The holiday rush is in full swing, and for most, league play is either underway or on the horizon. In the first month-plus of the season, statements were made, the freshmen class showed out while other teams stumbled and surprised. The initial NET rankings have been released, allowing resumes to be fully examined.
The Big Ten hasn’t won a national title in what they would tell you has been a lifetime, but they had an extremely strong first month. Vanderbilt is one of the top offensive teams in the country, Buffalo is off to an 8-0 start despite being picked to finish near the bottom of the MAC. While the Big East hasn’t gotten off to the strongest start, both Seton Hall and Butler have carried the conference with a combined 13-2 record with wins over NC State, Virginia, and South Carolina.
Now that the non-conference portion of the schedules is essentially over, the crux of the season is where these teams have a chance to show that their early-season results were either a mirage or not. Some teams end up on the nice list, finding themselves rising in the field, while others are falling down the chimney with a chance to dust themselves off and get back in the mix. Let’s take a look at the holiday version of the NCAA Tournament.
Midwest Region (Chicago)
Buffalo
1.) Michigan vs. 16.) Vermont
8.) Georgia vs. 9.) NC State
Portland
5.) Texas Tech vs.12.) UC-San Diego
4.) Tennessee vs. 13.) High Point
St. Louis
6.) Indiana vs. 11.) Dayton
3.) Louisville vs. 14.) New Mexico State
Oklahoma City
7.) Saint Mary's vs. 10.) SMU
2.) Houston vs. 15.) South Alabama
The No. 1 overall seed is the Michigan Wolverines, who are 7-0, the No. 1 team in the newly minted NET rankings, and hold a 40-point, yes 40, win over Gonzaga in Las Vegas. The Wolverines find themselves as the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region.
The No. 2 seed in the Midwest is the Houston Cougars, who are 7-1, with their lone loss to Tennessee, who happens to be the No. 4 seed in the region. The No. 4 seed is the Louisville Cardinals, who are 9th in the NET, but the Cardinals are less tested than others in this region, with a win over Kentucky as their only quad 1 win.
The No. 6 seed Indiana and No. 9 seed NC State are a couple of teams with new coaches who are off to strong starts. Once conference play starts, we will see what these teams are made of.
East Region (Washington D.C.)
Buffalo
1.) Purdue vs. 16.) Youngstown State
8.) Oklahoma State vs. 9.) Texas
Tampa
5.) Auburn vs. 12.) Akron
4.) North Carolina vs. 13.) McNeese State
Oklahoma City
6.) Florida vs. 11.) Utah State
3.) Iowa State vs. 14.) East Tenn. State
Philadelphia
7.) Nebraska vs. 10.)Wake Forest
2.) UConn vs. 15.) Siena
The Purdue Boilermakers are the No. 1 seed in the East Region thanks to a road win at Alabama and a very convincing win over Texas Tech. A team really flying under the radar, so to speak, is the No. 3 seed, the Iowa State Cyclones. TJ Otzelberger and company are undefeated, and outside of their 83-82 win over Saint John’s, their next closest margin of victory has been 16 points against Mississippi State.
North Carolina is a dangerous No. 4 seed in the East and the defending national champs, Florida, are the No. 6 seed in this region. The Gators do have a couple of losses already, but those are to Arizona, which is in the No. 1 seed conversation, and Jamie Dixon and TCU, who also beat Wisconsin and were beaten by Michigan by just four points.
South Region (Houston)
Greenville
1.) Duke vs. 16.) Southern/Tenn.-Martin
8.) Iowa vs. 9.) Seton Hall
Tampa
5.) Vanderbilt vs. 12.) Northern Iowa
4.) Illinois vs. 13.) UNC-Wilmington
Philadelphia
6.) Arkansas vs. 11.) Villanova/Miami
3.) Kansas vs.14.) Northern Colorado
St. Louis
7.) Baylor vs. 10.) Missouri
2.) Michigan State vs. 15.) Florida Gulf Coast
In the South Region, the Duke Blue Devils are the No. 1 seed and are led by star freshman Cameron Boozer, who, heading into the ACC-SEC Challenge against Florida on Tuesday, is averaging 22 points, nearly 10 rebounds, four assists, and 1.8 steals, leading the team in each of those categories. The No. 2 seed in Duke’s region is the Michigan State Spartans. Not many teams in the country have tested themselves as much as Tom Izzo’s Spartans. They already have wins over Arkansas, Kentucky, and North Carolina ahead of a game against Duke on Saturday.
Look out for the No. 5 seed in this region, Mark Byington’s Vanderbilt Commodores. Heading into December, the Commodores are second in the country in scoring at over 97 per game. The Commodores are 4th in the NET with wins over Saint Mary’s, UCF, and VCU in the non-conference.
West Region (San Jose)
San Diego
1.) Arizona vs. 16.) Cent. Conn. St./Howard
8.) Clemson vs. 9.) UCLA
San Diego
5.) St. John's vs. 12.) Tulsa
4.) BYU vs. 13.) Cal Baptist
Greenville
6.) Kentucky vs. 11.) Yale
3.) Alabama vs. 14.) St. Thomas
Portland
7.) USC vs. 10.)Butler/Virginia
2.) Gonzaga vs. 15.) Colgate
The final No. 1 seed is out west, and that distinction goes to the Arizona Wildcats. Arizona began the year by knocking off Florida and backed that up with a road win at UConn. Freshman Koa Peat has shown why he’s a probable lottery pick, leading the team in scoring (15.6 points), while adding 5.7 points and 2.9 rebounds.
No. 2 seed Gonzaga had been dominating opponents, reeling off seven straight wins before being humbled by Michigan in Las Vegas. The forward duo of Braden Huff and Graham Ike has been dominant for the Bulldogs, averaging 31 points and 31 rebounds. The track team known as the Alabama Crimson Tide is the No. 3 seed out west, and potential No. 1 draft pick AJ Dybantsa and BYU are also lurking about.
The Bubble
Last four in
The Big East and ACC account for the first four teams out of the field. Butler and Virginia will do battle as No. 10 seeds out west, with the winner taking on USC. The other matchup sees Villanova and Miami fighting for the right to take on No. 6 seed Arkansas in the South Region.
First four out
The first four teams out of the field are led by the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Buckeyes’ schedule has been less than daunting, with their best win being a 1-point win over Notre Dame. The other teams on the outside looking in are Oklahoma, Georgetown, and a surging TCU team with back-to-back wins over Wisconsin and Florida.
Next four out
The next four teams out of the field include the aforementioned Wisconsin Badgers, UCF, LSU, and Colorado. The Buffaloes are 8-0 heading into a game on Saturday with in-state rivals Colorado State, coming off wins over Washington and Colorado State.