Monday, January 31, 2011

B101's Questions For The Competition

Questions For The Competition is a weekly column that addresses our issues with the brackets of other bracketology "experts." Today's questions are reserved for ESPN's Joe Lunardi and SI.com's Andy Glockner. Keep in mind that these questions are about each expert's most recent brackets, which were released before Monday's games.

Joe Lunardi (ESPN) - Jan. 31 Bracket
Is their a better example of why "season ending today" brackets are flawed than Alabama (and their one Top 50 win and 116 RPI) getting the SEC automatic bid this week? Talk about a lazy move.

Kansas State and Butler are still in as at-larges? Are you sure this isn't your bracket from two weeks ago?

Seriously, how in the world would Kansas State deserve an at-large if the season ended today? Because of their zero Top 50 wins and 2-5 record in the Big XII? And they'd get a 10 seed? Really?

Where are Penn State, Georgia, and Richmond? Wichita State and Kansas State (with a combined zero Top 50 wins) have better resumes if the season ended today than those three teams do?

How is Georgetown not higher than a 6 seed?

How does Texas get a 1 seed over UConn when the Huskies beat the Longhorns on their home floor?

Andy Glockner (Sports Illustrated) - Jan. 31 Bracket
Are you trying to ruin Questions For The Competition for us? Our brackets are way too similar this week. What's the fun in that?

Want to bet a byline in Sports Illustrated that Alabama doesn't get the SEC auto bid?

Isn't Old Dominion a little high as a 9? Isn't Marquette a little low as a 12?

Doesn't Northern Iowa have a better resume right now than Wichita State?

Bracketology 101's Field of 68 - Jan. 31

Just when we thought the bracket couldn't get harder to put together...this past weekend happened. On what was easily the two craziest days of the season, a total of 13 ranked teams lost (13!), with nine of those teams losing to unranked opponents. These results - somehow - had very little effect on the bubble, but they had an enormous impact on how the bracket was seeded.

This week's field features a new 1 seed (UConn, which got the nod over red-hot Texas thanks to their head-to-head win over the Longhorns in Austin), two new 2 seeds (Duke and Notre Dame), and a new 3 seed (Georgetown). There were a bunch of teams that jumped up two or three lines this week (Louisville, Tennessee, North Carolina, and St. John's) and several teams that fell two or three lines (Villanova, Syracuse, Illinois, Florida State, Washington, Georgia, and UCLA).

Only two at-large bids changed hands this week, as Penn State and Duquesne replaced Oklahoma State and Wichita State. The Cowboys were an easy removal after an 0-2 week, but taking out Wichita (after a 2-0 week) was a little more difficult. Unfortunately for the Shockers, Northern Iowa's win at Missouri State on Sunday makes it increasingly likely that the Missouri Valley is going to be a one-bid league. As is the case in many other mid-major conferences across the country (see: Conference USA, Horizon), parity is killing the MVC. No one team or two teams are pulling away from the pack, and all of the league's contenders are beating up on each othe on a weekly basis. In Wichita's case, UNI now has a better overall resume (road wins at Wichita and Missouri State and an OOC win over New Mexico), and Missouri State has a slight edge over the other two for the MVC automatic.

Penn State made the Big Ten a seven-bid league this week thanks to their win Saturday over Wisconsin. The Nittany Lions have eight losses and a tough road schedule left, but they now have three quality wins in conference, which is good enough - for the moment - to get a bid. Our other addition to the field this week was Duquesne. We admit we are still not believers in the Dukes, but we can't ignore the fact that by the end of this week they should be 9-0 in the A-10. They have just one Top 50 win on the season (Temple), but with this weak bubble, that's sadly enough to get a spot on the 12 line. Our final at-large bid this week went to Gonzaga, despite the Zags' terrible computer numbers (88 RPI) and their two-game deficit in the WCC standings. Their decent OOC resume is saving them at this point and is keeping them in over a team like Colorado State that has just one quality win. That said, Gonzaga will still need to win at Portland and at home against Memphis this week to stay in.

One other notable change to the bracket this week was Cleveland State replacing Butler as the Horizon automatic. Cleveland State probably deserves better than a 13 given their strong computer numbers (29 RPI), but they still have no big wins and we aren't 100% sold that they are the best team in the league. They'll be able to earn that title this week with home games against Valparaiso and Butler.

We had to make one move to avoid seeding conflicts this week - Florida and Minnesota swapped spots on the 5 and 6 lines.

Bracket Breakdown
Last Four In
Washington State, Virginia Tech, Duquesne, Gonzaga

First Four Out
Colorado State, Maryland, UAB, Baylor

Next Four Out
Kansas State, Butler, Northern Iowa, George Mason

"First Four" Games
Washington State vs. Virginia Tech, Duquesne vs. Gonzaga, Austin Peay vs. Hampton, Jackson State vs. McNeese State

---------------------------------------------------------------

Conference Breakdown
Big East (11), Big Ten (7), ACC (5), SEC (5), Big XII (4), A-10 (4), Pac-10 (4), MWC (3), Colonial (2), WCC (2)

America East - Maine

ACC - Duke, North Carolina, Florida State, Boston College, Virginia Tech

Atlantic Sun - Belmont

A-10 - Temple, Xavier, Richmond, Duquesne

Big East - Pittsburgh, Connecticut, Notre Dame, Georgetown, Villanova, Syracuse, Louisville, West Virginia, St. John's, Cincinnati, Marquette

Big Sky - Montana

Big South - Coastal Carolina

Big Ten - Ohio State, Purdue, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan State, Penn State

Big XII - Kansas, Texas, Texas A&M, Missouri

Big West - Long Beach State

Colonial - VCU, Old Dominion

Conference USA - Memphis

Horizon - Cleveland State

Ivy - Princeton

MAAC - Fairfield

MAC - Kent State

MEAC - Hampton

MVC - Missouri State

MWC - San Diego State, BYU, UNLV

Northeast - Long Island

Ohio Valley - Austin Peay

Pac-10 - Washington, Arizona, UCLA, Washington State

Patriot - Bucknell

SEC - Kentucky, Florida, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Georgia

Southern - Charleston

Southland - McNeese State

Summit - Oakland

Sun Belt - Florida Atlantic

SWAC - Jackson State

WAC - Utah State

WCC - St. Mary's, Gonzaga

----------------------------------------------------------------

The Seeds
The 1s

Ohio State, Kansas, Pittsburgh, Connecticut

The 2s
Texas, Duke, Notre Dame, San Diego State

The 3s
BYU, Kentucky, Georgetown, Texas A&M

The 4s
Missouri, Purdue, Villanova, Louisville

The 5s
Syracuse, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Florida

The 6s
Minnesota, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, North Carolina

