Bracketology 2019: NC State plummeting, LSU rising in projected field

TAMPA, FL - APRIL 07: Confetti is seen on the court after the Connecticut Huskies defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 63-53 during the NCAA Women's Final Four National Championship at Amalie Arena on April 7, 2015 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images) /

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COLUMBUS, OH – JANUARY 23: Head Coach Painter of Purdue talks. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) /

South Region

(1) Duke vs. (16) Norfolk State/Sam Houston State

(8) TCU vs. (9) Cincinnati

(4) Texas Tech vs. (13) New Mexico State

(5) Purdue vs. (12) Lipscomb

(6) Iowa vs. (11) Butler/Alabama

(3) Kentucky vs. (14) Marshall

(7) Florida State vs. (10) Ohio State

(2) Kansas vs. (15) Bucknell.

Team to watch: Purdue Boilermakers

After starting the season slow at 6-5, Purdue has won seven of its last eight games while building a great NCAA Tournament resume. Carsen Edwards is seemingly making his National Player of the Year argument every single night and the supporting cast is providing consistent contributions. The Boilermakers stand at 6-2 in Big Ten play and have climbed as high as No. 8 in the KenPom rankings. They are clearly playing at a high level and should continue to rise with three of their next four games coming at home.

Mid-major of note: Lipscomb Bison

Another potential at-large team, Lipscomb is ranked quite high by predictive metrics. At 15-4 on the season and undefeated in Atlantic Sun play, it is clear that this team is playing at a high level. The Bison are, for the most part, dominating their opponents and they will be a dangerous double-digit seed should they go dancing. They have already proven they can beat a top team by taking down TCU in late-November.

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