This week, it is our colleague John Stalica’s turn to fill in the weekly bracket for Hoops HD. This is not to be confused with what our colleague Jon Teitel does every week when he attempts to guess the Selection Committee; rather, this is who Stalica feels should be in the field as of games played through last night. This is what he came up with:
First Four Out: Auburn, Virginia Tech, Ohio State, San Diego State
Worth A Look: UCLA, Santa Clara, Oklahoma State, West Virginia, Seton Hall, Stanford
COMMENTS FROM JOHN:
– With UConn having taken a couple of losses in the past week, the Huskies have now fallen off of the 1 line and Iowa State has stormed into their place. Wins against Kansas and Houston will do that for you, and that’s on top of a profile that already featured a blowout win at Purdue.
– I still have Texas Tech as a 3 seed for now (especially with three wins against potential #1 seeds), but the makeup of the team changed for the worse with JT Toppin’s season-ending injury earlier this week. We’ll see in the next few games as to whether or not they’re able to maintain their spot in this territory.
– NC State and Miami got off to slow starts, but I have been very impressed with each team of late. They’re playing with a sense of urgency that was missing at the beginning of the year. Teams like Georgia and UCF finally showed likewise earlier this week, but they are by no means safe.
– I had a tough time trying to figure out what to do with Auburn; they have a bunch of great wins on their profile, but 12 losses is just one too many (even with the #1 strength of schedule) right now. They have the quality of wins to be in the top half of the bracket, but not the quantity.
– I’ve finally put Ohio State into my First Four Out; while the Buckeyes quietly have put together a few wins against the NCAA Tournament field, they’ve all been at home. They need to start winning games outside of Columbus ASAP.
STAFF COMMENTS:
COMMENTS FROM DAVID:
-Stalica knows this, but did not say it. Michigan is in Philadelphia because they have requested to be sent there if they are the overall #1 seed even though Buffalo is closer. One of the perks of being the overall #1 is they will send you wherever you want whether it’s the closest site or not.
-I have been really rough on Ohio State all season long. In fact, I’ve dismissed anyone who thought they should be included as having brain trauma. But…I gotta admit…they’ve looked really good in their last couple of games. They look like an NCAA Tournament team, and if they play like that the rest of the way I think they will get the wins they need to make the field.
-This happens every year, and I get that it happens every year, and I get HOW it happens every year, but nevertheless…if I was a 5 seed in this bracket, and I had my choice of facing any team on the 9 line or any team on the 12 line, I think I’d actually rather play the 9 seeds.
COMMENTS FROM CHAD:
I agree that UConn is off the 1 line (for now), but I would have narrowly chosen Houston over Iowa State. It is a close call and Iowa State did win head-to-head, but the game was at Iowa State so (as Griggs would say), it did not count. I am not a huge fan of all the Metrics, but the three main predictive ones (BPI, Torvik and KenPom) all favor Houston. Houston’s WAB is also better. Those numbers broke the tie for me.
I love putting Tennessee on the 5 line. As other teams have started to stumble late in the season, the Vols resume just keeps looking better and better. This is a team that has not almost flown under the radar all season, but is now within striking distance of a top 4 seed, especially with a big game at Vanderbilt this weekend.
Miami (the Florida one) is playing great right now, but I have no idea what John is smoking putting them on the 6 line. This team has only two wins against teams in the field, and only one of them came away from home. They also have a very bad home loss to Florida State. Predictive metrics would call this team a 10 or 11 seed, and that is where they belong.
I am also impressed by his double inclusion of Mother Miami — both as a 9 seed in the South and a 10 seed in the West. If a team is undefeated, they deserve two bids!!!! By the time this is posted, John may fix this. But I don’t care, my comment stands! (Note from Stalica – there was a bug in the workbook I was using – “Mother Miami” appeared where I have Saint Mary’s listed on the 10 line)
I disgaree with John about a few teams he left out, the most notable of which was Santa Clara. The Broncos, in my opinion, need to be in this field. They have a must win game this weekend at San Francisco then a huge chance to sweep St. Mary’s next week. If they can win both games, I don’t think there is any way they can be left out.