The 7s
Washington, Illinois, Temple, Xavier

The 8s
UNLV, Florida State, St. John's, Michigan State

The 9s
St. Mary's, Arizona, Cincinnati, Boston College

The 10s
Marquette, Utah State, Old Dominion, Penn State

The 11s
Missouri State, Georgia, VCU, UCLA

The 12s
Memphis, Richmond, Washington State vs. Virginia Tech (FF), Duquesne vs. Gonzaga (FF)

The 13s
Cleveland State, Belmont, Princeton, Charleston

The 14s
Oakland, Kent State, Coastal Carolina, Fairfield

The 15s
Montana, Long Beach State, Bucknell, Florida Atlantic

The 16s
Maine, Long Island, Austin Peay vs. Hampton (FF), Jackson State vs. McNeese State (FF)

The Bracket
(Bracket courtesy Matt Reeves)
















Questions? Comments?E-mail Bracketology 101 at bracketologyblog@yahoo.com or send us a tweet at twitter.com/Bracketology101.

Friday, January 28, 2011

B101's Questions For The Weekend

Here's what we're wondering heading into this weekend's games:

Saturday's Games
Will the Big East be down to a 9 bid league on Monday? If Marquette (vs. Syracuse on Saturday) and St. John's (vs. Duke on Sunday) both lose this weekend, it probably will be.

Can Northwestern shock the world and hand the Buckeyes their first loss?

Does UConn deserve a spot on the 1 line if they beat Louisville?

How awesome would it be if Thomas Robinson had a career day for the Jayhawks against Kansas State?

Can BYU avoid a SDSU hangover and beat New Mexico in The Pit?

What could Jimmer Fredette possibly do for an encore?

Has any team looked better over the last 10 days than Texas? Can the Longhorns picked up a fourth straight quality win by beating Missouri?

Can Pitt and Texas A&M fight off the upset bug that has run rampant throughout the power conferences this week and win at Rutgers and at Nebraska?

Does San Diego State stay on the 2 line with a win at home over Wyoming?

Can Villanova avoid an 0-2 week and beat Georgetown at home?

Can St. Mary's avoid a letdown after their thriller against Gonzaga and win what should be a tough game at Portland?

Which side of the bubble do the Zags deserve to be on? Will a decent OOC resume and a pillow-soft bubble be enough to keep them in next week?

Is Penn State worthy of an at-large if they beat Wisconsin?

Can Kentucky exact some revenge on Georgia? Can Purdue do the same to Minnesota?

Will Florida State pass a tricky road test at Clemson?

Does Richmond deserve to be the lowest-seeded A-10 team if they beat Xavier?

Will the loser of the Colorado-Baylor game ever be heard from again?

Assuming they both win on Saturday, who should be higher on the S-curve - Florida or Vandy?

Can UCLA get back on track after losing pretty easily to Arizona on Thursday? Should the Bruins stary in the bracket if they lose to the woeful Sun Devils?

Does the Horizon deserve two bids? If Butler wins at Valpo and Cleveland State wins at Loyola (IL), that might be the case on Monday.

Does C-USA deserve two bids? If Memphis wins at Marshall and UAB wins at UCF, that might be the case on Monday, too.

Will Oklahoma State ever win a road game in conference?

Can Cincinnati get its first win over a tourney-caliber Big East team?

Can Colorado State stay on the bubble and get a road win at Utah?

With the bubble so weak right now, does Utah State have a legitimate shot at an at-large if they need it? Can the Aggies run their current win streak to 15 at Hawaii on Saturday?

Sunday's Games
Can Washington State save its spot in the bracket and knock off Washington in Pullman?

Is Duquesne for real? If the Dukes beat Dayton at home, and add a second quality win to their resume, we'll start taking them seriously.

Will Virginia Tech bounce back from their bad road loss at Georgia Tech and beat Miami at home?

Can Missouri State take care of a visiting Northern Iowa team that has already beaten Wichita State on the road?

Is Maryland ready to climb back into the bracket? They can start by winning a not-so-easy road game at Georgia Tech.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

B101's Bracket Banter - Thursday

Bracket Banter is our daily open thread to discuss all things bracket. Readers can post comments and questions during the night's games, and we will answer those questions as the night goes on.

Thursday's Games
A day after the two best mid-major teams in the country stole the show, the most famous mid-major of them all headlines an interesting night of games.

Gonzaga certainly isn't used to life on the bubble, but that's exactly where they find themselves after a pair of head-scratching losses last week at Santa Clara and at San Francisco. The Zags have quietly compiled a pretty good OOC resume this season (wins over Xavier, Marquette, Oklahoma State, and Baylor), but if they can't beat St. Mary's in Moraga tonight, they'll fall three games behind the Gaels in the WCC standings. Depending on what some other bubble teams do this week, a loss tonight could knock the Zags out of our next bracket, and it would make their remaining games against Memphis and St. Mary's almost must-wins if they want to keep their at-large hopes alive going forward.

Also out West, Arizona plays host to UCLA with the temporary title of "second best team in the Pac-10" on the line. The game's big for both teams, but it's bigger for Arizona. The Wildcats have a nice RPI (24), but they have a poor OOC resume and their only notable win in conference was against a Washington State team that is barely hanging onto a bid. That's why we have UCLA a seed line better than Arizona in this week's bracket (that BYU win is looking nicer by the minute). If UCLA can win this game and then take care of Arizona State this weekend, they could be as high as a 7 on Monday. The Bruins' next four games are at home after this one, including a big OOC match-up against St. John's next weekend.

In the only other must-watch game of the night, Duke plays host to Boston College. The Blue Devils have bounced back nicely from their loss to Florida State with three straight double-digit wins, while BC is just 4-4 over its last eight games. The Eagles are safely in the field right now, but their tournament chances might ultimately depend on how they fare over the next two weeks. They play three of their next four games at home - UNC, VT, and Maryland - with a game at Clemson in between.

Also keep an eye on: Illinois at Indiana, Michigan at Michigan State, Vanderbilt at Mississippi State, Maryland at Virginia, Utah State at San Jose State, Hofstra at VCU, Kent State at Ball State

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

B101's Bracket Banter - Wednesday

Bracket Banter is our daily open thread to discuss all things bracket. Readers can post comments and questions during the night's games, and we will answer those questions as the night goes on.

