Holding Everything Up

The Final Four has passed and there's still no word where the NCAA East Regional for 2013 will be held, or when they will even announce it. ESPN's Andy Katz reported last week that Madison Square Garden is trying to find room on it's schedule for the NCAA's, but in doing so, it's holding up the NBA and NHL from making their schedules for the Knicks and Rangers(those are in the preliminary stages). If the scheduling concerns can't be cleared up soon, the NCAA maybe forced to hastily move the East Regional to the Carrier Dome in Syracuse. That should be done by the June meetings of both the Division I Men's Basketball Committee and the Championships/Sports Management Council. But if June passes and no word has come out, you can pretty much assume it will be at the Garden.

Crowding out the NCAA's?

Chris Myers(No, not that one) of 1500 ESPN in the Twin Cities is reporting that the arrival of both the Big Ten Hockey Conference and the National Collegiate Hockey Conference, not to mention the permanence of the WCHA, may make it unlikely, if not prevent outright the NCAA hoops tournament from ever considering the Twin Cities for 2nd/3rd round games ever again(Unless the Metrodome or whatever replaces it is available). Read it here:
http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/Myers_Changes_afoot_but_college_hockey_tourneys_likely_to_stay_031512

If this is indeed the case, the NCAA's promise of early round action may go unheeded, but simply because the arenas in question have chosen to go the safe route of guaranteed attendance, rather than having unfamiliar audiences.

Bracket Watch's tourney predictions

Now that the field is settled, it's time to reveal my picks for how the tournament will go.

Notable 2nd Round Upsets: (S14) South Dakota State over (S3) Baylor, (W12) Long Beach State over (W5) New Mexico, (E12) Harvard over (E5) Vanderbilt
Sweet 16 Teams:
South: Kentucky, Wichita State, UNLV, Duke
West: Michigan State, Louisville, Murray State, Missouri
East: Syracuse, Harvard, Cincinnati, West Virginia
Midwest: North Carolina, Michigan, San Diego State, Kansas

National Semifinals:
Kansas over Syracuse
Kentucky over Missouri
National Championship:
Kentucky 88
Kansas 73

The rest of the bracket will not be divulged, so one cannot gain a competitive advantage against me.

The Knee Jerk to the field

Well now that the dust has settled, a take on what the committee did well, and did not.

Top Seeds
Kentucky and Syracuse were the obvious top choices for the top line, joined this weekend by North Carolina and Michigan State. The placement of Kentucky in the South was a minor surprise. Sure, St. Louis is closer to Lexington than Atlanta is, but the Wildcats are a natural fit for the South region. This placement forced North Carolina(3rd on the seed list) to go to St. Louis, rather than the Spartans. On the second line, Kansas stayed in the Midwest region, and Missouri, 8th overall and the lowest of the 2 seeds, was put in with the weakest #1 Michigan State(and the Tigers had 30 wins overall).

The Bubble
The lack of bid poachers(until last weekend) meant that more mediocre resumes made it in. Like South Florida, who played rather badly vs. the Big East establishment. The most questionable inclusion was that of Iona, who made it in despite losing in the Metro Atlantic semifinals. By far the most controversial exclusion was that of Washington. The Huskies won the Pacific-12 regular season title outright, but consecutive losses(the last to Oregon State by 2 in the Pacific-12 tournament) combined with bad OOC numbers and a poorer overall showing by the rest of the conference, left the Huskies with an apparent unwanted first. As in being the first BCS 6 outright regular season champion to not get an at-large. Also missing out was Drexel who was hurt by the Colonial's unbalanced slate, as well as the Dragons' own unimpressive ooc fixture list. For the record, Oral Roberts was the NCAA's own last team left out, meaning that the good folks down in Olean, NY will be at the receiving end of some very angry F U notes from Tulsa. Miami(FL), Nevada, Mississippi State and Seton Hall were also left behind.

Questionable placements
Apart from the having the awkward situation of having North Carolina in the Midwest(which allows the ACC to complete the "Completing the Top seed rounds"), the biggest beef could be Ohio State's placement in Pittsburgh. With the real possibility of facing a well-supported West Virginia in the 3rd round. Seed wise, I'm sure Creighton and Murray State are well underseeded. Overseeds, Xavier as a 10 looks primed for an easy defeat at the hands of Notre Dame.

My personal performance
After missing three last year, I missed out on only Iona, having Drexel in instead. In seeding, 52 of 67 were within +/-1 seed, with 30 exactas. I was also able to correctly guess 5 games(Mississippi Valley State vs. Western Kentucky; MVSU/WKU vs. Kentucky; Indiana vs. New Mexico State; New Mexico vs. Long Beach State(albeit with incorrect seeds); and Duke vs. Lehigh).

Well tomorrow, I'll be making out my predictions on how the actual games will turn out. So til then, tootaloo.

Bracket Watch '12 - FINAL projection and seed list

With the final games of the early afternoon now complete, here is my FINAL projection of the season, as well as my seed list which will go first.

Seed List
1-Kentucky
2-Syracuse
3-North Carolina
4-Michigan State
5-MISSOURI
6-Ohio State
7-Kansas
8-Duke
9-Baylor
10-Marquette
11-Wisconsin
12-FLORIDA STATE
13-Michigan
14-Indiana
15-MURRAY STATE
16-VANDERBILT
17-LOUISVILLE
18-Georgetown
19-UNLV
20-Wichita State
21-SAINT MARY'S
22-Cincinnati
23-Temple
24-CREIGHTON
25-Gonzaga
26-NEW MEXICO
27-MEMPHIS
28-Notre Dame
29-San Diego State
30-Florida
31-Iowa State
32-Kansas State
33-Virginia
34-Alabama
35-Purdue
36-HARVARD
37-Connecticut
38-LONG BEACH STATE
39-Saint Louis
40-California
41-West Virginia
42-Southern Mississippi
43-Brigham Young
44-Colorado State
45-VCU
46-Xavier
47-Texas
48-North Carolina State
49-South Florida
50-Drexel(Last at-large)
51-SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
52-COLORADO
53-NEW MEXICO STATE
54-SAINT BONAVENTURE
55-DAVIDSON
56-LOYOLA(MD)
57-MONTANA
58-BELMONT
59-OHIO
60-DETROIT
61-LEHIGH
62-UNC ASHEVILLE
63-LAMAR
64-LONG ISLAND
65-NORFOLK STATE
66-VERMONT
67-MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE
68-WESTERN KENTUCKY

