5 by just about every predictive metric, have not lost since Nov. 27 and are rolling through some really good teams. Point guard Cassius Winston could easily be the frontrunner to win Big Ten Player of the Year and the supporting cast is excellent.

Another team that I am pretty high on this region is Louisville. The Cardinals, under new head coach Chris Mack, have been quite inconsistent but can compete with just about anyone when on their game. If this team manages to find a rhythm over the next few months, they could definitely rise up the seed lines. Jordan Nwora is the real deal.

Additionally, St. John’s continues to be a curious case. Despite clearly having enough talent to land a higher seed than a No. 9, the Red Storm are yet to play well consistently. Their record is great, thanks in part to an easy non-conference schedule, but they do not rank well in predictive metrics and lost at home to DePaul. This loss, though, did come without Shamorie Ponds and the committee should take that into account.

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