Wednesday's Games
It's not often that a game can be accurately hyped as the biggest game in the history of a conference. But that's what's on tap tonight in Provo as ninth-ranked BYU hosts fouth-ranked and still-unbeaten San Diego State. Both of these teams are locks for the NCAA tournament, but this game is still ginormous for a number of reasons. If the Aztecs win, they would have only three more obstacles standing between them and the first undefeated regular season since UNLV in 1990. They'd also make a very strong case to be a 1 seed in our next bracket. If the Cougars win, they'd jump up to the 2 line, and more importantly, they would get a early leg up in the race for the MWC regular season title. You also may have heard of Jimmer Fredette, who could stake his claim to the POY award with another Jimmeresque performance in front of a large TV audience. The country also gets a chance to watch SDSU's Kawhi Leonard, who looks every bit like a lottery pick in June. Other than that, this game's not that big, really.

Elsewhere, there are two key games in the Big East, as West Virginia plays at Louisville and St. John's plays at Georgetown. The Red Storm, who have now lost four of their last five games after a a 3-0 Big East start, are playing for the bracket lives against the Hoyas. A loss tonight would mean they'd have to upset Duke in the Garden on Sunday to avoid falling out of the field on Monday.

In the Big XII, Oklahoma State hosts new No. 2 seed Texas in what is a make-or-break game for the Cowboys. The Big XII bubble is a mess right now, and with Kansas State winning Monday against Baylor, Oklahoma State can't afford to miss out on chances like this one. In the ACC, Miami begins its quest to get back on the right side of the bubble at home against North Carolina. A 2-0 week for the Tar Heels would keep them even for the moment with Duke and Florida State in the ACC title race. UNC hosts N.C. State on Saturday.

There are also some imporant games tonight in the MVC and Conference USA. Wichita State, our last team in this week, will try to get a bid-saving win at Southern Illinois, and in Conference USA, UAB hosts Marshall and Memphis hosts UCF. C-USA was back to a one-bid league this week after all its contenders beat up on each other last week. Memphis looks like the best team in the league right now after winning at Southern Miss and at UAB last week. They can go a long way in securing that status with a win over the free-falling Knights tonight and a victory at Marshall on Saturday.

Also keep an eye on: Villanova at Providence, Northwestern at Minnesota, Iowa at Penn State, LSU at Tennessee, Rutgers at Cincinnati, George Washington at Xavier, Charlotte at Temple, Old Dominion at Georgia State, Air Force at Colorado State, Tulane at UTEP

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

B101's Bracket Banter - Tuesday

Bracket Banter is our daily open thread to discuss all things bracket. Readers can post comments and questions during the night's games, and we will answer those questions as the night goes on.

Tuesday's Games
Three of the top five teams on our S-curve are in action tonight, as Ohio State hosts Purdue, Kansas plays at Colorado, and UConn plays at Marquette. The unbeaten Buckeyes, who toughed out a huge road win against Illinois on Saturday, face a Boilermaker team that is just a game back in conference and is coming off an impressive home win over Michigan State. For Purdue, this is the second game of a tough, four-game stretch against ranked Big Ten teams. They host Minnesota this weekend and then play at Wisconsin next Tuesday.

Kansas will be looking to bounce back from its stunning home loss to Texas against a Colorado team that limps home after two straight losses. The Buffaloes were off to a 3-0 start in the Big XII and looked like they were ready to set up camp in the bracket, but road defeats at the hands of Nebraska and Oklahoma (ouch) altered those plans. The good news for Colorado is that they are back in Boulder tonight, where they've already beaten Missouri, Oklahoma State and Colorado State this season. If they can upset the Jayhawks, they'll be back on the right side of the bubble.

In the Big East, UConn plays a Marquette team that needs a split this week to stay in the bracket. The Golden Eagles host the Huskies tonight and then play host to Syracuse on Saturday. One win in those two games will not only keep Marquette in the field next week, but it will likely vault them over St. John's in the Big East pecking order.

Elsewhere, Georgia hosts Florida in what is a pretty big game for the Bulldogs. Georgia has been hanging around the 8-9 line in the bracket for a couple weeks now because of their win over Kentucky, but they need a second marquee conference win to secure their spot. After not doing much OOC (their best wins are Colorado and UAB), and after losing at home to Tennessee last week, a win over the Gators would look extra nice on the Bulldogs' resume.

There's also a key bubble battle on tap tonight in the A-10 as Richmond plays at Dayton. The Spiders, who snuck back into our latest bracket, could be in first place in conference if they beat the Flyers tonight and then beat Xavier at home on Saturday. Dayton, meanwhile, has a little work to do to get back in the bracket, but a 2-0 week might do it. They play at 5-0 Duquesne this weekend.

Also keep an eye on: Seton Hall at Syracuse, Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech, UNLV at Wyoming, Missouri State at Drake, Belmont at Lipscomb

B101's Questions For The Competition

Questions For The Competition is a weekly column that addresses our issues with the brackets of other bracketology "experts." Today's questions are reserved for ESPN's Joe Lunardi and SI.com's Andy Glockner. Keep in mind that these questions are about each expert's most recent brackets, which were released before Monday's games.

Joe Lunardi (ESPN) - Jan. 24 Bracket
How in the world would Kansas State - at 1-4 in conference with zero Top 50 wins - deserve an at-large if the season ended today? Not only are they in, but they'd get a 9 seed? How?

How is UCLA five seed lines higher than Arizona? Five?

How is Baylor more worthy of an at-large than Richmond and Washington State if the season ended today? Is it their 87 RPI and one Top 50 win?

How did a win over DePaul and a loss to Notre Dame move Marquette up two seed lines?

Andy Glockner (Sports Illustrated) - Jan. 24 Bracket
The A-10 would really get four bids if the season ended today? And we thought Lunardi was the A-10 homer...

We agree that Old Dominion still belongs in, but do they really deserve a 10 seed? They're that safe?

Isn't St. John's a little high as an 8? Isn't Florida State a little low as an 8?

UCLA belongs three seed lines higher than Arizona? The Bruins don't have a better resume right now? Who has Arizona beaten?

Monday, January 24, 2011

Bracketology 101's Field of 68 - Jan. 24

Of all the storylines from this college basketball season, the biggest has to be the parity that has spread like crazy throughout the sport. Not only are there no truly dominant teams this season (sorry, Buckeye fans), road wins have become an endangered species, and two-win weeks have become cause for celebration. This parity has been great for fans across the country - anyone can beat anyone on any given night - and it's certainly made for some wild and unpredictable results. It's also made predicting the field, especially around the bubble, harder than ever before.