All in all, other than multiple issues with teams named Miami, I think John did a solid job. I give his field a B+, which would equate to an A+ if graded on a curve against Griggs’ last bracket.
There weren’t too many surprises last night, but the game of the night came from an odd place – it was in the Atlantic Sun where conference leader Austin Peay paid a visit to North Florida. The game was tied 75-75 in the closing seconds of regulation when Austin Peay called a timeout. One small problem – they did not have a timeout and were assessed a technical foul as a result. UNF hit one of two technical free throws to take a 1-point lead, but the Govs were able to inbound the ball and hit a buzzer-beating shot to escape with a 77-76 win. They maintain a 1-game lead over Central Arkansas in the A-Sun standings.
The other result of note was Hawai’i losing at home to Cal Poly; as a result the Warriors drop into 2nd place by a full game. It also meant that Cal State-Bakersfield was eliminated from qualifying for the Big West Tournament.
-In the Ohio Valley, UT Martin has now lost four of their last five, and perhaps none more spectacularly than they did last night against Little Rock. They had the ball with the shot clock off and the game tied with a shot to win it, but dribbled into traffic, turned it over, and Little Rock got a game winning transition layup as time expired to win 67-65. UT Martin, who at one point appeared to be running away from the rest of the OVC, has now dropped down to 4th place.
As mentioned, Cal State-Bakersfield was eliminated last night, dropping us to 354 teams remaining. Niagara can be eliminated tonight with a loss at Mount St Mary’s combined with an Iona win at home over St. Peter’s.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
Akron at Ball State (6:30 PM, CBS Sports Network) The MAC takes center stage tonight on CBS Sports Network as the Zips maintain pressure on the Miami Redhawks for the top seed in the conference tournament. Akron shouldn’t have much trouble in this one.
VCU at Saint Louis (7:00 PM, ESPN2) The Billikens are coming off of their first loss in conference play and will be hosting a VCU team that is desperate to beat a tournament quality team. Getting a road win against said team would be a bigger feather in the cap for the Rams.
Green Bay at Oakland (7:00 PM, ESPN+) Good luck trying to pick a winner in the Horizon League this year. Doug Gottlieb will be in the penalty box for one game as a result of his postgame comments following Green Bay’s loss at Milwaukee on Sunday.
Indiana at Purdue (8:00, FOX) The Hoosiers have already won the first contest between these in-state rivals and will be looking for an elusive series sweep against the Boilers. Purdue will come into tonight in a bad mood after getting pummeled at home against Michigan earlier in the week.
Siena at Merrimack (8:00 PM, ESPNU) Merrimack has a chance to widen the gap between themselves and the rest of the Metro Atlantic as they host the 3rd place Siena Saints tonight.
Bowling Green at Mother Miami (8:30 PM, CBS Sports Network) With each passing game the spotlight grows brighter on the Miami Redhawks as they look to remain unbeaten with their second matchup against the Falcons. This is Miami’s penultimate game at Millett Hall this year.
With the Puppet appearing in court with Chad taking a day off from the daily writeup, John Stalica will be filling in for today’s UTR showcase of games.
-Last night may have featured one of the games of the year in the country, if not THE game of the year. Arkansas raced out to a 10-point halftime lead and threatened to run away with the game early in the 2nd half until Alabama had a stretch of 9 made shots that brought the game even. Two overtimes later, the Crimson Tide ended up with a 117-115 victory over the Hogs despite Darius Acuff’s game-high 49 points for Arkansas.
-Another surprise last night took place in Storrs, Connecticut where the schizophrenic Creighton Bluejays took control in the final 10 minutes of the game to get a huge road win. It’s too late for Creighton’s at-large hopes, but this game may end the Huskies’ hope of a #1 regional seed.