Just missing:
69-Seton Hall
70-Washington
71-Mississippi State
72-Iona
73-Northwestern
74-Mississippi
75-Oral Roberts
76-Nevada
77-Arizona

THE BRACKET

Final Four pairings
Midwest(1) vs. West(4)
East(2) vs. South(3)
First Four pairings
Tuesday: MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE vs. WESTERN KENTUCKY; Texas vs. South Florida
Wednesday: NORFOLK STATE vs. VERMONT; North Carolina State vs. Drexel

MIDWEST Regional

Louisville
1-Kentucky vs. 16-MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE/WESTERN KENTUCKY
8-San Diego State vs. 9-HARVARD
Albuquerque
4-Michigan vs. 13-SAINT BONAVENTURE
5-LOUISVILLE vs. 12-SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
Omaha
2-Kansas vs. 15-UNC ASHEVILLE
7-Gonzaga vs. 10-Connecticut
Nashville
3-FLORIDA STATE vs. 14-DAVIDSON
6-Temple vs. 11-VCU

WEST Regional

Columbus
1-Michigan State vs. 16-LAMAR
8-Virginia vs. 9-Kansas State
Nashville
4-VANDERBILT vs. 13-North Carolina State/Drexel
5-Georgetown vs. 12-Xavier
Omaha
2-MISSOURI vs. 15-DETROIT
7-NEW MEXICO vs. 10-LONG BEACH STATE
Columbus
3-Marquette vs. 14-BELMONT
6-CREIGHTON vs. 11-Southern Mississippi

EAST Regional

Pittsburgh
1-Syracuse vs. 16-LONG ISLAND
8-Iowa State vs. 9-Alabama
Portland
4-Indiana vs. 13-NEW MEXICO STATE
5-Wichita State vs. 12-Colorado State
Greensboro
2-Duke vs. 15-LEHIGH
7-MEMPHIS vs. 10-California
Louisville
3-Wisconsin vs. 14-LOYOLA(MD)
6-Cincinnati vs. 11-Brigham Young

SOUTH Regional

Greensboro
1-North Carolina vs. 16-NORFOLK STATE/VERMONT
8-Florida vs. 9-Kansas State
Portland
4-MURRAY STATE vs. 13-COLORADO
5-Unlv vs. 12-Texas/South Florida
Pittsburgh
2-Ohio State vs. 15-OHIO
7-Notre Dame vs. 10-Saint Louis
Albuquerque
3-Baylor vs. 14-MONTANA
6-SAINT MARY'S vs. 11-West Virginia

Bracket Watch '12 - Selection Sunday, Part 2

Now in case St. Bonaventure is successful in winning the Atlantic 10 title, here's what the bracket would look like:

Final Four pairings
Midwest(1) vs. West(4)
East(2) vs. South(3)

First Four pairings
Tuesday: MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE vs. WESTERN KENTUCKY; Texas vs. South Florida
Wednesday: NORFOLK STATE vs. VERMONT; North Carolina State vs. Drexel

MIDWEST Regional

Louisville
1-Kentucky vs. 16-MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE/WESTERN KENTUCKY
8-San Diego State vs. 9-Harvard
Albuquerque
4-Michigan vs. 13-ST. BONAVENTURE
5-LOUISVILLE vs. 12-SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
Omaha
2-Kansas vs. 15-UNC ASHEVILLE
7-Gonzaga vs. 10-Connecticut
Nashville
3-Florida State vs. 14-DAVIDSON
6-Temple vs. 11-VCU

WEST Regional

Columbus
1-Michigan State vs. 16-LAMAR
8-Virginia vs. 9-Kansas State
Nashville
4-Vanderbilt vs. 13-North Carolina State/Drexel
5-Georgetown vs. 12-Xavier
Omaha
2-MISSOURI vs. 15-DETROIT
7-NEW MEXICO vs. 10-LONG BEACH STATE
Columbus
3-Marquette vs. 14-BELMONT
6-CREIGHTON vs. 11-Southern Mississippi

EAST Regional

Pittsburgh
1-Syracuse vs. 16-LONG ISLAND
8-Iowa State vs. 9-Alabama
Portland
4-Indiana vs. 13-NEW MEXICO STATE
5-Wichita State vs. 12-Colorado State
Greensboro
2-Duke vs. 15-LEHIGH
7-MEMPHIS vs. 10-California
Louisville
3-Wisconsin vs. 14-LOYOLA(MD)
6-Cincinnati vs. 11-Brigham Young

SOUTH Regional

Greensboro
1-North Carolina vs. 16-NORFOLK STATE/VERMONT
8-Florida vs. 9-Kansas State
Portland
4-MURRAY STATE vs. 13-COLORADO
5-Unlv vs. 12-Texas/South Florida
Pittsburgh
2-Ohio State vs. 15-OHIO
7-Notre Dame vs. 10-Saint Louis
Albuquerque
3-Baylor vs. 14-MONTANA
6-SAINT MARY'S vs. 11-West Virginia

Last four in the field: Texas(48), South Florida(49), North Carolina State(50), Drexel(51)
First four left out: Seton Hall(52), Washington(53), Mississippi State(54), Iona(55)
Next six left out: Northwestern(56), Mississippi(58), Oral Roberts(59), Arizona(60), Miami(FL)(62), Nevada(63)

Now, once the early games are finished, I'll be back to post the final projection. It's likely, but not a guarantee, that one of these two provisional brackets will end up being the last projection of the season. It will also be accompanied by the final seed list too. So I'll see you all this afternoon.

Bracket Watch '12 - Selection Sunday

Well, here it is at the last. This is the day where everyone will know who's in and who didn't make the cut. Since there is a bid stealer in our midst, I've created two brackets based on what happens today. This one depicts the status quo, in which Xavier wins the Atlantic 10.

Final Four pairings
Midwest(1) vs. West(4)
East(2) vs. South(3)

First Four pairings
Tuesday: MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE vs. WESTERN KENTUCKY; Drexel vs. Seton Hall
Wednesday: NORFOLK STATE vs. VERMONT; North Carolina State vs. South Florida

MIDWEST Regional

Louisville
1-Kentucky vs. 16-MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE/WESTERN KENTUCKY
8-San Diego State vs. 9-Kansas State
Albuquerque
4-Michigan vs. 13-COLORADO
5-LOUISVILLE vs. 12-SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
Omaha
2-Kansas vs. 15-UNC ASHEVILLE
7-Gonzaga vs. 10-Connecticut
Nashville
3-Florida State vs. 14-DAVIDSON
6-Temple vs. 11-West Virginia

WEST Regional

Columbus
1-Michigan State vs. 16-NORFOLK STATE/VERMONT
8-Virginia vs. 9-HARVARD
Nashville
4-Vanderbilt vs. 13-North Carolina State/South Florida
5-Georgetown vs. 12-VCU
Omaha
2-MISSOURI vs. 15-DETROIT
7-NEW MEXICO vs. 10-LONG BEACH STATE
Columbus
3-Marquette vs. 14-BELMONT
6-CREIGHTON vs. 11-XAVIER

EAST Regional

Pittsburgh
1-Syracuse vs. 16-LONG ISLAND
8-Iowa State vs. 9-Alabama
Portland
4-Indiana vs. 13-NEW MEXICO STATE
5-Wichita State vs. 12-Colorado State
Greensboro
2-Duke vs. 15-LEHIGH
7-MEMPHIS vs. 10-California
Louisville
3-Wisconsin vs. 14-LOYOLA(MD)
6-Cincinnati vs. 11-Brigham Young

SOUTH Regional

Greensboro
1-North Carolina vs. 16-LAMAR
8-Florida vs. 9-Purdue
Portland
4-MURRAY STATE vs. 13-Drexel/Seton Hall
5-Unlv vs. 12-Texas
Pittsburgh
2-Ohio State vs. 15-OHIO
7-Notre Dame vs. 10-Saint Louis
Albuquerque
3-Baylor vs. 14-MONTANA
6-SAINT MARY'S vs. 11-Southern Mississippi

Last four in the field: North Carolina State(48), South Florida(50), Drexel(51), Seton Hall(52)
First four left out: Washington(53), Mississippi State(54), Iona(55), Northwestern(57)
Next five left out: Mississippi(58), Oral Roberts(59), Arizona(60), Miami(FL)(61), Nevada(62)

In a moment, the St. Bonaventure variation.

Questions and answers on what to expect

Who's the last #1?
If all indications are correct, Kentucky, Syracuse, and North Carolina should be good to go for the top line. But after that, it's a tossup between two Big Ten and two Big 12 teams. Kansas has been on fire recently, but it lost to Baylor in the Big 12 semis. Missouri lost out on the Big 12 regular season title, but won the conference tournament in it's last duties as a basketball-playing member. Michigan State has done surprisingly well against a killer non-conference slate, not to mention surviving a difficult Big Ten. Same with Ohio State, who defeated the likes of Duke. Who will get it? I still say Kansas, but it would not shock me to see one of the other three up there with a 1 next to it.

Who does the bubble have to root against?
UC Santa Barbara, tonight, and St. Bonaventure, tomorrow. By my account, both Long Beach State have done enough to earn at-large status. But they can help the bubble out by winning their respective conference games.

Where does Kentucky go?
Most of the season, most bracketologists had the Wildcats going to the South Regional in Atlanta. But recently, some, not all, have put the Wildcats in St. Louis for the Midwest Regional. In terms of mileage, Lexington is about 40 miles closer to St. Louis than to Atlanta. And with the emergence of North Carolina, it looks more or less likely Kentucky will go to St. Louis for regional play(much to the disgust of our Kansas readership, the Jayhawks would be shipped out west to Phoenix. Syracuse, the other lock for a 1, looks to be a lock for Boston).

Will anyone get all 68 teams right?
Not likely, but certainly possible.

Well that's all from me for tonight. See you tomorrow, and don't forget to turn your clocks ahead an hour before you sleep.

Bracket Watch '12 - Saturday Night

Sorry about the lateness of my projections today, I was a bit busy. Here's my latest update as of 6:30 PM this evening(not considering the Pacific-12 and Big 12 finals). Seeds Only(no bracket until tomorrow).

1-Kentucky(Midwest), Syracuse(East), North Carolina(South), Kansas(West)
2-Michigan State, Missouri, Ohio State, Duke
3-Baylor, Marquette, Wisconsin, Florida State
4-Michigan, Indiana, MURRAY STATE, Vanderbilt
5-Louisville, Georgetown, Unlv, Wichita State
6-SAINT MARY'S, Cincinnati, Temple, CREIGHTON
7-Gonzaga, Florida, San Diego State, New Mexico
8-Notre Dame, MEMPHIS, Iowa State, Kansas State
9-Virginia, Alabama, Purdue, HARVARD
10-Connecticut, Long Beach State, Saint Louis, California
11-West Virginia, Southern Mississippi, Xavier, Brigham Young
12-Colorado State, Texas, VCU, Washington(First Four), NC State(First Four)
13-South Florida(First Four), Drexel(First Four), Arizona, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE, DAVIDSON
14-LOYOLA(MD), New Mexico State, MONTANA, BELMONT
15-Akron, DETROIT, LEHIGH, UNC ASHEVILLE
16-LAMAR, LONG ISLAND, NORFOLK STATE(First Four), VERMONT(First Four), Mississippi Valley State(First Four), WESTERN KENTUCKY(First Four)

First four in line for a bid: Mississippi State(52), Seton Hall(53), Iona(54), Northwestern(55)
Next three left out: Mississippi(56), Oral Roberts(59), Nevada(60)

Bracket Watch '12 - Friday Bracket

Close games, burst bubbles, overtime games, double overtime games, triple overtime games, hysterics abound. Man that had to be the wildest Thursday in Championship Week history. And all of this is captured in the latest projection based on what's going on. And if that doesn't get your attention, then I don't know what will.

Final Four pairings
South(1) vs. West(4)
East(2) vs. Midwest(3)

First Four pairings
Tuesday: Mississippi Valley State(Southwestern) vs. WESTERN KENTUCKY; Xavier vs. South Florida
Wednesday: Norfolk State(Mid-Eastern) vs. Lamar(Southland); Mississippi State vs. Drexel

SOUTH Regional

Louisville
1-Kentucky(Southeastern) vs. 16-Mississippi Valley State/WESTERN KENTUCKY
8-Iowa State vs. 9-Saint Louis
Nashville
4-Florida State vs. 13-SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
5-Georgetown vs. 12-VCU
Columbus
2-Michigan State(Big Ten) vs. 15-DETROIT
7-Notre Dame vs. 10-Southern Mississippi
Albuquerque
3-Baylor vs. 14-BELMONT
6-Wichita State vs. 11-Long Beach State(Big West)

WEST Regional

Greensboro
1-North Carolina(Atlantic Coast) vs. 16-Norfolk State/Lamar
8-Cincinnati vs. 9-Kansas State
Portland
4-MURRAY STATE vs. 13-Tennessee
5-Unlv vs. 12-Brigham Young
Omaha
2-Missouri vs. 15-LEHIGH
7-Memphis(Conference USA) vs. 10-Connecticut
Columbus
3-Wisconsin vs. 14-LOYOLA(MD)
6-Florida vs. 11-West Virginia

EAST Regional

Pittsburgh
1-Syracuse(Big East) vs. 16-Stony Brook or Vermont(America East)
8-Virginia vs. 9-Purdue
Nashville
4-Temple(Atlantic 10) vs. 13-Mississippi State/Drexel
5-SAINT MARY'S vs. 12-Washington
Greensboro
2-Duke vs. 15-UNC ASHEVILLE
7-San Diego State(Mountain West) vs. 10-Alabama
Pittsburgh
3-Michigan vs. 14-DAVIDSON
6-Louisville vs. 11-Texas

MIDWEST Regional

Omaha
1-Kansas(Big 12) vs. 16-LONG ISLAND
8-New Mexico vs. 9-HARVARD
Albuquerque
4-Indiana vs. 13-Nevada(Western Athletic)
5-Vanderbilt vs. 12-Xavier/South Florida
Louisville
2-Ohio State vs. 15-Akron(Mid-American)
7-CREIGHTON vs. 10-California(Pacific-12)
Portland
3-Marquette vs. 14-MONTANA
6-Gonzaga vs. 11-Colorado State

Line Adjustments:
Up 1 seed line: Harvard: Xavier/South Florida winner
Down 1 seed line: Alabama, Tennessee

Last four in the field(by seed list number): Xavier(48), Mississippi State(50), South Florida(51), Drexel(52)
First four left out: Seton Hall(53), Northwestern(54), North Carolina State(55), Iona(56)
Next four left out: Miami(FL)(57), Arizona(58), Oregon(59), Oral Roberts(61)
Also under consideration: Central Florida, Dayton, St. Joseph's, Marshall, Mississippi, Middle Tennessee, Minnesota

Important Note for Saturday

As you may already know, I'll be attending the Minnesota State High School Boy's Hockey Championships on Saturday, so if it's possible to do so, I'll have a bracket up early that day. If not, the next projection will be on Sunday morning, with the final one to be revealed after the early games are played.

Bracket Watch '12 - Thursday Update

Jeff Hathaway gave it away during his Indy presser, Peyton Manning is replacing him as chairman of the selection committee-NO WAIT! That wasn't it....Kentucky and Syracuse will be #1 seeds. As for the rest of the field, they're going to have to wait. But in the meantime, with enough results out there to be an influence, here's a freshly updated look at the field of 68.

Final Four Pairings:
South(1) vs. West(4)
East(2) vs. Midwest(3)

First Four Pairings
Tuesday: Norfolk State(Mid-Eastern) vs. WESTERN KENTUCKY; Tennesse vs. Xavier
Wednesday: Stony Brook(America East) vs. Mississippi Valley State(Southwestern); Colorado State vs. Texas

SOUTH Regional

Louisville
1-Kentucky(Southeastern) vs. 16-Norfolk State/WESTERN KENTUCKY
8-Kansas State vs. 9-Saint Louis
Portland
4-Georgetown vs. 13-Nevada(Western Athletic)
5-SAINT MARY'S vs. 12-VCU
Greensboro
2-Duke vs. 15-LEHIGH
7-Memphis(Conference USA) vs. 10-HARVARD
Portland
3-Wisconsin vs. 14-BELMONT
6-Notre Dame vs. 11-Long Beach State(Big West)

WEST Regional

Greensboro
1-North Carolina(Atlantic Coast) vs. 16-Stony Brook/Mississippi Valley State
8-Iowa State vs. 9-Alabama
Albuquerque
4-Indiana vs. 13-Tennessee/Xavier
5-Unlv vs. 12-Brigham Young
Columbus
2-Michigan State(Big Ten) vs. 15-Texas-Arlington(Southland)
7-Louisville vs. 10-Southern Mississippi
Albuquerque
3-Baylor vs. 14-MONTANA
6-Wichita State vs. 11-Washington(Pacific-12)

EAST Regional

Pittsburgh
1-Syracuse(Big East) vs. 16-UNC ASHEVILLE
8-Virginia vs. 9-Purdue
Nashville
4-MURRAY STATE vs. 13-Colorado State/Texas
5-Temple(Atlantic 10) vs. 12-South Florida
Omaha
2-Missouri vs. 15-DETROIT
7-San Diego State(Mountain West) vs. 10-California
Pittsburgh
3-Michigan vs. 14-DAVIDSON
6-Florida vs. 11-West Virginia

MIDWEST Regional

Omaha
1-Kansas(Big 12) vs. 16-LONG ISLAND
8-New Mexico vs. 9-Cincinnati
Nashville
4-Florida State vs. 13-SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
5-Vanderbilt vs. 12-Northwestern
Louisville
2-Ohio State vs. 15-Akron(Mid-American)
7-CREIGHTON vs. 10-Connecticut
Columbus
3-Marquette vs. 14-LOYOLA(MD)
6-Gonzaga vs. 11-Mississippi State

Line adjustments: None today

Last four in the field(by seed list number): Colorado State(48), Texas(50), Tennessee(51), Xavier(52)
First four left out: Drexel(53), Oregon(54), Seton Hall(55), North Carolina State(56)
Next four left out: Iona(57), Miami(FL)(59), Arizona(60), Central Florida(62)
Also under consideration: Oral Roberts, Dayton, St. Joseph's, Middle Tennessee, Marshall

Four sites in play for 2013 East Regional

The NCAA is ready to name a host site for the 2013 East Regional, and it will be held in New York. City, State, or Metropolitan Area, now that's the challenge. As reported by the Newark Star-Ledger, Madison Square Garden is in the mix, as are the Prudential Center in Newark and the Carrier Dome in Syracuse. The fourth entrant is the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, and if Greg Shaheen's words are to be taken as the gospel, it could very well be the favorite.

Also taken from the article, the NCAA was preparing to name the site last June, but at the last moment held it back. Now whether or not it was related to the on-going renovation of MSG, or the logistics of moving the NIT somewhere else, that is unkown. The naming of the site is expected soon, perhaps as late as the Final Four.

Bracket Watch '12 - Wednesday Update

Sorry for the lack of commentary today, I'm a little bit busy.

Final Four Pairings
South(1) vs. West(4)
East(2) vs. Midwest(3)

First Four Pairings
Tuesday: Mississippi Valley State(Southwestern) vs. WESTERN KENTUCKY; Texas vs. South Florida
Wednesday: Stony Brook(America East) vs. Savannah State(Mid-Eastern); Tennessee vs. Xavier

SOUTH Regional

Louisville
1-Kentucky(Southeastern) vs. 16-Mississippi Valley State/WESTERN KENTUCKY
8-Iowa State vs. 9-Saint Louis
Portland
4-MURRAY STATE vs. 13-Nevada(Western Athletic)
5-SAINT MARY'S vs. 12-Northwestern^
Greensboro
2-Duke vs. 15-Montana(Big Sky)
7-Louisville vs. 10-Southern Mississippi
Louisville
3-Michigan vs. 14-BELMONT
6-Temple(Atlantic 10) vs. 11-Connecticut^

WEST Regional

Greensboro
1-North Carolina(Atlantic Coast) vs. 16-Stony Brook/Savannah State
8-Kansas State vs. 9-Alabama
Portland
4-Indiana vs. 13-Colorado State^
5-Georgetown vs. 12-Brigham Young^
Omaha
2-Missouri vs. 15-Texas-Arlington(Southland)
7-San Diego State(Mountain West) vs. 10-Cincinnati
Nashville
3-Wisconsin vs. 14-DAVIDSON
6-Florida vs. 11-Washington(Pacific-12)^

EAST Regional

Pittsburgh
1-Syracuse(Big East) vs. 16-UNC ASHEVILLE
8-Virginia vs. 9-HARVARD
Albuquerque
4-Vanderbilt vs. 13-SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
5-Unlv vs. 12-Texas/South Florida
Columbus
2-Michigan State(Big Ten) vs. 15-Bucknell(Patriot)
7-CREIGHTON vs. 10-West Virginia
Albuquerque
3-Baylor vs. 14-Akron(Mid-American)
6-Notre Dame vs. 11-Long Beach State(Big West)

MIDWEST Regional

Omaha
1-Kansas(Big 12) vs. 16-Long Island(Northeast)
8-New Mexico vs. 9-Purdue
Nashville
4-Florida State vs. 13-Tennessee/Xavier
5-Wichita State vs. 12-VCU
Pittsburgh
2-Ohio State vs. 15-DETROIT
7-Memphis(Conference USA) vs. 10-California^
Columbus
3-Marquette vs. 14-LOYOLA(MD)
6-Gonzaga vs. 11-Mississippi State^

Line adjustments(for conference and hosting conflicts):
Harvard(Up 1 seed line)
Cincinnati(Down 1 seed line)

Last four in the field(by seed list number): Texas(48), South Florida(49), Tennessee(51), Xavier(52)
First four left out: Drexel(53), Seton Hall(54), Oregon(55), North Carolina State(56)
Next four left out: Arizona(57), Iona(58), Miami(FL)(59), Oral Roberts(62)
Also under consideration: St. Joseph's, Central Florida, Dayton, Middle Tennessee, Mississippi, La Salle

Bid Ranges for teams not already qualified playing tonight:
Robert Morris: First Four
Lehigh: 15-16
Weber State: 15

Bracket Watch '12 - Tuesday Update

Monday Night was the most exciting night of this championship week thus far, as the four bids were decided by either three points or in overtime. We also saw Oral Roberts fall by a point and thus out of the field entirely, and we also witnessed Western Kentucky continue to pull a Rally Squirrel by beating back Denver. What does this all mean? Read on:

Final Four Pairings
South(1) vs. West(4)
East(2) vs. Midwest(3)

First Four Pairings
Tuesday: Stony Brook(America East) vs. Mississippi Valley State(Southwestern); Texas vs. South Florida
Wednesday: Savannah State(Mid-Eastern) vs. North Texas(Sun Belt); Tennessee vs. Xavier

SOUTH Regional

Louisville
1-Kentucky(Southeastern) vs. 16-Stony Brook/Mississippi Valley State
8-Iowa State vs. 9-Saint Louis
Portland
4-MURRAY STATE vs. 13-Nevada(Western Athletic)
5-SAINT MARY'S vs. 12-Northwestern^
Greensboro
2-Duke vs. 15-Montana(Big Sky)
7-Louisville vs. 10-Southern Mississippi
Louisville
3-Michigan vs. 14-BELMONT
6-Temple(Atlantic 10) vs. 11-Connecticut^

WEST Regional

Greensboro
1-North Carolina(Atlantic Coast) vs. 16-Savannah State/North Texas
8-Kansas State vs. 9-Alabama
Portland
4-Indiana vs. 13-Colorado State^
5-Georgetown vs. 12-Brigham Young^
Omaha
2-Missouri vs. 15-Texas-Arlington(Southland)
7-San Diego State(Mountain West) vs. 10-Cincinnati
Nashville
3-Wisconsin vs. 14-DAVIDSON
6-Florida vs. 11-Washington(Pacific-12)^

EAST Regional

Pittsburgh
1-Syracuse(Big East) vs. 16-UNC ASHEVILLE
8-Virginia vs. 9-Harvard(Ivy)
Albuquerque
4-Vanderbilt vs. 13-South Dakota State(Summit)
5-Unlv vs. 12-Texas/South Florida
Columbus
2-Michigan State(Big Ten) vs. 15-Valparaiso(Horizon)
7-CREIGHTON vs. 10-West Virginia
Albuquerque
3-Baylor vs. 14-Akron(Mid-American)
6-Notre Dame vs. 11-Long Beach State(Big West)

MIDWEST Regional

Omaha
1-Kansas(Big 12) vs. 16-Long Island(Northeast)
8-New Mexico vs. 9-Purdue
Nashville
4-Florida State vs. 13-Tennessee/Xavier
5-Wichita State vs. 12-VCU
Pittsburgh
2-Ohio State vs. 15-Bucknell(Patriot)
7-Memphis(Conference USA) vs. 10-California^
Columbus
3-Marquette vs. 14-LOYOLA(MD)
6-Gonzaga vs. 11-Mississippi State^

Line adjustments(for conference and hosting conflicts):
Harvard(Up 1 seed line)
Cincinnati(Down 1 seed line)

Last four in the field(by seed list number): Texas(48), South Florida(49), Tennessee(51), Xavier(52)
First four left out: Drexel(53), Seton Hall(54), Oregon(55), North Carolina State(56)
Next four left out: Arizona(57), Iona(58), Miami(FL)(59), Oral Roberts(62)
Also under consideration: St. Joseph's, Central Florida, Dayton, Middle Tennessee

Bracket Watch '12 - The Stretch Run

Well, it's six days until Selection Sunday, and that means Bracket Watch goes into daily projection mode, with updates every day(except possibly Saturday, but except for those who have followed the blog over the years, you know that I'll try to post some sort of update that day). And here is the first bracket of the week:

Final Four Pairings
South(1) vs. West(4)
East(2) vs. Midwest(3)

First Four Pairings
Tuesday: Stony Brook(America East) vs. Mississippi Valley State(Southwestern); Texas vs. South Florida
Wednesday: Long Island(Northeast) vs. Savannah State(Mid-Eastern); Tennessee vs. Xavier

SOUTH Regional

Louisville
1-Kentucky(Southeastern) vs. 16-Stony Brook/Mississippi Valley State
8-Iowa State vs. 9-Saint Louis
Portland
4-MURRAY STATE vs. 13-Nevada(Western Athletic)
5-St. Mary's vs. 12-Northwestern^
Greensboro
2-Duke vs. 15-Montana(Big Sky)
7-Louisville vs. 10-Southern Mississippi
Louisville
3-Michigan vs. 14-BELMONT
6-CREIGHTON vs. 11-Drexel(Colonial)^

WEST Regional

Greensboro
1-North Carolina(Atlantic Coast) vs. 16-Long Island/Savannah State
8-Kansas State vs. 9-Alabama
Portland
4-Indiana vs. 13-Colorado State^
5-Georgetown vs. 12-Brigham Young^
Omaha
2-Missouri vs. 15-Denver(Sun Belt)
7-San Diego State(Mountain West) vs. 10-Cincinnati
Nashville
3-Wisconsin vs. 14-Davidson(Southern)
6-Florida vs. 11-Washington(Pacific-12)^

EAST Regional

Pittsburgh
1-Syracuse(Big East) vs. 16-UNC ASHEVILLE
8-Virginia vs. 9-Harvard(Ivy)
Albuquerque
4-Vanderbilt vs. 13-Texas/South Florida
5-Unlv vs. 12-Oral Roberts(Summit)^
Columbus
2-Michigan State(Big Ten) vs. 15-Valparaiso(Horizon)
7-Memphis(Conference USA) vs. 10-West Virginia
Albuquerque
3-Baylor vs. 14-Akron(Mid-American)
6-Notre Dame vs. 11-Long Beach State(Big West)

MIDWEST Regional

Omaha
1-Kansas(Big 12) vs. 16-Texas-Arlington(Southland)
8-New Mexico vs. 9-Purdue
Nashville
4-Florida State vs. 13-Tennessee/Xavier
5-Wichita State vs. 12-Connecticut^
Pittsburgh
2-Ohio State vs. 15-Bucknell(Patriot)
7-Temple(Atlantic 10) vs. 10-California^
Columbus
3-Marquette vs. 14-Loyola(MD)(Metro Atlantic)
6-Gonzaga vs. 11-Mississippi State^

Line adjustments(for conference and hosting conflicts):
Drexel(Up 1 seed line)
Harvard(Up 1 seed line)
Cincinnati(Down 1 seed line)
Connecticut(Down 1 seed line)

Last four in the field(by seed list number): Texas(50), South Florida(51), Tennessee(52), Xavier(53)
First four left out: VCU(54), Seton Hall(55), Oregon(56), North Carolina State(57)
Next four left out: Arizona(58), South Dakota State(59), Iona(60), Miami(FL)(61)
Also under consideration: St. Joseph's, Central Florida, Dayton, Middle Tennessee

Potential seed ranges for teams not yet qualified:
Fairfield: 15-16
Western Carolina: 16

Bracket Watch '12 - Friday Bracket Update

And now for something completely different, a Friday bracket. Enjoy at your own risk.

Note: ^Indicates team on the bubble.
Final Four pairings:
South(1) vs. West(4)
East(2) vs. Midwest(3)

First Four pairings:
Tuesday: Long Island(Northeast) vs. Mississippi Valley State(Southwestern); Arizona vs. Colorado State
Wednesday: Stony Brook(America East) vs. Savannah State(Mid-Eastern); Seton Hall vs. North Carolina State

SOUTH Regional

Louisville
1-Kentucky(Southeastern) vs. Long Island/Mississippi Valley State
8-New Mexico vs. 9-Iowa State
Nashville
4-Wisconsin vs. 13-Iona(Metro Atlantic)
5-Murray State(Ohio Valley) vs. 12-Connecticut*
Greensboro
2-North Carolina vs. 15-Bucknell(Patriot)
7-Louisville vs. 10-California*
Albuquerque
3-Baylor vs. 14-Belmont(Atlantic Sun)
6-Gonzaga vs. 11-Long Beach State(Big West)*

WEST Regional

Greensboro
1-Duke(Atlantic Coast) vs. 16-Stony Brook/Savannah State
8-Kansas State vs. 9-Purdue
Portland
4-Georgetown vs. 13-Oral Roberts(Summit)*
5-Unlv vs. 12-Mississippi State*
Columbus
2-Michigan State(Big Ten) vs. 15-Akron(Mid-American)
7-Temple(Atlantic 10) vs. 10-Southern Mississippi*
Albuquerque
3-Wichita State(Missouri Valley) vs. 14-Nevada(Western Athletic)
6-Notre Dame vs. 11-Brigham Young

EAST Regional

Pittsburgh
1-Syracuse vs. 16-UNC Asheville(Big South)
8-Alabama vs. 9-Saint Louis
Portland
4-Florida State vs. 13-Arizona/Colorado State
5-St. Mary's(West Coast) vs. 12-South Florida
Omaha
2-Missouri vs. 15-Montana(Big Sky)
7-Memphis(Conference USA) vs. 10-Harvard(Ivy)
Louisville
3-Indiana vs. 14-Middle Tennessee(Sun Belt)
6-Florida vs. 11-West Virginia*

MIDWEST Regional

Omaha
1-Kansas(Big 12) vs. 16-Texas-Arlington(Southland)
8-Virginia vs. 9-Washington(Pacific-12)
Nashville
4-Vanderbilt vs. 13-Seton Hall/NC State
5-Michigan vs. 12-Drexel(Colonial)*
Pittsburgh
2-Ohio State vs. 15-Valparaiso(Horizon)
7-Creighton vs. 10-Cincinnati*
Columbus
3-Marquette vs. 14-Davidson(Southern)
6-San Diego State(Mountain West) vs. 11-Texas*

Last four in the field(by seed list number): Arizona(49), Seton Hall(51), Colorado State(52), North Carolina State(53)
First four left out: Xavier(54), Northwestern(55), Oregon(56), Miami(FL)(57),
Next four left out: Virginia Commonwealth(58), St. Joseph's(60), Central Florida(61), South Dakota State(63)
Also under consideration: Dayton, Colorado, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Buffalo, Wagner

Note 2: Should VMI upset UNC Asheville in the Big South final, the Keydets would be slotted into the first four and Stony Brook would be moved out of it.

Bid Poaching

What is bid poaching? It's a situation where a team not normally considered a candidate for an at-large selection beats a team who is for the automatic berth. That forces the team who lost to be chosen for an at-large in order to get in. So who are this year's bid poachers? Read on.

Atlantic Coast: Maryland
Atlantic 10: LaSalle, Massaschusetts, or St. Joseph's
Big East: Pittsburgh
Big Ten: Illinois or Iowa
Big 12: Oklahoma State
Colonial: George Mason, Old Dominion, or Delaware
Conference USA: Tulsa
Missouri Valley: Illinois State, Indiana State, Missouri State, or Northern Iowa
Mountain West: Wyoming
Ohio Valley: Tennessee State
Pacific-12: Oregon
Southeastern: Tennessee
West Coast: Loyola Marymount

Who's yours? Post a comment.

Bracket Watch '12 - 13 Days to go

For those of you who want a piece that just gushes about what a great day Saturday was in the college basketball landscape, you are sadly quite mistaken. Not that I would have done one, but most sites already have. No, you'll just get the latest projections.
Note: ^Indicates bubble team.

Final Four pairings:
South(1) vs. West(4)
East(2) vs. Midwest(3)

First Four pairings:
Tuesday: Long Island(Northeast) vs. Mississippi Valley State(Southwest); Seton Hall vs. Northwestern
Wednesday: Stony Brook(America East) vs. Savannah State(Mid-Eastern); South Florida vs. Miami(FL)

SOUTH Regional

Louisville
1-Kentucky(Southeastern) vs. Long Island/Mississippi Valley State
8-Memphis vs. 9-Purdue
Albuquerque
4-Baylor vs. 13-Seton Hall^/Northwestern^
5-St. Mary's(West Coast) vs. 12-Arizona^
Greensboro
2-North Carolina vs. 15-Belmont(Atlantic Sun)
7-Notre Dame vs. 10-California^
Louisville
3-Indiana vs. 14-Middle Tennessee(Sun Belt)
6-San Diego State(Mountain West) vs. 11-Mississippi State^

WEST Regional

Columbus
1-Michigan State(Big Ten) vs. 16-Texas-Arlington(Southland)
8-Kansas State vs. 9-West Virginia^
Portland
4-Georgetown vs. 13-Oral Roberts(Summit)^
5-Nevada-Las Vegas vs. 12-Long Beach State(Big West)^
Omaha
2-Missouri vs. 15-Weber State(Big Sky)
7-Virginia vs. 10-Washington(Pacific-12)
Albuquerque
3-Wichita State(Missouri Valley) vs. 14-Nevada(Western Athletic)
6-Louisville vs. 11-Brigham Young^

EAST Regional

Pittsburgh
1-Syracuse(Big East) vs. 16-UNC Asheville(Big South)
8-Alabama vs. 9-Iowa State^
Nashville
4-Michigan vs. 13-South Florida^/Miami(FL)^
5-Murray State(Ohio Valley) vs. 12-Drexel(Colonial)^
Greensboro
2-Duke(Atlantic Coast) vs. 15-Bucknell(Patriot)
7-Temple(Atlantic 10) vs. 10-Connecticut^
Nashville
3-Florida vs. 14-Davidson(Southern)
6-Gonzaga vs. 11-Texas^

MIDWEST Regional

Omaha
1-Kansas(Big 12) vs. 16-Stony Brook/Savannah State
8-New Mexico vs. 9-Saint Louis
Portland
4-Wisconsin vs. 13-Iona(Metro Atlantic)
5-Vanderbilt vs. 12-Cincinnati^
Columbus
2-Marquette vs. 15-Valparaiso(Horizon)
7-Creighton vs. 10-Southern Mississippi^
Pittsburgh
3-Ohio State vs. 14-Akron(Mid-American)
6-Florida State vs. 11-Harvard(Ivy)^

Notes: The following teams were moved a seed line to fit the principles:
St. Mary's(Up 1)
Texas(Up 1)
West Virginia(Up 1)
Florida State(Down 1)
Long Beach State(Down 1)
Washington(Down 1)

Last four in the field(by seed list): Seton Hall(49), Northwestern(50), South Florida(52), Miami(FL)(53)
First four left out: Xavier(54), Colorado State(55), Central Florida(56), St. Joseph's(58)
Next four left out: Oregon(59), Virginia Commonwealth(60), North Carolina State(61), South Dakota State(64)
Also considered: Louisiana State, Maryland, Massachusetts, Wyoming

Bracket Watch '12 - Friday Seed List

Latest seed list projections after Thursday night's games:

Notes: *Indicates conference leader; ^Indicates bubble team.

1: Kentucky*(South), Syracuse*(East), Michigan State*(Midwest), Kansas*(West)
2-Duke*, North Carolina, Ohio State, Missouri
3-Michigan, Baylor, Marquette, Wichita State*
4-Florida, Indiana, Georgetown, UNLV
5-Wisconsin, Florida State, Murray State*, Vanderbilt
6-Gonzaga, St. Mary's*, Louisville, Temple*
7-San Diego State, Notre Dame, Virginia, Creighton
8-Kansas State, New Mexico*, California*, Harvard*
9-Connecticut^, Saint Louis, Memphis*^, Alabama^
10-Southern Mississippi^, West Virginia^, Arizona^, Mississippi State^
11-Long Beach State*^, Iowa State^, Purdue^, Cincinnati^
12-Brigham Young^, Seton Hall^, Oral Roberts*^, Washington^
13-Texas^(First Four), Northwestern^(First Four), Middle Tennessee*^, Drexel*^, Colorado State^(First Four), Xavier^(First Four)
14-Nevada*, Davidson*, Iona*, Belmont*
15-Akron*, Valparaiso*, Weber State*, Bucknell*
16-UNC Asheville*, Texas-Arlington*, Long Island*(First Four), Stony Brook*(First Four), Savannah State*(First Four), Mississippi Valley State*(First Four)

Last four in the field: Texas(49), Northwestern(50), Colorado State(53), Xavier(54)
First four left out: Miami(FL)(55), Oregon(56), North Carolina State(57), Central Florida(58)
Next four left out: South Florida(59), Louisiana State(61), Virginina Commonwealth(62), South Dakota State(64)
Under consideration(by conference): Maryland, Dayton, LaSalle, Massachusetts, St. Joseph's, Iowa, Minnesota, George Mason, Marshall, Tulsa, Wyoming, Colorado, Stanford

The next go-round of sites

With one site still stubbornly being witheld for 2013, I figure that it's okay to guess what schools and arenas are likely to be chosen for the 2014 and 2015 tournaments, which will be awarded sometime this fall. Remember, not all of these combinations are likely to be used, and some of them might not even submit bids.

2014

First Four(March 18-19)
UD Arena
Dayton, OH
University of Dayton

Second and Third Rounds

March 20/22
Times-Union Arena
Albany, NY
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and Siena College

Taco Bell Arena
Boise, ID
Boise State University

Save Mart Center
Fresno, CA
Fresno State University

FedEx Forum
Memphis
University of Memphis


March 21/23
United Center
Chicago
Big Ten Conference

Chesapeake Energy Arena
Oklahoma City
Big 12 Conference

PNC Center(Future name of RBC Center)
Raleigh, NC
North Carolina State University

Alamodome
San Antonio
UTSA

Regionals

March 27/29
East Regional
Verizon Center
Washington, DC
George Mason University

West Regional
Rose Garden
Portland, OR
University of Oregon

March 28/30
Midwest Regional
Xcel Energy Center
St. Paul
OR
Target Center
Minneapolis
OR
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
Minneapolis
University of Minnesota

South Regional
Amway Center
Orlando
Stetson University and/or University of Central Florida

2015

First Four(March 17-18)
UD Arena
Dayton
University of Dayton

Second and Third Rounds

March 19/21
Honda Center
Anaheim
Big West Conference

Pepsi Center
Denver
University of Colorado

XL Center
Hartford, CT
University of Hartford

Bradley Center
Milwaukee
Marquette University

March 20/22
Wells Fargo Arena
Des Moines, IA
Drake University

Thompson-Bolling Arena
Knoxville, TN
University of Tennessee

Verizon Arena
North Little Rock, AR
University of Arkansas-Little Rock

Carrier Dome
Syracuse
Syracuse University

Regionals

March 26/28
East Regional
If Madison Square Garden gets the 2013 East Regional:
Time Warner Cable Arena
Charlotte
Davidson College and University of North Carolina, Charlotte
If another site is chosen for the 2013 East Regional:
Madison Square Garden
New York
St. John's University and Big East Conference

West Regional
University of Phoenix Stadium
Glendale, AZ
Arizona State University

March 27/29
Midwest Regional
Ford Field
Detroit
University of Detroit

South Regional
Reliant Stadium
Houston
University of Houston and Rice University

Notes on some sites
Of the five sites that were not selected from the last round of Final Four finalists, only the Twin Cities area has not received a preliminary round selection for 2011-16. Exacerbaiting this are three other conflicts. 1: Xcel Energy Center is likely to remain host to a college hockey tournament for the forseeable future, likely the Big Ten Confernce(in rota with Detroit, possibly Chicago) and the National Collegiate Hockey Conference(in years when the Big Ten is elsewhere). This will most likely keep the X from hosting 2nd and 3rd round games, but regionals should be fine.
2: The Minnesota State High School League might have no fallback option for either the Girls' or Boys' basketball tournaments if Target Center is offered.
And 3: The Metrodome maybe replaced by a new Vikings Stadium(likely with a fixed roof), which may make it unusable due to construction nearby(if not on the actual site). Of course if a stadium is approved(and has a roof), the new digs would certainly get a Final Four or two. But if it isn't, and other conflicts aren't resolved, then the promise of early-round action will be left unfufilled.

Bracket Watch '12 - Three Weeks to go

The race to earn an NCAA berth continues to heat up, and some teams are starting to feel the heat. St. Mary's is one of them. Having already showed a lackluster effort at home against Loyola Marymount, they trooped up to Murray State and looked bad in a 65-51 defeat. