Bracketology Projected Field: Ohio State, Butler among midweek risers

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - FEBRUARY 05: Sean McDermott #22, Jordan Tucker #1 and Bryce Nze #10 of the Butler Bulldogs celebrate after their win over the Villanova Wildcats at Hinkle Fieldhouse on February 05, 2020 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Bulldogs defeated the Wildcats 79-76. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

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AUBURN, AL – FEBRUARY 01: Auburn Tigers react. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) /

Midwest Region (Indianapolis, IN)

(1) Kansas vs. (16) Robert Morris/North Carolina A&T

(8) Wichita State vs. (9) Arkansas

(4) Auburn vs. (13) Stephen F. Austin

(5) Michigan State vs. (12) Virginia/Oklahoma

(6) Ohio State vs. (11) Northern Iowa

(3) Butler vs. (14) Wright State

(7) Illinois vs. (10) BYU

(2) Dayton vs. (15) Little Rock

I’ve already touched on Auburn very briefly in the introduction but this team has a very difficult resume to figure out. With only two losses for the entire year, the Tigers belong in the Top 16 but their lack of top-tier wins really limits their seed ceiling at this moment. They are slotted at just 17th in the NET and their average efficiency metrics rank outside of the Top 20. Auburn’s resume only featured three Q1 wins and it is hard to determine where this team belongs in the s-curve as a result. I am pegging the Tigers as a No. 4 seed but I wouldn’t be shocked if the committee places them higher on Saturday.

The other team that I want to discuss from this region is Northern Iowa. The automatic bid selection from the Missouri Valley in this bracketology, the Panthers are taking advantage of a weak bubble to emerge as an at-large candidate. They are just 3-1 in Q1+2 games with two Q3 losses and that is concerning. With that said, though, UNI ranks Top 55 in every metric and only has three losses. Winning percentage matters and Northern Iowa wins…a lot. The Panthers’ road win over Colorado is also aging well.

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