Bracketology Projected Field: North Carolina, Indiana trending differently
As recent games have unfolded, there have been a few changes in our projected field of 68. Where does each team land in this edition of bracketology?
Only one top team dropped a game since our previous bracketology update and that was Kansas. Because of this, there were minimal shifts in the projected field on the whole even if teams continued to jockey for position within their seed lines. Remember, teams might not have moved up or down a seed but they could have moved as much as three spots in the rankings over the past couple of days. Still, the most important question is: Who takes Kansas’ spot on the No. 2 seed line?
Well, after deliberating between a few teams (Kansas included), I chose North Carolina as the team that the committee would most likely have on the No. 2 line at the moment. The Tar Heels, who have won five games in a row, boast a strong overall record (16-4, 6-1 ACC) and are near the top of one of the best conferences in the country. Additionally, they rank in the top-10 in every single metric used by the committee (NET, KPI, SOR, BPI, KP, Sag). Now, though, without any further ado, let’s jump into the newest (for now) bracketology projected field of 68.
Last Updated: Feb. 1, 2019 – 4:00 pm ET.
East Region
(1) Duke vs. (16) Prairie View A&M/Robert Morris
(8) Ole Miss vs. (9) Nebraska
(4) Purdue vs. (13) New Mexico State
(5) LSU vs. (12) Lipscomb
(6) Maryland ↓ vs. (11) UCF
(3) Marquette vs. (14) North Texas
(7) Florida State vs. (10) Baylor
(2) Kentucky vs. (15) Loyola-Chicago
South Region
(1) Virginia vs. (16) Norfolk State/Sam Houston State
(8) Auburn vs. (9) Minnesota
(4) Villanova ↑ vs. (13) Yale
(5) Iowa State vs. (12) VCU
(6) Oklahoma vs. (11) Ohio State ↓
(3) Houston vs. (14) Northern Kentucky
(7) Mississippi State vs. (10) Texas ↓
(2) Michigan vs. (15) Radford
Midwest Region
(1) Tennessee vs. (16) Rider
(8) Washington vs. (9) NC State
(4) Virginia Tech vs. (13) Murray State
(5) Texas Tech ↓ vs. (12) Arizona State/Seton Hall
(6) Iowa vs. (11) St. John’s
(3) Kansas ↓ vs. (14) Texas State
(7) Cincinnati vs. (10) Alabama ↑
(2) North Carolina ↑ vs. (15) UC Irvine
West Region
(1) Michigan State vs. (16) Lehigh
(8) TCU vs. (9) Syracuse
(4) Nevada vs. (13) Vermont
(5) Wisconsin ↑ vs. (12) Hofstra
(6) Buffalo vs. (11) Indiana ↓ /Florida
(3) Louisville vs. (14) South Dakota State
(7) Kansas State vs. (10) Wofford
(2) Gonzaga vs. (15) Montana
Bids by conference (seeding in parenthesis)
Big Ten (10 bids): Michigan State (1), Michigan (2), Purdue (4), Wisconsin (5), Maryland (6), Iowa (6), Minnesota (9), Nebraska (9), Ohio State (11), and Indiana (11).
ACC (8 bids): Duke (1), Virginia (1), North Carolina (2), Louisville (3), Virginia Tech (4), Florida State (7), NC State (9), and Syracuse (9).
Big 12 (8 bids): Kansas (3), Texas Tech (5), Iowa State (5), Oklahoma (6), Kansas State (7), TCU (8), Baylor (10), and Texas (10).
SEC (8 bids): Tennessee (1), Kentucky (2), LSU (5), Mississippi State (7), Auburn (8), Ole Miss (8), Alabama (10), and Florida (11).
Big East (4 bids): Marquette (3), Villanova (4), St. John’s (11), and Seton Hall (12)
AAC (3 bids): Houston (3), Cincinnati (7), and UCF (11).
Pac-12 (2 bids): Washington (8) and Arizona State (12).
Micro Bubble Watch
Safer…not safe: Alabama, Ohio State, St. John’s, UCF
Last Four In: Indiana, Florida, Arizona State, Seton Hall
First Four Out: Temple, San Francisco, Butler, Creighton
A bit more to do: Utah State, UNC-Greensboro, Belmont, Clemson
Next. Complete Bubble Watch. dark
That concludes this edition of my bracketology projected field of 68. Stay tuned for more throughout the season. The next update will be posted on Tuesday, Feb. 5, so hopefully your favorite team makes a big move between then and now.