-In fact, if you count Villanova’s win at Xavier on Tuesday, all the road teams in the Big East came away with wins. This also meant DePaul getting a win at Seton Hall that now means the Pirates better win the Big East auto bid if they want to make the NCAA Tournament.
-Missouri jumped out to a 21-point lead at home against Vanderbilt before the Commodores made a frantic 2nd half comeback to make the final margin much closer. However, Vandy’s desperation half-court shot rolled around the rim and Mizzou survived with a much-needed win at home against Vandy.
-Texas A&M trailed for most of their game at home against a flailing Ole Miss team, but the Rebels had a Xavier-like meltdown in the final four minutes and the Aggies ended up winning 80-77 in a game they absolutely could not throw away.
-While Virginia was mauling Georgia Tech in ACC play, Clemson lost its 3rd straight game after a stumble at Wake Forest. The Tigers have gone from a team with an outside shot at winning the ACC regular season title to a team that may actually end up in the bottom half of the bracket.
-Arizona and Kansas won comfortably last night; Gonzaga and Illinois both secured road blowouts in their games as well. With Illinois putting a pasting on USC, this puts the Trojans in a real shaky spot after Ohio State’s win on Tuesday against Wisconsin (albeit a homecourt hero in the Buckeyes).
-Both Auburn and West Virginia weren’t so lucky. Auburn lost at Mississippi State to drop to 14-12 overall and West Virginia lost at home to a Utah team that was a possible Stallings Award candidate. West Virginia was already a longshot to make the field, but that shot just went out the window.
-Navy blew out Lehigh 72-49 to capture their first outright regular season conference championship since the 1996-97 season and fourth overall in program history. The Midshipmen are now assured of home court advantage for the entire Patriot League Tournament.
-Troy also played with fire against a Centenary candidate in Louisiana-Monroe, but the Trojans ended up winning by a point to remain in contention for the top seed in the Sun Belt conference tournament.
-UTSA’s loss last night made them the 5th regular season elimination. One more is possible tonight in the Big West. The loser of the Cal State-Bakersfield at UC-Riverside game will be eliminated *IF* Cal Poly wins at Hawai’i.
America East
–Vermont at UMBC (6:00 PM, ESPN+) This will be the first leg of a 2-game roadtrip that could either vault Vermont back to the top of the league or potentially relegate them to third place and a rare road trip in the America East semifinals when the conference tournament kicks off.
–Binghamton at Bryant (6:00 PM, ESPN+) Binghamton will be on the brink of elimination from qualifying for the America East tournament with a loss.
–Albany at NJIT (7:00 PM, ESPN+) The NJIT Highlanders currently have a half game lead over UMBC and a 1 game lead over Vermont in the conference standings, but cannot afford to look past Albany in tonight’s game.
American
–Memphis at South Florida (7:00 PM, ESPN2) Tulsa’s recent 3-game losing streak has now given South Florida a 2-game lead over Tulsa and Wichita State in the American standings; this will be the first of two meetings between the Bulls and the Memphis Tigers in the next 2 weeks.
Atlantic Sun
–Austin Peay at North Florida (7:00 PM, ESPN+) Austin Peay currently holds a 1-game lead over Central Arkansas in the A-Sun standings; this will be the first of 2 games that the Govs will play in the city of Jacksonville this weekend.
–Central Arkansas at Stetson (8:00 PM, ESPN+) Central Arkansas begins a 3-game road trip with a weekend swing at Stetson and Florida Gulf Coast; the final game of the road trip will be a critical test at Austin Peay next week.
Big Sky
–Idaho at Portland State (9:00 PM, ESPNU) Fresh off a victory in the battle for King Spud, Idaho travels to conference leader Portland State tonight. A win could potentially put the Vandals into the top 6 in the conference and out of the first round of the Big Sky Tournament.
Big South
–South Carolina Upstate at Winthrop (6:30 PM, ESPN+) Winthrop has won 11 straight games since opening conference play with a loss at Longwood in the Winwood Cup. They will be looking for consecutive win #12 going into a road game at High Point on Saturday.
