One of the biggest clichés in sports is that regular seasons are a marathon, not a sprint. With Christmas arriving this week, tart means college basketball's marathon is reaching its toughest section of the course. This is where the hills attack, separating those that can contend for titles from those that merely got off to strong starts. Conference play is here.
One thing is for certain: after nearly two months of action, there are a lot of really good teams in college basketball, and that bodes well for the rest of the year. From No. 1 Arizona and dominant performances from Michigan and Gonzaga to surprises like Vanderbilt and Nebraska, the rest of the year should be really fun. As we wait to unwrap presents later this week, let's unwrap the latest projected field of 68.
Midwest Region (Chicago)
Buffalo
1.) Michigan vs. 16.) Colgate
8.) Clemson vs. 9.) Oklahoma State
Oklahoma City
5.) Louisville vs. 12.) Belmont
4.) Kansas vs. 13.) Sam Houston State
Greenville
6.) St. John's vs. 11.) St. Louis
3.) Vanderbilt vs. 14.) High Point
St. Louis
7.) Iowa vs. 10.) Kentucky
2.) Iowa State vs. 15.) Vermont
The Michigan Wolverines keep rolling with a 10-0 record heading into their Sunday matchup with LaSalle. As a result, Dusty May’s team, with five road or neutral-site wins over the first two quads, remains the top seed in the South Region. Also in the south are two strong teams from Nashville that look like they will enter the new year with eyes on a conference title. No. 3 seed Vanderbilt is undefeated with two non-conference games remaining before league play. No. 12 Belmont was picked to finish 5th in the Missouri Valley and is 12-1 with league play getting started in earnest next week.
West Region (San Diego)
San Diego
1.) Arizona vs. 16.) Grambling St./Howard
8.) Saint Mary's vs. 9.) Oklahoma
Philadelphia
5.) Tennessee vs. 12.) UC-San Diego
4.) Nebraska vs. 13.) Akron
Tampa
6.) Florida vs. 11.) Butler/Indiana
3.) North Carolina vs. 14.) Mercer
Portland
7.) Auburn vs.10.) SMU
2.) Gonzaga vs. 15.) Idaho State
After a win over San Diego State on Saturday, the Arizona Wildcats are still the top seed in the West Region. The Wildcats enter Sunday with top-3 rankings in all six metrics and four quad 1 wins, all of which are either road or neutral-floor wins. Perhaps second on the list of surprise teams so far this season are the No. 4 seed in the west and undefeated Nebraska Cornhuskers, who look like they will be undefeated as they enter the new year undefeated with a home tilt against Michigan State on Jan. 2.
East Region (Washington, D.C.)
Greenville
1.) Duke vs. 16.) Marshall
8.) UCLA vs. 9.) UCF
Oklahoma City
5.) Illinois vs. 12.) Tulsa
4.) Texas Tech vs. 13.) William & Mary
Tampa
6.) Seton Hall vs. 11.) Ohio State/Notre Dame
3.) Alabama vs. 14.) Lipscomb
St. Louis
7.) Georgia vs. 10.) NC State
2.) Purdue vs. 15.) Quinnipiac
Despite being knocked from the ranks of the unbeaten by Texas Tech on Saturday night, the Duke Blue Devils are still the top seed in the East Region. Even after the loss to Texas Tech, Duke still holds four top-25 NET wins before league play. Speaking of surprise teams, there may not be a bigger surprise than Shaheen Holloway’s Seton Hall Pirates. Picked to finish dead last in the Big East, the Pirates are 11-1 with double-digit wins over NC State, Kansas State, and Rutgers.
South Region (Houston)
Philadelphia
1.) UConn vs. 16.) Tennessee-Martin/LIU
8.) Miami vs. 9.) Arizona State
San Diego
5.) Arkansas vs. 12.) McNeese State
4.) Houston vs. 13.) Utah Valley
Portland
6.) USC vs. 11.) Yale
3.) BYU vs. 14.) Oakland
Buffalo
7.) Virginia vs. 10.) Utah State
2.) Michigan State vs. 15.) St. Thomas
The South Region sees a new No. 1 seed in the field as the UConn Huskies reach the top line. An improving metrics profile and wins over Illinois, Kansas, Florida, and BYU have vaulted the Huskies into the No. 1 seed conversation. The rest of the South Region has John Calipari (Arkansas), Tom Izzo (Michigan State), and Kelvin Sampson (Houston) in addition to Dan Hurley’s Huskies. The South Region would be a March coaches’ clinic.
The Bubble
Last four in
The last four teams in the field consist of a couple of Big Ten teams, Indiana and Ohio State, along with Butler and Notre Dame. Indiana finds itself in the West Region in a game against Butler, with the winner taking on the No. 6 seed and defending champ, Florida. The other game has the Ohio State Buckeyes battling Notre Dame, with the winner heading to the East Region to take on the Seton Hall Pirates. It is still really early, and the bubble is constantly changing; a couple of strong league wins can dramatically change things.
Next in line
The same can be said for those just outside of the field. A winning streak, and suddenly, they are likely on the right side of the bubble. As of now, the first four teams out are California, Boise State, which suffered a loss at Nevada on Saturday, Villanova, and Baylor. The next four in line include Texas, Wake Forest, another Mountain West team, New Mexico, and TCU. With league play beginning, these teams can climb the seed list quickly.