How hard? On Saturday and Sunday alone, 12 teams that we had on the 8-13 lines last week all lost games. For six of those teams, it was their second loss of the week. Four of those teams lost to inferior conference opponents at home. These results left us with a long list of teams that deserved to be removed from our Field of 68 - and, unfortunately, a way-too-short list of teams that were worthy of replacing them. In any other year, teams like Gonzaga, ODU, Butler, and Wichita State would be on the outside looking in right now. But with three extra bids to give out and parity abound in almost every conference, those teams are still hanging on to their spots in the bracket.

When the dust settled, we ended up taking five teams out of last week's bracket (UCF, Kansas State, Miami, Colorado, and Southern Miss), and replacing them with UCLA, Richmond, Memphis, VCU, and Oklahoma State. The big winners in the shake-up were the Pac-10 (which is now a four-bid league for the first time all season), the A-10 (now a three-bid league), and the Colonial (now a two-bid league with VCU in as the auto bid and ODU clinging to an at-large). The biggest losers were the Big XII and C-USA, both of which are suffering from the same issue - their bubble teams can't seem to get out of their own way. In the Big XII, Kansas State has lost four of five, Oklahoma State has lost three of four, Colorado suddenly can't beat the league's bottom feeders, and Baylor has no big wins and terrible computer numbers. We decided to give the fifth, and for the moment final, Big XII bid to Oklahoma State over Baylor, despite the Cowboys' loss to the Bears on Saturday, because of their easier upcoming schedule and their significantly better RPI (37 vs. 88). Baylor's upcoming schedule was too difficult (three of their next four are on the road) to give the Big XII a sixth bid. Memphis, meanwhile, has emerged as the team to beat in what has quickly become a cluttered C-USA. The conference is probably better than a one-bid league, but its problem is that UCF and Marshall (the only teams other than Memphis with quality OOC wins) are buried in the conference standings. Until that changes, or until a UAB or a UTEP pulls away from the pack, Memphis will be in the bracket as the lone C-USA representative.

Elsewhere in the bracket, there were significant changes along the 1-3 lines as well. Pittsburgh jumped up to the 1 line thanks to their win over Syracuse, Texas moved up to a 2 after their wins against Texas A&M and Kansas, and Villanova went up to a 2 after winning at the Carrier Dome. A two-loss week knocked the Orange down to the top of the 3 line. Other notable upgrades included Florida State (from a 9 to a 6) and Xavier (from a 12 to an 8). The most notable downgrades were St. John's (from a 7 to a 10) and Gonzaga (from an 8 to a 12). We had to make one change to avoid seeding conflicts this week - Michigan State and Tennessee swapped spots on the 7 and 8 lines.

Bracket Breakdown
Last Four In

Old Dominion, Oklahoma State, Washington State, Wichita State

First Four Out
Baylor, Dayton, Kansas State, Cleveland State

Next Four Out
Colorado, Colorado State, Miami (FL), UAB

"First Four" Games
Old Dominion vs. Oklahoma State, Washington State vs. Wichita State, Austin Peay vs. Northern Colorado, Jackson State vs. Texas-San Antonio

---------------------------------------------------------------

Conference Breakdown
Big East (11), Big Ten (6), ACC (5), Big XII (5), SEC (5), Pac-10 (4), MWC (3), A-10 (3), Colonial (2), MVC (2), WCC (2)

America East - Maine

ACC - Duke, Florida State, North Carolina, Boston College, Virginia Tech

Atlantic Sun - Belmont

A-10 - Temple, Xavier, Richmond

Big East - Pittsburgh, Connecticut, Villanova, Syracuse, Notre Dame, Georgetown, West Virginia, Louisville, Cincinnati, St. John's, Marquette

Big Sky - Northern Colorado

Big South - Coastal Carolina

Big Ten - Ohio State, Wisconsin, Purdue, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan State

Big XII - Kansas, Texas, Texas A&M, Missouri, Oklahoma State

Big West - Long Beach State

Colonial - VCU, Old Dominion

Conference USA - Memphis

Horizon - Butler

Ivy - Princeton

MAAC - Fairfield

MAC - Ball State

MEAC - Hampton

MVC - Missouri State, Wichita State

MWC - San Diego State, BYU, UNLV

Northeast - Long Island

Ohio Valley - Austin Peay

Pac-10 - Washington, UCLA, Arizona, Washington State

Patriot - Bucknell

SEC - Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Florida, Tennessee, Georgia

Southern - Charleston

Southland - Texas-San Antonio

Summit - Oakland

Sun Belt - Florida Atlantic

SWAC - Jackson State

WAC - Utah State

WCC - St. Mary's, Gonzaga

----------------------------------------------------------------

The Seeds
The 1s

Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Duke, Kansas

The 2s
Connecticut, San Diego State, Texas, Villanova

The 3s
Syracuse, BYU, Kentucky, Texas A&M

The 4s
Missouri, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Purdue

The 5s
Illinois, Georgetown, Washington, Vanderbilt

The 6s
Minnesota, West Virginia, Florida, Florida State

The 7s
Louisville, Temple, UNLV, Michigan State

The 8s
Tennessee, Xavier, North Carolina, Cincinnati

The 9s
St. Mary's, UCLA, Georgia, Boston College

The 10s
Arizona, St. John's, Virginia Tech, Utah State

The 11s
Missouri State, Marquette, Memphis, Richmond

The 12s
Gonzaga, VCU, Old Dominion vs. Oklahoma State (FF), Washington State vs. Wichita State (FF)

The 13s
Butler, Belmont, Princeton, Charleston

The 14s
Oakland, Ball State, Coastal Carolina, Fairfield

The 15s
Long Beach State, Bucknell, Maine, Florida Atlantic

The 16s
Long Island, Hampton, Austin Peay vs. Northern Colorado (FF), Jackson State vs. Texas-San Antonio (FF)

The Bracket
(Bracket courtesy Matt Reeves)
















Questions? Comments?E-mail Bracketology 101 at bracketologyblog@yahoo.com or send us a tweet at twitter.com/Bracketology101.

Friday, January 21, 2011

B101's Questions For The Weekend

Here's what we're wondering heading into this weekend's games:

Saturday's Games
Can both Ohio State (at Illinois) and Kansas (vs. Texas) both make it through the weekend undefeated?

How ready is Jay Wright for this week to be over? Fresh off a last-second loss at Gampel Pavilion, Villanova has to head to the Carrier Dome on Saturday, where 33,000 Syracuse fans await.

What's the over-under on Wake Forest's point total against Duke? 40?

How much of a difference will having Bruce Pearl back on the bench make for Tennessee against UConn?