–UNC Asheville at High Point (7:00 PM, ESPNU) High Point currently has the worst rated strength of schedule in the country, although it figures to improve slightly with a 2-game homestand against UNC-A and Winthrop this week.
Big West
–UC Irvine at Long Beach State (10:00 PM, ESPN+) With UC-Santa Barbara and Hawai’i also fighting for first place in the conference, UC Irvine highlights tonight’s conference action with the second leg of the Black and Blue Rivalry with The Beach. After tonight, the Anteaters finish Big West play with 4 of their final games at home (including the Gauch Eater Cup against UCSB).
Coastal
–Monmouth at UNC-Wilmington (7:00 PM, FloHoops) UNC-W will play three of their next four games at home, two of which will come against 3rd-place Monmouth and 2nd-place Charleston.
Conference USA
–Florida International at Liberty (6:00 PM, CBS Sports Network) With Saint Louis falling Tuesday at Rhody, Liberty and the Miami Redhawks are the only two remaining teams undefeated in conference play. A win and a SHSU loss gives Liberty no worse than a tie for first in the regular season standings.
Horizon League
–IU Indianapolis at Wright State (7:00 PM, ESPN+) I’d say that Wright State should win in a breeze, but parity has hit this league harder than others. Ask Oakland about their 20+ point loss at home against the Jags back in January.
NEC
–Le Moyne at Central Connecticut (7:00 PM, NEC Front Row) Both teams are tied for second place in the conference and are three games behind Long Island. The winner has an inside track for home court advantage in the semifinals of the conference tournament. That of course assumes no chaos that usually upends the bracket in this conference.
Ohio Valley
–Lindenwood at Tennessee State (8:30 PM, ESPN+) With UT-Martin losing a makeup game earlier this week, Tennessee State is back to within a game of the Skyhawks in the conference standings. Also keep an eye on Morehead State who is only a game back of UTM.
Sun Belt
–Marshall at Appalachian State (6:30 PM, ESPN+) App State starts their final homestand of the year tonight with a game against a Marshall team that is a half game back (along with South Alabama and Troy) of the Mountaineers. The top 2 seeds get a bye into the Sun Belt semifinals; the 3rd and 4th seeds enter the Stairway To Seven in the quarterfinal round.
WAC
–California Baptist at Utah Valley (8:00 PM) As of right now, there is no live stream of the game due to the WAC’s dispute with Utah Valley. A real shame here because this would have been my legacy UTR Game of the Day.
-FLORIDA ATLANTIC AT UTSA (Conference USA). UTSA is eliminated with a loss tonight.
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NEWS AND NOTES:
-Michigan led by as much as 20 in the 1st half over Purdue and while Purdue was able to make the final score decently respectable at 91-80, Michigan absolutely dominated this game on the road and at no point did it ever seem like they would not easily win it.
-Nebraska lost a tight one on the road at Iowa 57-52, which is their fourth loss in their last six games. All four of those losses came against very good teams in games that were close, but they need to start stringing together wins again in order to sustain a protected seed. For Iowa, it was one of their biggest wins of the year even though it came at home.
-Texas Tech followed up their massive win at Arizona over the weekend with a head-scratching 72-67 loss at Arizona State last night. Well…I guess you can say they split the Arizona road trip, which is what most of us were expecting them to do!
-NC State absolutely flattened North Carolina 82-58 and perhaps exercised some recent frustrations in that game. Blowing out a rival at home will make you forget a lot of recent frustrations. It’s another big win for the Wolfpack and one they needed to help keep their resume strong.
-Saint Louis, who came into the game with just one loss, fell at Rhode Island 81-76 in one of the biggest upsets of the night. Saint Louis is still in solid shape and will almost assuredly land in the top half of the bracket, but is not likely to end up as a protected seed.
-SMU got a big win that they really needed at home against Louisville 95-85. Louisville continues to play like a C- level team on the road. Good enough, but not great.
