Bracketology 2020 Projected Field: Texas Tech, Michigan falling

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 8: Led by committee chairman Mark Hollis (3rd from L), the NCAA Basketball Tournament Selection Committee meets on Wednesday afternoon, March 8, 2017 in New York City. The committee is gathered in New York to begin the five-day process of selecting and seeding the field of 68 teams for the NCAA MenÕs Basketball Tournament. The final bracket will be released on Sunday evening following the completion of conference tournaments. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) /

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PHILADELPHIA, PA – DECEMBER 21: Azubuike of the Jayhawks shoots. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

Midwest Region (Indianapolis, IN)

(1) Kansas vs. (16) Norfolk State/Robert Morris

(8) Arkansas vs. (9) USC

(4) Butler vs. (13) North Texas

(5) Penn State vs. (12) Yale

(6) LSU vs. (11) East Tennessee State

(3) Dayton vs. (14) New Mexico State

(7) Illinois vs. (10) BYU

(2) Duke vs. (15) Murray State

Dayton currently sits at the No. 3 line but it could easily jump another seed over the next couple of months. Even though the Flyers do not face top-level competition in the Atlantic 10, they are absolutely eviscerating every single opponent that they face while raising their national profile. Obi Toppin and Jalen Crutcher are the stars of the squad and Dayton boasts arguably the best offense in the country. The Flyers could legitimately go undefeated in the Atlantic 10 and that would warrant a further rise in bracketology. This team passes the eye test with flying colors in every single game that it plays.

Speaking of teams playing great basketball right now, Illinois is on a roll. Although the Fighting Illini’s resume isn’t the best in the country, it has improved drastically over the past few weeks while the team has rattled off six straight wins. Illinois now sits at 15-5 (7-2 B10) on the season and is in a tie for first place in arguably the best conference in the country. The team most recently secured back-to-back road wins over Purdue and Michigan to make a substantial rise in the projected field. With three of their next four games at home, the Fighting Illini could continue their climb.

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