Bracketology 2019: NC State plummeting, LSU rising in projected field
West Region
(1) Michigan State vs. (16) Weber State
(8) Auburn vs. (9) St. John’s
(4) Nevada vs. (13) Yale
(5) Buffalo vs. (12) Murray State
(6) Mississippi State vs. (11) UCF
(3) Maryland vs. (14) Radford
(7) Kansas State vs. (10) Wofford
(2) Gonzaga vs. (15) UC-Santa Barbara
Team to watch: St. John’s Red Storm
The door is open for someone to finish third in the Big East this season. While Villanova and Marquette are clearly the top two teams, there is a jumble following them that will eventually need to be figured out. In my opinion, the Red Storm are clearly the most talented team in the group and they could be the team that exhibits a breakout stretch coming up. The Johnnies are still learning to finish off close games but they should start to string together some wins soon. Their weak NCSOS limits their seed potential but they will be dangerous in March. Talent wins games. It’s that simple.
Mid-major of note: Wofford Terriers
If conference tournaments started right now, I am of the belief that Wofford would still land an at-large bid if they lost. The Terriers are rated extremely well for a mid-major in most metrics and their 16-4 (8-0 SoCon) speaks for itself). With Fletcher Magee and Cameron Jackson leading the way, Wofford has a high-powered offense that very few can slow down. When in doubt, the Terriers can outshoot just about everyone from distance. The SoCon is a more challenging league than many might think and they will be battle-tested before entering the Big Dance.