-Ohio State, who had lost a close one to Virginia over the weekend, beat a really good Wisconsin team rather handily last night 86-69. This is one the Buckeyes really needed. They are now playing like a team that can make the NCAA Tournament and they certainly have the opportunities they need ahead of them.
-Villanova got a scare from Xavier, but escaped 92-89 in overtime. Xavier had a chance to either win or force a second OT on their last possession, but came up empty and turned it over.
-UCF knocked off TCU 82-71 in a game that was highly pivotal for both teams. UCF had been in a bit of a skid, so this was a big bounce back win for them.
-Miami FL keeps winning. They got a scare from a Virginia Tech team that’s right on the bubble and who really could have used the win themselves last night, but escaped 67-66. Miami has now won six of their last seven and beaten North Carolina, NC State, and VA Tech in their last three games.
-Georgia, who had been in a complete tailspin, got a massive win at Kentucky last night that they really needed. Kentucky made a run late in the game, which they seemingly always do, but this time they could not pull out the win. UGA picked up one they really needed 86-78.
-San Diego State fell at home to Grand Canyon 73-63, and I’m now thinking that one of the games San Diego State needs to win to make the NCAA Tournament is that last Mountain West Tournament game.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-ARKANSAS AT ALABAMA (SEC). Both teams are ranked in the 20s, are easily in the top half of the bracket, and perhaps still have a path to a protected seed depending on how things play out. This would be a huge road win for Arkansas if they can pull it off. It would also be a good win for the Tide.
-BYU AT ARIZONA (Big 12). Arizona has lost two straight, but the games were at Kansas and to Texas Tech, so both were really tough games to win. They should be able to win this one tonight. BYU just isn’t the same since being hit with injuries and appears to be in a bit of a tailspin.
-VANDERBILT AT MISSOURI (SEC). Vandy has been projected as a protected seed by us for pretty much the entire season. Missouri is right on the bubble and while they had been playing well, they did not look good in their last game and really need to win this one tonight to help them stay positioned to make the field.
-ILLINOIS AT USC (Big Ten). Illinois has been playing really well, but this is a tough road game against a USC team that really needs this win to help secure a spot in the field. Illinois is a solid protected seed and USC is hovering around the bubble. A win for Illinois helps them continue to climb the seedlist and a win for USC helps give them some much needed stability.
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
-Creighton @ Connecticut (Big East) – UConn doesn’t always play up to their ceiling against lower level teams, but they still almost always play well enough to win and should win tonight
-Clemson @ Wake Forest (ACC) – Clemson has lost two straight and will be tested on the road again tonight, but this is one that they should be able to win
–Ole Miss @ Texas A&M (SEC) – this is game that TAMU really needs to win. They’ve lost four straight and their schedule gets harder after tonight. They have to be able to win at home against a team that’s nowhere near the bubble
-Oklahoma @ Tennessee (SEC) – Oklahoma has struggled this year and Tennessee should be able to pick this one up at home
-DePaul @ Seton Hall (Big East) – Seton Hall simply cannot afford to lose this game
-Utah @ West Virginia (Big 12) – West Virginia has a path to land inside the bubble if they can finish the season strong. They need to hold serve in games like this one
-Kansas @ Oklahoma State (Big 12) – this isn’t the easiest game to win seeing as how it’s on the road, but it’s one that Kansas should still be able to win
-Virginia @ Georgia Tech (ACC) – Virginia is a likely protected seed and should be able to get another road win tonight
-Saint John’s @ Marquette (Big East) – The Johnnies are really playing well now and should roll through this one tonight even though it’s a road game.
