Ladies and gentlemen, we are back. If you followed along last season, you know the deal by now. If you are new, well, you should know two things. 1) Our guys Matt and Brian watch way too much college basketball, and 2) They are very good at predicting which programs will go dancing come March. Some say they happen to be better than “experts” like Joe Lunardi and Andy Katz, while others say they are insane for writing a blog while referring to themselves in the third person. Both things can be true. Anyway, here is Section 400’s projected ‘Field of 68’ with just over two months until ‘Selection Sunday’.

First Four Out: Missouri, Cincinnati, Vanderbilt, Arizona State

• While Missouri’s huge win over in-state rival Kansas won’t drop from the ‘Quad 1’ range, it could be considered a low-end top victory if the Jayhawks continue to falter. The Tigers will need to take advantage of the abundance of ‘Quad 1’ opportunities conference play in the SEC offers, but we just don’t see Tamar Bates and company doing enough to finish ahead of other bubble teams.
• After an extremely hot start to the season the  Cincinnati Bearcats are hanging their claws off the edge of the bubble. Unfortunately bubbles are round, and the Bearcats are going to have a tough time re-finding their footing in a solid BIG 12. 0-4 records in both the conference and Quad 1 are simply not good enough.
• Following an extremely winnable home game against South Carolina, 10 of Vanderbilt’s next 11 games will be ‘Quad 1’ opportunities, with the exception being a home matchup with Texas, who could very well move into the top 30 in NET by the time the two squads meet. That schedule alone gives the Commodores a path to ‘The Dance’ and guard Jason Edwards is the type of player that could move his team onto the right side of the bubble before long.
• Arizona State is our first team on the outside looking in. The Sun Devils are just 3-5 in Quad 1 & 2, but close losses against Gonzaga and Baylor give us faith they can make a run.

Last Four In: Penn State, Creighton, Texas, Villanova

• Penn State’s win against Purdue is going to hold a massive amount of weight for a team likely to hover around .500 in conference play. Ace Baldwin is the type of guard that can carry a team come March, but the Nittany Lions will need to finish games against teams like Oregon, who they lost to by one, in order to claim a spot in the field.
• Creighton is simply too talented to not claim a spot in the tournament. In what looks like a down year for the Big East, the Blue Jays need to stack ‘Quad 2’ wins as soon as possible.
• We have Texas finishing in the middle of the SEC, which should be plenty good enough to make the tournament. If the Longhorns completed their comeback attempt against Auburn they’d be a lock, and likely on the 8 or 9 line.
• Eric Dixon is leading the nation in scoring for Villanova. As long as he remains healthy, the senior should will the Wildcats to the tournament.

16 seeds: Lehigh, SEMO/Long Island, Vermont, Omaha/Southern

15 seeds: Norfolk State, Kent State, Youngstown State, Marist

14 seeds: Arkansas State, High Point, Northern Colorado, New Mexico State

13 seeds: Columbia, Grand Canyon, North Alabama, Samford

12 seeds: McNeese, Saint Louis, Charleston, Drake

11 seeds: UC San Diego, Creighton/Penn State, Dayton, Indiana

10 seeds: Arkansas, Villanova/Texas, Nebraska, Texas Tech

9 seeds: Georgia, Pittsburgh, Louisville, North Carolina

8 seeds: Clemson, St. John’s, Maryland, San Diego State

7 seeds: Utah State, Baylor, Arizona, West Virginia

6 seeds: Ole Miss, UCLA, Oklahoma, Wisconsin

5 seeds: Michigan, UConn, Memphis, Purdue

4 seeds: Mississippi State, Kentucky, Michigan State, Gonzaga

3 seeds: Kansas, Illinois, Texas A&M, Houston

2 seeds: Tennessee, Alabama, Marquette, Oregon

1 seeds: Auburn, Iowa State, Duke, Florida

 

Projected Major conference champions: Oregon, Iowa State, UCONN, Auburn, Duke, San Diego State,