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Bracketology 2020: Louisville, Ohio State headline early projected field

By Lukas Harkins

COLUMBUS, OH - NOVEMBER 13: Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Chris Holtmann looks on during the game against the Villanova Wildcats at Value City Arena on November 13, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State defeated Villanova 76-51. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - NOVEMBER 13: Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Chris Holtmann looks on during the game against the Villanova Wildcats at Value City Arena on November 13, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State defeated Villanova 76-51. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – NOVEMBER 13: Cardinals celebrate. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – NOVEMBER 13: Cardinals celebrate. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Midwest Region

(1) Louisville vs. (16) Norfolk State/Texas Southern

(8) Purdue vs. (9) Oklahoma

(4) VCU vs. (13) Harvard

(5) Seton Hall vs. (12) Vermont

(6) Florida State vs. (11) DePaul

(3) Auburn vs. (14) Northern Iowa

(7) Xavier vs. (10) Ole Miss

(2) Kansas vs. (15) Radford

Louisville entered this season as a top-10 team in the nation and they are one of the few powerhouses yet to drop a questionable game. The Cardinals have played an easy non-conference schedule to this point but that did not stop the likes of Duke or Kentucky from losing to mid-majors in front of their home crowds. Head coach Chris Mack’s team is simply playing to expectations so far this season and that has led to a rise to the No. 1 spot in my first in-season bracket of the season. Jordan Nwora is unsurprisingly leading the way.

Moving onto other teams worth discussing from this region, Xavier has taken a bit of a step backward compared to my preseason expectations due to a lack of a consistent offense. The Musketeers are capable of shutting down just about any offense in the country but they lack perimeter shooting and opposing defenses have already started to clog the lane. Xavier’s floor is exceptionally high but it’s hard to determine their ceiling. Top-100 freshman KyKy Tandy should be returning soon for his first collegiate minutes but it is hard to rely on a newcomer to fill such an important role as a 3-point sniper.

Sticking with the Big East, how about the DePaul Blue Demons? Many expected that DePaul would experience a bit of a breakout campaign this season, but not many would have predicted this start. Head coach Dave Leitao’s team currently sits at 7-0 with a pair of non-conference high-major road wins over Iowa and Boston College. While it might still be too early to tell just how good the Blue Demons are going to be this season, there are not that many undefeated teams with two true road wins on their resume already. DePaul at least deserves consideration from all bracketologists and that is a significant step up from past seasons.

Auburn is the last team that I want to discuss here. Kentucky and Florida were widely projected to not only win the SEC this season but dominate. Yet, even after suffering substantial losses this offseason, it appears as though head coach Bruce Pearl has the Tigers playing at an elite level once again this year. They might not hold a true signature result to this point, but Auburn has four wins away from home, including three over KenPom top-100 opponents. The Tigers have been impressive as Samir Doughty has filled a starring role for the team.

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