Can Jimmer and Friends survive a tough road test at Colorado State? Do the Rams deserve a spot in the bracket if they finish off an already big week with a victory over the Cougars?

Will Texas A&M bounce back from its loss at Texas and, in the process, bounce Kansas State from the bracket?

Can Kentucky finally win an SEC road game?

Will Terrence Jones stop being such a SELFISH MOTHERF....?

Can anyone win on the road in the Big Ten? Can Michigan State avoid its seventh loss of the season and win at Mackey Arena?

Can Notre Dame avenge its 22-point beatdown at the hands of Marquette back on Jan. 10 and take care of the Golden Eagles in South Bend?

Will Washington State complete a much-needed 2-0 week and beat Arizona in Pullman? Should the Wildcats be bumped from the bracket in favor of UCLA if they lose?

St. Mary's might be the least talked-about good team in the country, but are they good enough to win at Vanderbilt?

Will the A-10 be back to a three-bid league on Monday? If Richmond wins at UMass, there's a good chance the answer to that question is yes.

Even with a win at Oklahoma, is Colorado (after losing by 12 at Nebraska on Tuesday) going to keep its spot in next week's bracket?

Will a win at Baylor be enough to get Oklahoma State back in the bracket? (If A&M beats Kansas State, yes.)

Is Florida State really the second best team in the ACC? If they are, they should beat BC at home.

How many questions will we have to answer from panicked FSU fans if the 'Noles lose?

Is Virginia Tech in the bracket to stay after their convincing win at Maryland? The Hokies have a pretty easy schedule from here on out, and there's no reason they can't finish in the top four in the ACC.

Will Georgia and Southern Miss be able to bounce back from crushing last-second home losses earlier in the week?

Can Xavier seize control of the A-10 race and beat Temple?

Will the winner of the Memphis-UAB game be the only C-USA team in our next bracket?

Will ODU take care of VCU at home and avoid falling two games behind the Rams in the Colonial?

What happened to UNLV on Wednesday? Will the Rebels regroup and take care of New Mexico in Vegas?

How much longer will the loser of the Cincinnati-St. John's game be in the bracket?

Will the MVC be back to a one-bid league on Monday? After Wichita State's home loss to Northern Iowa on Wednesday, that's a very good possibility.

Will Florida play better against Arkansas than they did against Auburn? Is it possible for them to play worse?

Sunday's Games
Can Northwestern finally get a quality Big Ten win and beat Wisconsin at home?

Is Miami worthy of a bid next week even if they win at N.C. State?

Could West Virginia really lose to Marshall and South Florida in the same week?

Can Belmont continue to tear through the Atlantic Sun? (The Bruins have won their first eight conference games by an average of 29 points.) What seed would Belmont deserve if they finish the regular season 28-3, with their only three losss coming to Tennessee (twice) and Vandy?

Did we really just ask a Belmont question?

Thursday, January 20, 2011

B101's Bracket Banter - Thursday

Bracket Banter is our daily open thread to discuss all things bracket. Readers can post comments and questions during the night's games, and we will answer those questions as the night goes on.

Thursday's Games
The Pac-10 takes center stage tonight with a pair of key games: Arizona at Washington and Arizona State at Washington State.

Washington is still the most talented team in the Pac-10, but their underwhelming OOC resume and road loss to Stanford last weekend dropped them to a 7 seed in our latest bracket. The Huskies face an Arizona team tonight that is newly ranked but is still extremely unproven. The Wildcats have zero Top 50 wins on their resume, and their most notable victory to date is a home win over Cal.

If the Pac-10 is going to be a three-bid league on Monday, Washington State might have to win both its games this weekend. The good news for the Cougars is that they are back in Pullman, where they have lost just once this season (to Kansas State back on Dec. 3).

The other key game of the night is Virginia Tech at Maryland. The Hokies are barely hanging onto a bid in our latest bracket, and they'll need this win to stay in the field next week. Maryland, meanwhile, has played very well in its last two big games (Duke and Villanova), but has nothing to show for it. Winning this game might be imperative for the Terps' at-large chances down the road, especially considering they've already lost one game at home to a fellow ACC bubble team (BC). If Maryland does win, their upcoming schedule is easy enough (Clemson, at Virginia, at GT) that they could crack the bracket in the near future.

Also keep an eye on: California at UCLA, Florida at Auburn, Indiana at Wisconsin, Gonzaga at Santa Clara

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

B101's Bracket Banter - Wednesday

Bracket Banter is our daily open thread to discuss all things bracket. Readers can post comments and questions during the night's games, and we will answer those questions as the night goes on.

Wednesday's Games
It's a big night for several teams jockeying for position in their respective leagues, and it's an even bigger night for a handful of teams who have taken up residence on the bubble. The headline game of the night is Texas A&M at Texas, the winner of which can claim (for now, at least) the title of second best team in the Big XII. The Aggies are coming off a big home win over Missouri, while the Longhorns are beginning their toughest two-game stretch of the year - they make a trip to Lawrence to face the second-ranked Jayhawks on Saturday.

There are two huge games in the Big East tonight as well, as St John's plays at Louisville and Cincinnati plays at Notre Dame. The Bearcats have lost by double digits in both of their Big East road games so far (Villanova and Syracuse), and if they have an 0-2 week this week (they play at St. John's on Saturday), the Big East will likely be back to a 10-bid league on Monday.

Elsewhere in the power conferences, newly minted No. 1 Ohio State hosts Iowa, and the old No. 1, Duke, plays another tricky road game at North Carolina State. Also in the ACC, Florida State plays at Miami in what will likely be a big result for both down the road, and Virginia plays at Boston College. In the Big Ten, Penn State looks to continue its solid play of late as they travel to Purdue. The Nittany Lions have played really well of late and nearly upset Ohio State on the road their last time out. If they were to get a victory in Mackey Arena, a case could be made for them to get a bid in next week's bracket.

There are several important games involving mid-majors tonight as well. The biggest of those games is the C-USA battle between Memphis and Southern Miss in Hattiesburg. Southern Miss replaced Memphis as the league's automatic bid in our latest bracket thanks to a home win over UCF on Saturday. If the Golden Eagles can beat the Tigers tonight, they will have a big leg up in the race for the C-USA regular season title. In the MVC, Missouri State faces a tough road test at surprising Indiana State, and our last team in, Wichita State, hosts Northern Iowa. In the A-10, bracket newcomer Xavier plays at St. Bonaventure and bracket dropout Richmond hosts George Washington.

