A few notes on today's bracket projection:
* Kansas takes over the No. 1 overall spot after Duke's loss to Miami last week. There's about a half-dozen teams that could make an argument for it, and it'll probably remain that way a little while longer.
* What to do with ACC leader and RPI darling Miami? After ripping Duke and Florida State, how about moving up to a No. 2 seed? That might be a tick high for the Hurricanes, whose worst loss (Florida Gulf Coast) is actually against a conference leader.
* It was a big week for Philadelphia schools. Both La Salle (Butler and VCU) and Villanova (Louisville and Syracuse) collected a pair of useful victories. In the case of the Wildcats, that's enough to vault from nowhere to a play-in game.
* A preview of a future headache: Where to send the play-in game winners. With three sites in or near Dayton (Auburn Hills, Dayton and Lexington), it would make a world of sense to ship the play-in winners to those sites. Even Kansas City and Philadelphia aren't too ridiculous.
Now, San Jose and Salt Lake City? That'll be a rough go for a Tuesday or Wednesday winner. In this bracket, it's what the Villanova/Saint Mary's winner would face.
The NCAA could really use a No. 4 seed in Auburn Hills or Lexington, which are Thursday/Saturday sites. You can bet if it shakes out that way, a play-in game will be paired with the No. 4 or No. 5 seed in those subregionals.
* The last couple spots are already creating headaches. Maryland slipped into the last spot, but it's pretty much unimaginable a team with the Terrapins' nonconference schedule strength wouldn't get bypassed when it matters.
Time for a bracket, because who doesn't like a bracket?
MIDWEST REGION
Kansas City, Mo.
(1) BIG 12/Kansas vs. (16) METRO ATLANTIC/Niagara
(8) Missouri vs. (9) North Carolina
Austin, Texas
(4) Marquette vs. (13) SUMMIT/North Dakota State
(5) Minnesota vs. (12) Colorado State
Auburn Hills, Mich.
(3) Michigan State vs. (14) SOUTHERN/Davidson
(6) Cincinnati vs. (11) Colorado
Austin, Texas
(2) ACC/Miami vs. (15) AMERICA EAST/Stony Brook
(7) Creighton vs. (10) La Salle
SOUTH REGION
Auburn Hills, Mich.
(1) BIG TEN/Michigan vs. (16) SOUTHWESTERN/Southern-NORTHEAST/Robert Morris
(8) Baylor vs. (9) Pittsburgh
San Jose, Calif.
(4) MOUNTAIN WEST/New Mexico vs. (13) MID-AMERICAN/Akron
(5) N.C. State vs. (12) PATRIOT/Bucknell
Dayton, Ohio
(3) ATLANTIC 10/Butler vs. (14) IVY/Harvard
(6) Kansas State vs. (11) SUN BELT/Middle Tennessee
Salt Lake City
(2) Arizona vs. (15) COLONIAL/Northeastern
(7) Georgetown vs. (10) CONFERENCE USA/Southern Mississippi
EAST REGION
Philadelphia
(1) Duke vs. (16) MID-EASTERN/North Carolina Central
(8) Mississippi vs. (9) Illinois
San Jose, Calif.
(4) PAC-12/Oregon vs. (13) Saint Mary's/Villanova
(5) Oklahoma vs. (12) Wyoming
Lexington, Ky.
(3) Louisville vs. (14) HORIZON/Valparaiso
(6) San Diego State vs. (11) Arizona State
Dayton, Ohio
(2) Indiana vs. (15) BIG WEST/Long Beach State
(7) Virginia Commonwealth vs. (10) Iowa State
WEST REGION
Lexington, Ky.
(1) SOUTHEASTERN/Florida vs. (16) BIG SOUTH/Charleston Southern-BIG SKY/Montana
(8) UCLA vs. (9) Notre Dame
Kansas City, Mo.
(4) Ohio State vs. (13) Maryland/Temple
(5) MISSOURI VALLEY/Wichita State vs. (12) WESTERN ATHLETIC/Louisiana Tech
Salt Lake City
(3) WEST COAST/Gonzaga vs. (14) SOUTHLAND/Stephen F. Austin
(6) UNLV vs. (11) OHIO VALLEY/Belmont
Philadelphia
(2) BIG EAST/Syracuse vs. (15) ATLANTIC SUN/Florida Gulf Coast
(7) Wisconsin vs. (10) Oklahoma State
Last four in: Maryland, Saint Mary’s, Temple, Villanova
Last four out: Brigham Young, Kentucky, Memphis, Charlotte
Next four out: St. John’s, Saint Louis, Boise State, Alabama
Moving in: Arizona State, Florida Gulf Coast, La Salle, Maryland, Montana, Robert Morris, St. Mary’s, Stony Brook, Villanova
Moving out: Albany, Brigham Young, Boise State, Bryant, Iowa, Kentucky, Mercer, Texas A&M, Weber State
Conference call: Big East (8), Big Ten (7), Big 12 (6), Atlantic Coast (5), Mountain West (5), Pac-12 (5), Atlantic 10 (4), Southeastern (3), Missouri Valley (2), West Coast (2)
--- Patrick Stevens
Comments