The big guy in red is less than two weeks away from his arrival, and for some teams, that is exciting because they are surely on his nice list, while others have slipped and ended up on the other side of the ledger. Many teams have carried the momentum of early-season success into the latter part of their non-conference schedules.
One thing that sticks out in the first month of the season is that there are a lot of strong teams at the top. When it comes to bracketology and postseason play, that translates to strong resumes for the committee to consider when the time arrives, as well as high-level basketball that will captivate us in March once again. The latest projected field illustrates that strength and the number of teams looking for one of those coveted protected seeds. Let’s take a break from the frigid cold and warm up with a hot chocolate and the latest projected field.
Midwest Region (Chicago)
Buffalo
1.) Michigan vs. 16.) Norfolk State/Central Conn.
8.) Oklahoma State vs. 9.) Miami
Tampa
5.) Auburn vs. 12.) Akron
4.) Kansas vs. 13.) William &Mary
Greenville
6.) St. John's vs. 11.) Saint Louis
3.) Vanderbilt vs. 14.) Marshall
Philadelphia
7.) Virginia vs. 10.) Kentucky/California
2.) UConn vs. 15.) Saint Thomas
The Michigan Wolverines remain the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region and No. 1 overall seed. Dusty May’s team has dominating metrics to go along with neutral-site blowouts of Gonzaga and Auburn by an average of 35 points. Also in the Midwest are a couple of first-timers, William & Mary, which is one of the original teams not to have made the tournament, and St. Thomas, which is in their first year of eligibility.
East Region (Washington, D.C.)
Greenville
1.) Duke vs. 16.) Bethune Cookman/UMBC
8.) Georgia vs. 9.) UCF
Oklahoma City
5.) North Carolina vs. 12.) Belmont
4.) Nebraska vs. 13.) East Tennessee State
Oklahoma City
6.) USC vs. 11.) Utah State
3.) Houston vs. 14.) Sam Houston State
Philadelphia
7.) Seton Hall vs. 10.) NC State
2.) Michigan State vs. 15.) Lipscomb
The No. 1 seed in the East Region is the Duke Blue Devils. Duke is two weeks away from ACC play, and they already have wins over Michigan State, Florida, Arkansas, Kansas, and Texas, with a date with Texas Tech at MSG upcoming. The East Region is also home to two of the biggest surprises so far this season, No. 7 seed Seton Hall and No. 4 seed Nebraska.
West Region (San Jose)
San Diego
1.) Arizona vs. 16.) Northern Colorado
8.) UCLA vs. 9.) Butler
Portland
5.) Tennessee vs. 12.) UC-San Diego
4.) BYU vs. 13.) Stephen F. Austin
Tampa
6.) Texas Tech vs. 11.) Indiana/Syracuse
3.) Alabama vs. 14.) High Point
Portland
7.) Iowa vs. 10.) Notre Dame
2.) Gonzaga vs. 15.) Tennessee-Martin
Out west, the Arizona Wildcats are the No. 1 seed. Since knocking off Florida on opening night, Arizona has had a huge road win at UConn, wins over Auburn, UCLA, and a pseudo road win over Alabama. The West Region is full of some fantastic freshmen, with Koa Peat and Brayden Burries at Arizona, AJ Dybantsa with No. 4 BYU, and Nate Ament with No. 4 Tennessee.
South Region (Houston)
St. Louis
1.) Iowa State vs. 16.) Wright State
8.) Clemson vs. 9.) Ohio State
San Diego
5.) Illinois vs. 12.) Tulsa
4.) Arkansas vs. 13.) Utah Valley
St. Louis
6.) Florida vs. 11.) Yale
3.) Louisville vs. 14.) Siena
Buffalo
7.) Saint Mary's vs. 10.) SMU
2.) Purdue vs. 15.) Colgate
The South Region’s top seed is another Big 12 team, TJ Otzelberger’s Iowa State Cyclones. Going into Mackey Arena and beating Purdue by 23 has vaulted them into the No. 1 seed conversation. In the South, No. 3 Louisville and Pat Kelsey against the defending champs, No. 6 Florida, in the second round would be as intriguing as it gets.
The Bubble
Last four in
In the edition of the bracket, the last four in include a couple of the sport’s blue bloods. Kentucky is the first team out of the field. They have a date in Dayton with California for the right to play No. 7 Virginia. Indiana is also in this group, they do battle with Syracuse where the winner goes to the West Region to face No. 6 seed Texas Tech.
On the wrong side of the bubble
The first eight teams on the wrong side of the bubble looks like a Big 12 reunion as six of the eight are either currently in the conference or were once a member. Baylor, TCU, Oklahoma, and Colorado are the first four teams out of the field. Arizona State’s comeback win over Santa Clara has vaulted the Sun Devils to the top of the next group out. Villanova and Virginia Tech are the two teams that have broken up the Big 12 reunion, with Texas also among the next four out of the field.