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Bracketology: Feb. 22

This is a day delayed, so let's just get to this ... and hope there are some conference tournament upsets. At least this week, things didn't get dicey until the No. 8 or No. 9 line, rather than the No. 7 seeds ...

SOUTHEAST REGION

Cleveland

(1) BIG TEN/Ohio State vs. (16) SOUTHLAND/McNeese-SWAC/Texas Southern
(8) Cincinnati vs. (9) Tennessee

Tucson, Ariz.

(4) North Carolina vs. (13) MISSOURI VALLEY/Missouri State
(5) St. John's vs. (12) CONFERENCE USA/UAB

Tampa, Fla.

(3) SOUTHEASTERN/Florida vs. (14) BIG SOUTH/Coastal Carolina
(6) Texas A&M vs. (11) Colorado State

Charlotte, N.C.

(2) Georgetown vs. (15) PATRIOT/Bucknell
(7) COLONIAL/George Mason vs. (10) WESTERN ATHLETIC/Utah State

EAST REGION

Cleveland

(1) BIG EAST/Pittsburgh vs. (16) BIG SKY/Montana-MEAC/Bethune-Cookman
(8) Illinois vs. (9) Old Dominion

Denver

(4) Vanderbilt vs. (13) IVY/Harvard
(5) PAC-10/Arizona vs. (12) Marquette

Chicago

(3) Purdue vs. (14) MID-AMERICAN/Kent State
(6) Villanova vs. (11) Boston College

Tucson, Ariz.

(2) MOUNTAIN WEST/San Diego State vs. (15) METRO ATLANTIC/Fairfield
(7) Temple vs. (10) Kansas State

SOUTHWEST REGION

Tulsa, Okla.

(1) Kansas vs. (16) SUN BELT/Florida Atlantic
(8) UCLA vs. UNLV

Tampa, Fla.

(4) Wisconsin vs. (13) ATLANTIC SUN/Belmont
(5) Louisville vs. (12) Richmond/Clemson

Chicago

(3) Notre Dame vs. (14) AMERICA EAST/Vermont
(6) Missouri vs. (11) WEST COAST/Saint Mary's

Charlotte, N.C.

(2) ACC/Duke vs. (15) NORTHEAST/Long Island
(7) Georgia vs. (10) Minnesota

WEST REGION

Tulsa, Okla.

(1) BIG 12/Texas vs. (16) BIG WEST/Long Beach State
(8) Washington vs. (9) Florida State

Washington

(4) Syracuse vs. (13) SUMMIT/Oakland
(5) Kentucky vs. (12) Gonzaga/Virginia Tech

Washington

(3) Connecticut vs. (14) SOUTHERN/College of Charleston
(6) ATLANTIC 10/Xavier vs. (11) HORIZON/Cleveland State

Denver

(2) Brigham Young vs. (15) OHIO VALLEY/Morehead State
(7) West Virginia vs. (10) Michigan State

Last four in: Gonzaga, Clemson, Virginia Tech, Richmond
Last four out: Nebraska, Butler, Memphis, VCU
Next four out: Alabama, Penn State, Michigan, Oklahoma State

By league: Big East (11), ACC (6), Big Ten (6), Big 12 (5), Southeastern (5), Mountain West (4), Atlantic 10 (3), Pac-10 (3), Colonial (2), West Coast (2)

Bracketology: Feb. 14

The less said the better about the bubble with just 27 days until the NCAA's 68-team field is announced.

One team is going to provide a bit of a headache going forward, and that's Florida State. Now down Chris Singleton (broken foot), it will be difficult to figure out just how much his loss will impact the Seminoles' seeding (or, potentially, selection).

There isn't much of an influence in this projection, if only because it's tough to tell how Florida State will be without him. The Seminoles won at home against Virginia on Saturday with Singleton out more than half of the game, but that isn't exactly a great sample. So for now, the Seminoles have an extra variable to consider.

Two other things: Kentucky and Vanderbilt have been flipped to avoid a potential Vanderbilt-Marquette rematch in the round of 64, and Illinois and Xavier have been flipped to avoid a Xavier-Cincinnati matchup. Observation: This exercise would be substantially easier with just one or two fewer Big East teams to keep track of.

This week's projected field is after the jump.

Bracketology: Feb. 6

Not being particularly accomplished or talented clearly isn't an impediment to success.

Anyone whose ears survived the first half of the Super Bowl halftime show is well aware of that, if they were not already.

It's unfair to apply the untalented label on the teams filling in the final at-large spots in this NCAA tournament projection. Unaccomplished? That's not unreasonable at all.

This weekly task isn't getting any easier. In the absence of teams actually making a decent push or a plethora of surprise conference tournament winners, it could remain this way straight through Selection Sunday.

