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Bracketology Projected Field: Kentucky on the top line, Villanova falling

By Lukas Harkins

LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY - FEBRUARY 16: John Calipari the head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats gives instructions to his team against Tennessee Volunteers at Rupp Arena on February 16, 2019 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY - FEBRUARY 16: John Calipari the head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats gives instructions to his team against Tennessee Volunteers at Rupp Arena on February 16, 2019 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY – FEBRUARY 16: Hagans of the Wildcats celebrates. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY – FEBRUARY 16: Hagans of the Wildcats celebrates. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

After a hectic weekend, our bracketology projected field of 68 is back. Among other shifts, Kentucky is now a No. 1 seed and Villanova is dropping.

This is simply the best time of year to be a college basketball fan. With less than a month remaining until Selection Sunday, every single game matters and the madness is starting to begin around the country. With this said, bracketology season is also heating up as projected fields start to become more and more relevant. For a little background, this is my fourth year projected the tournament and my goal in each update is to predict what I think the selection committee would do given the current situation. In order to remain objective, the first scrub for each of my fields is done using blind resumes.

Over the course of this past weekend, there were several outcomes that resulted in shifts to my projected field of 68. Above all others, though, I think it is important to discuss the movements from bluebloods that are trending in different directions. For Kentucky, their dominating performance against Auburn, coupled with some help from other squads, led to a rise to the No. 1 seed line. This is the first time all season that I have had the ‘Cats on my top line and they seem to be ready to stay there for good. This team is simply playing extremely well right now and their talent level is off the charts.

Villanova, on the other hand, is definitely trending down. The defending national champions have lost three in a row (and four of five) and they are slipping quickly down seed lines. Just a few weeks ago, the Wildcats were sitting firmly on the No. 4/5 line as the outright leader in the Big East. Now, though, they are behind Marquette in the conference and have fallen to a No. 7 seed. With all three of their remaining games coming against current projected tournament teams, they need to find a way to right the ship.

Of course, though, these were not the only shifts in my projected field of 68. Unlike some of my bracketology pieces in the past, this one will give a bit more analysis into some teams to watch in each region while also breaking down the last teams in and first teams out of the field. Now, without any further ado, let’s look at the field!

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