-Saint Mary’s @ Seattle U (West Coast) – this may be a bit of a test for SMC, but it’s one they need to pass. The top of their resume is not that strong so they need to keep holding serve
-Auburn @ Mississippi State (SEC) – Auburn is inside the bubble, but after four straight losses they are going in the complete wrong direction. They need to win this game tonight or they may slip outside the bubble
-Boise State @ Utah State (Mountain West) – Utah State will land safely inside the bubble and likely be in the top half of the bracket if they can win out, which they are certainly good enough to do
-Gonzaga @ San Francisco (West Coast) – San Francisco has had a disappointing season, but they are talented and this may prove to be a bit of a tough road test for the Zags. Having said that, it’s still one the Zags should win
UTR WATCH:
-East Tennessee State @ Furman (SoCon) – East Tennessee State has a two game lead in the SoCon standings, but will likely be tested on the road tonight
-Troy @ UL Monroe (Sun Belt) – Troy has lost their lead in the Sun Belt, but should be able to easily get this one on the road tonight
-North Dakota State @ South Dakota State (Summit League) – North Dakota State has a two game lead in the Summit standings and while this will likely be a tough road game it is certainly one they can win
Tonight’s feature conference is the Sun Belt, where the top six teams are separated by just one game and the top eight by just two games. This has added importance for the rest of the regular season because of the extension format that they use for the conference tournament. Troy appeared to be the best team a few weeks ago, but they’ve hit a skid and lost their lead. Marshall is looking good, James Madison is coming on strong, Appalachian State is in first place, and South Alabama is potentially dangerous. It should be a fun rest of the season!
From there we run through the other 22 UTR conferences. Liberty and Navy are on the verge of clinching 1st place in their conferences. Stephen F Austin is a potentially dangerous team that is just two wins away from clinching the Southland. The OVC is also logjammed with six teams that can still end up in 1st place. Belmont is looking really strong out of the Missouri Valley. We discuss all that, and more! And, as we do every week, we close with this week’s UTR Top Ten.
-Houston had a 10pt lead over Iowa State in the second half, but Iowa State finished the game on a strong run and made some big defensive plays down the stretch to escape with a huge 70-67 win. This was a game between two heavyweights. Both are likely protected seeds and both are likely to go deep into the tournament, so it was more of a litmus test for both teams than it was a must-win.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-MICHIGAN AT PURDUE (Big Ten). Michigan is back at #1 in the rankings and they have one of their toughest tests of the year coming up tonight at Purdue. The Boilers are a top ten team that could still reach the 1-line depending on how the rest of the season plays out, but they’ll need a win tonight. It should be a wild atmosphere and a fun game.
-NORTH CAROLINA AT NC STATE (ACC). This is a tough road game against a rival for the Tarheels, but they’ve managed road wins against Kentucky and Virginia and they’re certainly capable of winning this one. NC State is probably a tournament team and up until about a week ago they’d looked really solid, but they’ve now lost two straight and need to bounce back from that. A win tonight would be a huge momentum win for them both on and off paper.
-TCU AT UCF (Big 12). This is not the biggest showcase of the night, but it is one of the most important games. TCU is right on the bubble and this is a hugely pivotal game for them. A win probably puts them on the right side of it (at least for now). UCF has hit a bit of a skid and needs to pull themselves out of it, so the game has a pivotal feel for them as well.
-VIRGINIA TECH AT MIAMI FL (ACC). This is another big game as VA Tech is fighting to get on the right side of the bubble and Miami is looking to secure themselves a spot in the field. The Canes have won three in a row and two of those came against NC State and North Carolina, so they’re trending up right now.
-WISCONSIN AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten). Wisconsin is suddenly one of the hottest teams in the country with wins over Illinois and Michigan State last week. They go on the road today to face an Ohio State team that needs some big wins between now and the end of the season in order to make the field.
-NEBRASKA AT IOWA (Big Ten). Nebraska appears to be a solid protected seed. This is not an easy game to win, but it’s the kind of game that a protected seed caliber team can win. Iowa is pretty much in the middle of our brackets right now. This would be one of their better wins of the year and it would boost the value of their resume if they’re able to pull it off.
-GEORGIA AT KENTUCKY (SEC). Georgia is going in the complete wrong direction and needs a win to get things turned back around. Winning tonight won’t be easy. Kentucky is a solid team that’s looking to bounce back from a loss at Florida over the weekend.
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
-Villanova @ Xavier (Big East) – Xavier has played well at times and Nova doesn’t want to just overlook them, but it’s still the kind of game that Nova should win
-South Carolina @ Florida (SEC) – The Gators should be able to hold serve at home in this one
-Miami OH @ UMass (MAC) – the first meeting between these two was a battle and now Miami has to go on the road, but the Red Hawks have been playing better in their last few games and may have an easier time tonight
-George Washington @ VCU (Atlantic 10) – VCU should be able to hold serve in this one and stay within reach of the bubble
-SEMO @ UT Martin (Ohio Valley) – UT Martin is still in 1st place, but barely. They face one of the better teams in the league tonight in a game that should really impact the standings
-Air Force @ New Mexico (Mountain West) – New Mexico needs a strong finish to the season in order to get selected.
-LSU @ Texas (SEC) – Texas has been playing well lately and needs to hold serve at home
-Grand Canyon @ San Diego State (Mountain West) – San Diego State can get inside the bubble, but they need to pretty much win out in order to do it
-Texas Tech @ Arizona State (Big 12) – Texas Tech is coming off one of the biggest wins of the year and should be able to take care of business on the road tonight
Hoops HD Staff Bracket – Friday, February 20th
This week, it is our colleague John Stalica’s turn to fill in the weekly bracket for Hoops HD. This is not to be confused with what our colleague Jon Teitel does every week when he attempts to guess the Selection Committee; rather, this is who Stalica feels should be in the field as of games played through last night. This is what he came up with:
First Four Out: Auburn, Virginia Tech, Ohio State, San Diego State
Worth A Look: UCLA, Santa Clara, Oklahoma State, West Virginia, Seton Hall, Stanford
COMMENTS FROM JOHN:
– With UConn having taken a couple of losses in the past week, the Huskies have now fallen off of the 1 line and Iowa State has stormed into their place. Wins against Kansas and Houston will do that for you, and that’s on top of a profile that already featured a blowout win at Purdue.
– I still have Texas Tech as a 3 seed for now (especially with three wins against potential #1 seeds), but the makeup of the team changed for the worse with JT Toppin’s season-ending injury earlier this week. We’ll see in the next few games as to whether or not they’re able to maintain their spot in this territory.
– NC State and Miami got off to slow starts, but I have been very impressed with each team of late. They’re playing with a sense of urgency that was missing at the beginning of the year. Teams like Georgia and UCF finally showed likewise earlier this week, but they are by no means safe.
– I had a tough time trying to figure out what to do with Auburn; they have a bunch of great wins on their profile, but 12 losses is just one too many (even with the #1 strength of schedule) right now. They have the quality of wins to be in the top half of the bracket, but not the quantity.
– I’ve finally put Ohio State into my First Four Out; while the Buckeyes quietly have put together a few wins against the NCAA Tournament field, they’ve all been at home. They need to start winning games outside of Columbus ASAP.
STAFF COMMENTS:
COMMENTS FROM DAVID:
-Stalica knows this, but did not say it. Michigan is in Philadelphia because they have requested to be sent there if they are the overall #1 seed even though Buffalo is closer. One of the perks of being the overall #1 is they will send you wherever you want whether it’s the closest site or not.
-I have been really rough on Ohio State all season long. In fact, I’ve dismissed anyone who thought they should be included as having brain trauma. But…I gotta admit…they’ve looked really good in their last couple of games. They look like an NCAA Tournament team, and if they play like that the rest of the way I think they will get the wins they need to make the field.
-This happens every year, and I get that it happens every year, and I get HOW it happens every year, but nevertheless…if I was a 5 seed in this bracket, and I had my choice of facing any team on the 9 line or any team on the 12 line, I think I’d actually rather play the 9 seeds.
COMMENTS FROM CHAD: