Bracketology 2020 Projected Field: Duke, Rutgers falling

This past week did not yield all that many changes in the bracketology projected field but the No. 5-7 seeds remain a jumbled mess. Here’s our current 68.

The college basketball regular season is drawing to a close as teams across the country are preparing for their respective conference tournaments. With the postseason so near, it is time for bracketology to take center stage. Of course, the resumes that each team has put together to this point are incredibly important but these last few weeks will also have a major impact on the movement of the projected field. All results are counted the same on team sheets but desperate teams lead to some crazy finishes.

With another huge weekend approaching, my current projected field is poised for some potential shifts. Most notably, the No. 5-through-7 lines are extremely jumbled with similar resumes at this moment. If your favorite team is slotted as a No. 7 right now, do not be afraid as they could rise up two seed lines by the end of the weekend and vice versa for those that I have slotted on the No. 5.

Now, without any further ado, here is my updated projected field through Feb. 27th.

Midwest Region (Indianapolis, IN)

(1) Kansas vs. (16) North Carolina A&T/St. Francis-PA

(8) Saint Mary’s vs. (9) Indiana

(4) Kentucky vs. (13) North Texas

(5) Michigan State vs. (12) Liberty

(6) Wisconsin vs. (11) Stanford

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

(7) Marquette vs. (10) Rhode Island

(2) Maryland vs. (15) Wright State

Notable Mover: Wisconsin. The Badgers have been rolling lately as they are winners of five straight. Their most recent victory, though, was easily the most impressive as they were able to go on the road and take down Michigan. While Wisconsin boasts a very strong 8-7 record in Q1 games, it is just 4-3 in Q2+3 games and that is holding back its seeding a bit. A strong close to the season could see this team knocking on the door of higher seeds.

South Region (Houston, TX)

(1) Baylor vs. (16) Siena/Prairie View A&M

(8) Illinois vs. (9) Arizona State

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

(5) Ohio State vs. (12) Yale

(6) Colorado vs. (11) Rutgers/Utah State

(3) Seton Hall vs. (14) Belmont

(7) Houston vs. (10) Xavier

(2) Florida State vs. (15) UC Irvine

Notable Mover: Rutgers. While Wisconsin has been flying high out of the Big Ten recently, Rutgers has been falling in a hurry. The Scarlet Knights now find themselves among my “Last Four In” having lost six of their last eight games. This team has been dreadful away-from-home all season long and that does not look great on their team sheet. Rutgers’ final two regular-season games against Maryland (home) and Purdue (away) are both winnable but the team is trending in the wrong direction at the moment.

West Region (Los Angeles, CA)

(1) Gonzaga vs. (16) Montana

(8) LSU vs. (9) Texas Tech

(4) Oregon vs. (13) Vermont

(5) Michigan vs. (12) Providence/Arkansas

(6) Iowa vs. (11) Oklahoma

(3) Louisville vs. (14) Colgate

(7) BYU vs. (10) USC

(2) Creighton vs. (15) Little Rock

Notable Mover: Arkansas. The Razorbacks have won two in a row after losing eight of nine to get back into my projected field as the last team in. Here are some of my other thoughts on this team:

East Region (New York, NY)

(1) San Diego State vs. (16) Radford

(8) Florida vs. (9) Virginia

(4) Penn State vs. (13) Akron

(5) Butler vs. (12) Northern Iowa

(6) West Virginia vs. (11) Wichita State

(3) Villanova vs. (14) Hofstra

(7) Arizona vs. (10) East Tennessee State

(2) Dayton vs. (15) South Dakota State

Notable Mover: East Tennessee State. It will not be easy for East Tennessee State to snag an at-large bid at the end of this season but it is a possibility. The current SoCon favorite should keep its eyes set on winning the conference tournament but there are hopes for inclusion even with a bump in the road. The Buccaneers are 26-4 on the season and can boast a solid true road win over LSU as well. They have only one regular-season game left before the SoCon Tournament (vs. Western Carolina). If they do not snag the automatic bid, this team will be scoreboard watching for a week. They have been steadily moving up my S-Curve recently, though, simply because they have been winning while the rest of the bubble has collapsed. That bodes well. 

Last Four Byes: USC, Wichita State, Oklahoma, Stanford

Last Four In: Rutgers, Utah State, Providence, Arkansas

First Four Out: Cincinnati, NC State, Mississippi State, Richmond

Next Four Out: Purdue, Notre Dame, Alabama, Texas

That concludes this look at my bracketology projected field. Check back again after this exciting weekend on Tuesday morning for the next update. There will surely be plenty of changes.