Also keep an eye on: Air Force at San Diego State, Iowa State at Oklahoma State, Colorado State at UNLV, Marshall at West Virginia, Mississippi at Vanderbilt, Penn at Temple, San Diego at St. Mary's, James Madison at Old Dominion, Arkansas at South Carolina, New Mexico at Utah

B101's Questions For The Competition

Questions For The Competition is a weekly column that addresses our issues with the brackets of other bracketology "experts." Today's questions are reserved for ESPN's Joe Lunardi and SI.com's Andy Glockner. Keep in mind that these questions are about each expert's most recent brackets, which were released before Monday's games.

Joe Lunardi (ESPN) - Jan. 18 Bracket
First off, are we the only bracketologists working on Martin Luther King Day? What's with the Tuesday bracket?

How is Washington a 4 seed if the season ended today? Is it their one Top 50 win (over Portland)? How did they go up a seed line after losing at Stanford?

How did North Carolina go up to an 8 seed after losing by 20 at Georgia Tech?

How is Oklahoma State in over Colorado when the Buffaloes are two games better in conference and beat the Cowboys head-to-head?

Isn't Florida a little high as a 5 seed? Isn't West Virginia a little low as a 7 seed?

Andy Glockner (Sports Illustrated) - Jan. 18 Bracket
What would you do without Twitter? Seriously, we love following you, but we're getting a little worried about you. Help us help you...

Giving Old Dominion an at-large is debatable in itself, but the Monarchs deserve an 8 seed too?

Butler would deserve an at-large over Marquette if the season ended today?

Aren't Temple and UNLV a little low as 8 seeds?

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

B101's Bracket Banter - Tuesday

Bracket Banter is our daily open thread to discuss all things bracket. Readers can post comments and questions during the night's games, and we will answer those questions as the night goes on.

Tuesday's Games
Conference road wins have been an endangered species of late, but that's the challenge facing several teams in our bracket tonight as Kentucky plays at Alabama, Georgetown plays at Seton Hall, and bracket newcomer Colorado plays at Nebraska.

The marquee game of the night, though, is in the Big Ten, as Illinois hosts Michigan State. The Spartans seemed to have righted the ship a little with back-to-back overtime wins at home, but now they open up a tough two game roadie in Champaign (they play at Purdue over the weekend) against an Illini squad looking to snap a two-game losing streak. If either of these teams plan on catching Ohio State for the Big Ten title, this is a must-win game.

Elsewhere, North Carolina looks to bounce back from their embarrassing 20-point loss (20!) at Georgia Tech as they host Clemson, and Tennessee looks to build off of their much-needed home win over Vanderbilt and get a victory at Georgia. The Bulldogs, who are unbeaten at home this season, could use a second quality win on their resume. They play their next three games in Athens.

Also keep an eye on: TCU at BYU, DePaul at Marquette, Maine at Vermont

Monday, January 17, 2011

Bracketology 101's Field of 68 - Jan. 17

It's pretty cliche at this point of the season to say that the bracket is fluid and even more cliche to say that the bubble is nearly impossible to figure. This week's Field of 68, though, has more turnover than any in recent memory. The changes begin at the top of the bracket, where Ohio State replaces Duke as the No. 1 overall seed, and they continued to the bubble, where a whopping five at-large bids changed hands this week. Oklahoma State, Richmond, Baylor, Dayton, and New Mexico all dropped out of the field and were replaced by Florida State, Marquette, Colorado, Xavier, and Wichita State. Southern Miss also replaces Memphis in the field as C-USA's automatic bid.

These changes left the Big East with a hard-to-fathom 11 bids this week. Mathematically, this means that a team with a losing record in conference could get a bid, but the way things are shaping up across the country, that possibility is very real. The Pac-10 is barely a three-bid league right now, the A-10 is only a two bid-league, and the only other mid-majors who are deserving of multiple bids at the moment are the MWC, WCC, C-USA, and MVC (with Missouri State and a generous second bid to Wichita State). No other mid-major conference has been able to take advantage of the weak bubble, and several power conference teams (see: Maryland and Penn State) were unable to pull off upsets over the weekend that would have gotten them one of the last at-large bids.

The biggest upgrade in terms of seeding this week was West Virginia, who moved from the 7 line to the 4 line thanks to their win over Purdue. The biggest downgrade was Kansas State, who fell eight spots on our S-curve, and down to the 9 line, after their home loss to Colorado. We had to make one change to avoid bracketing conflicts this week - Georgetown and Michigan State swapped spots on the 5 and 6 lines.

Bracket Breakdown
Last Four In
Xavier, Virginia Tech, Washington State, Wichita State

First Four Out
Richmond, Oklahoma State, Dayton, Baylor

Next Four Out
Memphis, Clemson, UCLA, Penn State

"First Four" Games
Xavier vs. Virginia Tech, Washington State vs. Wichita State, Northern Colorado vs. McNeese State, Morgan State vs. Jackson State

---------------------------------------------------------------

Conference Breakdown
Big East (11), ACC (6), Big XII (6), Big Ten (6), SEC (5), MWC (3), Pac-10 (3), A-10 (2), C-USA (2), MVC (2), WCC (2)

America East - Vermont

ACC - Duke, Florida State, North Carolina, Boston College, Miami (FL), Virginia Tech

Atlantic Sun - Belmont

A-10 - Temple, Xavier

Big East - Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Connecticut, Villanova, Notre Dame, West Virginia, Louisville, Georgetown, St. John's, Cincinnati, Marquette

Big Sky - Northern Colorado

Big South - Coastal Carolina

Big Ten - Ohio State, Wisconsin, Illinois, Purdue, Michigan State, Minnesota

Big XII - Kansas, Texas, Texas A&M, Missouri, Kansas State, Colorado

Big West - Long Beach State

Colonial - Old Dominion

Conference USA - Southern Miss, UCF

Horizon - Butler

Ivy - Princeton

MAAC - Fairfield

MAC - Kent State

MEAC - Morgan State

MVC - Missouri State, Wichita State

MWC - San Diego State, BYU, UNLV

Northeast - Long Island

Ohio Valley - Austin Peay

Pac-10 - Washington, Arizona, Washington State

Patriot - Bucknell

SEC - Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Florida, Tennessee, Georgia

Southern - Charleston

Southland - McNeese State

Summit - Oakland

Sun Belt - Florida Atlantic

SWAC - Jackson State

WAC - Utah State

WCC - Gonzaga, St. Mary's

----------------------------------------------------------------

The Seeds
The 1s
Ohio State, Kansas, Syracuse, Duke

The 2s
Pittsburgh, Connecticut, San Diego State, Kentucky

The 3s
Villanova, BYU, Texas A&M, Texas

The 4s
Missouri, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, West Virginia

The 5s
Illinois, Louisville, Purdue, Georgetown

The 6s
Michigan State, Temple, UNLV, Minnesota

The 7s
St. John's, Washington, Vanderbilt, Florida

The 8s
UCF, Gonzaga, St. Mary's, Tennessee

The 9s
Florida State, North Carolina, Georgia, Kansas State

The 10s
Arizona, Cincinnati, Boston College, Miami (FL)

The 11s
Old Dominion, Marquette, Butler, Missouri State

The 12s
Colorado, Utah State, Xavier vs. Virginia Tech (FF), Washington State vs. Wichita State (FF)

The 13s
Southern Miss, Princeton, Charleston, Oakland

The 14s
Belmont, Kent State, Coastal Carolina, Vermont

The 15s
Fairfield, Long Beach State, Bucknell, Florida Atlantic

The 16s
Long Island, Austin Peay, Northern Colorado vs. McNeese State (FF), Morgan State vs. Jackson State (FF)

The Bracket
(Bracket courtesy Matt Reeves)
















Questions? Comments? E-mail Bracketology 101 at bracketologyblog@yahoo.com or send us a tweet at twitter.com/Bracketology101.

Friday, January 14, 2011

B101's Questions For The Weekend

Here's what we're wondering heading into this weekend's games:

Friday's Games
Can Butler play better on the road at Detroit (and at Wright State on Sunday) than they did in their first conference road game (a 24-point beatdown at Milwaukee)?

Saturday's Games
We know Penn State can play spoiler at home...now can they shock the nation and upset Ohio State in Columbus?

How good is Cincinnati? We'll find out at the end of a three game roadie (at Syracuse, at Notre Dame, at St. John's) that begins at the Carrier Dome on Saturday afternoon.

Is the Mountain West a four-bid league after all? It will be on Monday if New Mexico can upset San Diego State in The Pit.

Can Maryland get back into the bubble mix - and maybe the bracket? - by winning at Villanova?

Who's the second best team in the Big XII? Is Missouri ready to win a big true road game? We'll find out as the Tigers pay a visit to Texas A&M.

How will Wisconsin respond from their late-game breakdown against Michigan State? Can the Badgers avoid a season sweep at the hands of Illinois?

Can the Big East really get 11 bids? Marquette winning at Louisville on Saturday would continue to strengthen the league's case.

Will Georgetown really start 1-5 (1-5!) in the Big East, or will they end their free-fall with what should be a convincing win at Rutgers?

Is Kansas State on its way out of the bracket? The Wildcats better take care of Texas Tech at home on Saturday with games at Missouri and at Texas A&M looming next week.

Can Temple restore some legitimacy to the A-10 and not lose at Duquesne?

Is UCF the best team in C-USA? If they are, they shouldn't lose at Southern Miss.

Is Michigan State finally back on track? If so, they should have no problem at home against Northwestern.

Is Memphis at-large worthy even if they beat Marshall at home?

When will they start printing NIT tickets in Knoxville? Might want to start soon if the Vols can't hold serve at home against Vanderbilt. That'd be seven (seven!) losses already for Tennessee.

Who will win the winner's-in-loser's-out bubble battle between Oklahoma State and Colorado?

Can Florida State avoid a Blue Devil hangover and beat N.C. State at home? Will they deserve a single digit seed on Monday with a win?

Can Arizona avoid the upset bug in the Pac-10 and take care of Arizona State at home?

Can ODU avoid suffering another resume-killing road loss (at Hofstra)?

Will Georgia still be worthy of a bid if they lose at Mississippi?

Can Baylor avoid looking ahead to their Big Monday game at home against Kansas and win at Iowa State?

Will Miami hang on to their spot in the bracket by beating BC at home?

Will Washington State ever win a conference road game?

Could the A-10 be just a two-bid league? The winner of the Xavier-Dayton game might be the only A-10 team other than Temple in our bracket come Monday.

Sunday's Games
Which Big East team - Notre Dame or St. John's - will bounce back better from a blowout loss earlier in the week?

Can West Virginia add a second marquee OOC win to their resume by upsetting Purdue?

Can Washington avoid getting swept by Stanford and Cal?

Thursday, January 13, 2011

B101's Bracket Banter - Thursday

Bracket Banter is our daily open thread to discuss all things bracket. Readers can post comments and questions during the night's games, and we will answer those questions as the night goes on.

Thursday's Games
There are some very intruiging games featuring bubble teams tonight. In the Pac-10, Washington State plays at Cal and USC plays at Oregon. Despite a slew of bad losses to start the season, the Trojans are still very alive in the bubble mix thanks to OOC wins over Texas and Tennessee and a home win over Wazzu last weekend. If they can sweep the Oregon schools, and if Wazzu slips up against Cal or Stanford over the weekend, USC would likely snag the Pac-10's third bid in our next bracket.

Elsewhere, Virginia Tech gets a chance to pick up a huge road win at North Carolina, and Minnesota, who is still dealing with the Trevor Mbakwe mess, hosts Purdue. In the Colonial, Old Dominion kicks off a huge week with a game at Drexel. If the Monarchs want to solidify their at-large status, they are going to have to win games like this (and the game they play at Hofstra on Saturday.)

Also keep an eye on: Washington at Stanford, UCLA at Oregon State, Rhode Island at Richmond, Providence at West Virginia, Utah State at Boise State.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

B101's Bracket Banter - Wednesday

Bracket Banter is our daily open thread to discuss all things bracket. Readers can post comments and questions during the night's games, and we will answer those questions as the night goes on.

Wednesday's Games
Could there finally be some shake-up on the 1 line? The top four teams in our bracket face tough road tests tonight as Duke plays at Florida State, Ohio State plays at Michigan, Kansas plays at Iowa State, and Syracuse plays at St. John's.

Elsewhere, there are two huge games on tap in the Big East with Georgetown (trying to avoid a 1-4 conference start) hosting Pittsburgh, and Villanova hosting Louisville. A loaded Big XII slate features Nebraska at Missouri, Oklahoma State at Texas A&M, and Colorado at Kansas State. In the Mountain West, unbeaten San Diego State kicks off a challenging week by playing host to UNLV. The second-seeded Aztecs play at New Mexico on Saturday. In the SEC, bracket newcomer Georgia plays at Vanderbilt.

Also keep an eye on: Colorado State at New Mexico, UMass at Xavier, St. Joseph's at Dayton, South Florida at Cincinnati, St. Bonaventure at Temple, Maryland at Wake Forest, Memphis at SMU, Wichita State at Creighton.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

B101's Questions For The Compeititon

Questions For The Competition is a weekly column that addresses our issues with the brackets of other bracketology "experts." Today's questions are reserved for ESPN's Joe Lunardi and SI.com's Andy Glockner. Keep in mind that these questions are about each expert's most recent brackets, which were released before Monday's games.

Joe Lunardi (ESPN) - Jan. 10 Bracket
How would Wichita State get an at-large if the season ended today? Because of their one Top 100 RPI win? How did the Shockers go from a 12 seed in your last bracket to an 11 seed this week after losing at home to Missouri State. We're confused.

If the season ended today, the committee would give three bids to C-USA? They'd give two to the WAC? Utah State, and their one Top 100 win, would be at-large worthy?

How are Maryland and Florida State ranked ahead of Georgia? Because of all their marquee wins?

A six-loss USC team (with four questionable losses) would get in if the season ended today?

Andy Glockner (Sports Illustrated) - Jan. 10 Bracket
Michigan State's been a big disappointment, but do they really deserve to be a 9/10 seed? Arizona has a better resume than the Spartans do?

What does BC have to do to fall further than the 6 line? Lose to Dartmouth and Columbia too?

Based on the season ending today, how is Maryland's resume better than Miami's? Or Florida State's for that matter?

How is Georgetown still a 3 seed? How does Tennessee still deserve an 8?

Monday, January 10, 2011

Bracketology 101's Field of 68 - Jan. 10

When the NCAA announced that the tournament was expanding to 68 teams, the consensus was that the change would make it easier to predict the field. That may end up being the case on Selection Sunday, but as things stand right now, the bubble is as hard to sift through and the bracket is as tough to seed as ever. Part of that difficulty is because we are still waiting for some big-name programs with big-time expectations (Michigan State, North Carolina, Kansas State, Baylor, Tennessee) to play to their full potential. The other factor is that, in a year where they are three more at-large bids to be had, there are very few standout at-large candidates from mid-major conferences. There were two mid-major casualties in this week's bracket alone in Drexel and Cleveland State.

In the end, five at-large teams dropped out of this week's field (Florida State, Xavier, Cleveland State, Northwestern, and Drexel) and they were replaced by St. John's, Georgia, Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech, and Dayton. Of those five, St. John's, Georgia, and Oklahoma State earned their way in with marquee wins to begin conference play, and Virginia Tech and Dayton essentially replaced FSU and Xavier out of the ACC and A-10, respectively, because of slightly better resumes to date. Our second First Four Game this week - New Mexico vs. Miami (FL) - features two holdover teams with very iffy resumes, but we like the Lobos' chances to pick up some quality conference wins in The Pit, and we like the fact that Miami (FL) has an OOC win over West Virginia and has a couple of winnable, resume-padding home games (BC and FSU) coming up over the next 10 days.

Elsewhere in the bracket, the Big East has pushed its bid total to 10 with the addition of St. John's as a 9 seed this week. The Big XII also has a season-high seven bids with the addition of Oklahoma State. The biggest upgrades in terms of seeding this week were Washington and Vanderbilt, who each moved up three seed lines. Tennessee's losses to Charleston and Arkansas knocked them from a 5 seed to a 10, while Georgetown fell four lines and Minnesota and Boston College fell three lines each.

Bracket Breakdown
Last Four In

Virginia Tech, Baylor, New Mexico, Miami (FL)

First Four Out
Xavier, Wichita State, Cleveland State, Florida State

Next Four Out
Marquette, Arkansas, USC, Clemson

"First Four" Games
Virginia Tech vs. Baylor, New Mexico vs. Miami (FL)

---------------------------------------------------------------

Conference Breakdown
Big East (10), Big XII (7), Big Ten (6), ACC (5), SEC (5), MWC (4), Pac-10 (3), A-10 (3), C-USA (2), WCC (2)

America East - Vermont

ACC - Duke, North Carolina, Boston College, Virginia Tech, Miami (FL)

Atlantic Sun - Jacksonville

A-10 - Temple, Richmond, Dayton

Big East - Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Connecticut, Notre Dame, Villanova, Louisville, Georgetown, West Virginia, St. John's, Cincinnati

Big Sky - Northern Colorado

Big South - Coastal Carolina

Big Ten - Ohio State, Purdue, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Minnesota

Big XII - Kansas, Texas, Texas A&M, Missouri, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Baylor

Big West - Long Beach State

Colonial - Old Dominion

Conference USA - UCF, Memphis

Horizon - Butler

Ivy - Princeton

MAAC - Fairfield

MAC - Akron

MEAC - Morgan State

MVC - Missouri State

MWC - San Diego State, BYU, UNLV, New Mexico

Northeast - Wagner

Ohio Valley - Austin Peay

Pac-10 - Washington, Arizona, Washington State

Patriot - American

SEC - Kentucky, Florida, Vanderbilt, Georgia, Tennessee

Southern - Charleston

Southland - Sam Houston State

Summit - Oakland

Sun Belt - Florida Atlantic

SWAC - Jackson State

WAC - Utah State

WCC - Gonzaga, St. Mary's

----------------------------------------------------------------

The Seeds
The 1s

Duke, Ohio State, Kansas, Syracuse

The 2s
Pittsburgh, Connecticut, San Diego State, Kentucky

The 3s
Notre Dame, Villanova, BYU, Purdue

The 4s
Texas, Illinois, Texas A&M, Missouri

The 5s
Temple, Louisville, Wisconsin, Washington

The 6s
Florida, UNLV, Georgetown, Vanderbilt

The 7s
Michigan State, UCF, North Carolina, Kansas State

The 8s
West Virginia, Minnesota, Gonzaga, Memphis

The 9s
St. John's, Butler, Old Dominion, Georgia

The 10s
Tennessee, Cincinnati, St. Mary's, Boston College

The 11s
Arizona, Richmond, Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech vs. Baylor (FF)

The 12s
Washington State, Missouri State, Dayton, New Mexico vs. Miami (FL) (FF)

The 13s
Utah State, Princeton, Charleston, Jacksonville

The 14s
Oakland, Akron, Coastal Carolina, Fairfield

The 15s
Vermont, Long Beach State, Wagner, Austin Peay

The 16s
Florida Atlantic, Sam Houston State, Northern Colorado vs. Morgan State (FF), American vs. Jackson State (FF)

The Bracket
(Bracket courtesy Matt Reeves)
















Questions? Comments? E-mail Bracketology 101 at bracketologyblog@yahoo.com or send us a tweet at twitter.com/Bracketology101.