Section 400’s Bracketology, February 19

Welcome to Views from 400 Bracketology! 

As the great Doctor Strange once said, we are in the end game now. Conference tournaments kick off in just under three weeks, which means now is a better time than ever to check up on where your favorite team ranks in our newest bracket projection.

Read below to see where your favorite team lands!

First Four Out: Nevada, Butler, Utah, Seton Hall

• Nevada is the worst good team in a very solid Mountain West. If they can keep winning the committee should put them into the field. A home loss to New Mexico keeps the Wolf Pack out of the field for now.
• Butler lost twice this week with two “Quad 1” home opportunities. They’ll have another one this week on the road against Villanova, but that just became a must-win.
• Utah is not a very good basketball team. Don’t let Joe Lunardi fool you. They are, however, a better basketball team than Memphis whom they knocked out of this spot.
• Seton Hall took down St. Johns on Sunday to reclaim a spot on the bubble. We’ll see if head coach Shaheen Holloway can create March magic again.

Last Four In: Colorado, Nebraska, Cincinnati, Villanova

• Colorado got usurped by PAC 12 rival Washington State as a team safely in the field. The Buffalos are good team in the PAC 12 but the conference is just not that good. They’ll need to do some major damage down the stretch to get back in the field.
• Nebraska is a big win away from moving off the bubble. The Big 10 just doesn’t afford that many opportunities though.
• Cincinnati had another inconsistent week. The Bearcats lost to Iowa State as home favorites then squeaked past UCF on the road. We need to see Cincy win a few in a row before they earn a safe spot in the field.
• Villanova was the victim of not playing more than once this week. When you are on the bubble, you have to win games. This week’s home game vs. Butler is their biggest of the season.

Projected Field of 68

16 seeds: Merrimack/NC Central, Colgate, Southern/Eastern Washington, Green Bay

15 seeds: Sam Houston State, High Point, Morehead State, Quinnipiac

14 seeds: UNCW, Vermont, Eastern Kentucky, South Dakota State

13 seeds: Akron, UC Irvine, Appalachian State, Samford

12 seeds: Princeton, McNeese State, Grand Canyon, Indiana State

11 seeds: Ole Miss, Boise State, Colorado/Nebraska, Cincinnati/Villanova

10 seeds: Washington State, Mississippi State, Northwestern, Michigan State

9 seeds: Gonzaga, Utah State, South Florida, Texas A&M

8 seeds: Colorado State, New Mexico, Virginia, Texas

7 seeds: Florida, Oklahoma, BYU, Clemson

6 seeds: FAU, TCU, Texas Tech, South Carolina

5 seeds: Wisconsin, Auburn, St. Mary’s, San Diego State

4 seeds: Kentucky, Creighton, Dayton, Duke

3 seeds: Illinois, Alabama, Baylor, Marquette

2 seeds: Iowa State, UNC, Kansas, Tennessee

1 seeds: Purdue, Houston, Arizona, UConn

 

Projected Major Conference Champions

Purdue, Kansas, UCONN, Alabama, Arizona, San Diego State

 

Bids by Conference

AAC: 2

A-10: 1

ACC: 4

Big 10: 5

Big 12: 10

Big East: 5

Ivy League: 1

MVC: 1

MWC: 6

SEC: 10

WCC: 2

PAC 12: 2