That's not a fun thought. So instead of dwelling on it, how about a 68-team field instead.

That comes after the jump.

Bracketology: Jan. 31

It says a lot about a 68-team NCAA tournament field --- particularly this projected 68-team field --- that Maryland just nosed its way in.

That's not to say the Terrapins aren't good. But the evidence they are capable of upending other tournament-quality opponents lies mostly in their ability to play ranked teams close rather than beating those ranked teams.

Playing opponents close --- and owning just one top-50 and three top-100 victories as January comes to a close --- isn't exactly the meatiest resume. But Maryland has done nothing terrible, and looked dreadful just once in its first 21 games. While sizing up this week's bracket, the Terps made it into the field over a free-falling Oklahoma State outfit, Kansas State and Wichita State teams with even blander overall profiles than Maryland and a Butler bunch that has three losses to teams outside the top 100.

With their increasingly valuable defeat of Penn State, the Terps at least have something going for them while enduring no ugly stains. For the moment, it's enough to at least be in the discussion for a tournament berth --- and in this projection, just enough to snag a trip to Dayton.

Some acknowledged flaws with this field, plus the full projection after the jump ...

Bracketology: Jan. 23

Virginia Tech? In.

George Mason? In.

Old Dominion? In.

Richmond? In.

Maryland? Not so much. But give it time. Because it seems like nearly everyone finds themselves in (or on the edge of) this year's projected 68-team field.

More after the jump ...

Bracketology: Jan. 17

I waited a couple weeks later than some to start the weekly (and eventually more frequent) bracketology updates.

Halfway through this one, I realized I probably should have waited longer, especially with a 68-team field.

So consider this a dry run of sorts as the resumes of respective teams get committed to memory in the weeks to come. This isn't perfect analysis (though observing the Big East is going to create its share of bracketing headaches seems to be rather spot-on at the moment), but it is a building block for more accurate assessments in the future.

In short, this probably isn't the best take available right now, but it ensures a far better chance of achieving that level in another eight weeks.

Onto the breakdown:

SOUTHWEST

Tulsa, Okla.

(1) BIG 12/Kansas vs. (16) NEC/Long Island-SWAC/Texas Southern
(8) UNLV vs. (9) ATLANTIC 10/Xavier

Tucson, Ariz.

(4) Georgetown vs. (13) IVY/Harvard
(5) Michigan State vs. (12) Florida State/Old Dominion

Chicago

(3) SEC/Kentucky vs. (14) ATLANTIC SUN/Belmont
(6) Texas vs. (11) Gonzaga

Charlotte, N.C.

(2) Villanova vs. (15) MAAC/Iona
(7) Illinois vs. (10) Miami

SOUTHEAST

Cleveland

(1) BIG TEN/Ohio State vs. (16) SOUTHLAND/McNeese State-MEAC/Bethune-Cookman
(8) Georgia vs. (9) Butler

Tampa, Fla.

(4) Notre Dame vs. (13) SUMMIT/Oakland
(5) PAC-10/Washington vs. (12) CONFERENCE USA/Southern Mississippi

Denver

(3) Brigham Young vs. (14) PATRIOT/Bucknell
(6) Missouri vs. (11) Cincinnati

Washington

(2) Connecticut vs. (15) BIG WEST/Long Beach State
(7) North Carolina vs. (10) WAC/Utah State

EAST

Washington

(1) BIG EAST/Syracuse vs. (16) BIG SKY/Northern Colorado
(8) Arizona vs. (9) Central Florida

Tampa, Fla.

(4) Minnesota vs. (13) HORIZON/Valparaiso
(5) Tennessee vs. (12) Marquette/Colorado

Chicago

(3) West Virginia vs. (14) AMERICA EAST/Vermont
(6) Wisconsin vs. (11) Boston College

Tucson, Ariz.

(2) MOUNTAIN WEST/San Diego State vs. (15) MAC/Ball State
(7) Temple vs. (10) Oklahoma State

WEST

Charlotte, N.C.

(1) ACC/Duke vs. (16) OHIO VALLEY/Austin Peay
(8) Vanderbilt vs. (9) Louisville

Denver

(4) Purdue vs. (13) SOUTHERN/College of Charleston
(5) St. John's vs. (12) COLONIAL/James Madison

Tulsa, Okla.

(3) Texas A&M vs. (14) BIG SOUTH/Coastal Carolina
(6) Florida vs. (11) Washington State

Cleveland

(2) Pittsburgh vs. (15) SUN BELT/Florida Atlantic
(7) WEST COAST/Saint Mary's vs. (10) MISSOURI VALLEY/Missouri State

Among the near-misses: Kansas State, Wichita State, UCLA and Cleveland State.