Bracketology 2020: Way-too-early NCAA Tournament projected field

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - MARCH 20: A detailed view of a March Madness branded basketball is seen during a practice session before the First Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 20, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – NOVEMBER 06: Dotson of the Jayhawks dribbles. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

West Region

(1) Kansas vs. (16) Northern Colorado

(8) Davidson vs. (9) Ole Miss

(4) Arizona vs. (13) Liberty

(5) LSU vs. (12) Harvard

(6) Utah State vs. (11) Providence

(3) Gonzaga vs. (14) UC Irvine

(7) Auburn vs. (10) Colorado

(2) Louisville vs. (15) North Dakota State

Kansas is as consistently dominant as any program in the country. The Jayhawks have landed a No. 1 seed in eight different seasons under head coach Bill Self (16 total years) and they look poised to once again be one of the toughest teams in the country. While there are some concerns regarding how their frontcourt rotation will shake out, it is reasonable to bet on Coach Self finding a sound solution. The Jayhawks return a deadly sophomore duo of Devon Dotson and Ochai Agbaji while Udoka Azubuike will look to regain his prior form.

Additionally, this region also features Louisville. Head coach Chis Mack has turned this program around ridiculously quickly and they are already rated as one of the top teams in the nation heading into this coming season. The Cardinals return their fair share of talent, including star forward Jordan Nwora, and are also bringing in an elite recruiting class. It is fair to say that this team will be competing for the ACC title this season and they are definitely a team to watch. The future is bright for Louisville under Coach Mack and that much is obvious.

Gonzaga is the next team that I want to take a dive into a bit. The Bulldogs lost a ton of talent this offseason but I am never going to doubt head coach Mark Few. Gonzaga has simply been too consistently successful to drop them all that far. The Bulldogs also have a relatively deep roster thanks to a strong incoming recruiting class. Watch for incoming transfers Admon Gilder and Ryan Woolridge to be major difference-makers while Corey Kispert and Killian Tillie take the next step as returners.

Furthermore, Colorado looks to be potentially dangerous this season. The Pac-12, as a whole, will be vastly improved during this coming year and that will open the door for more at-large bids. The Buffaloes could reap the rewards of that as their returning junior class is absolutely superb. Watch for McKinley Wright IV, Tyler Bey, and D’Shawn Schwartz to potentially carry this program to the NCAA Tournament for just the fifth time this century.

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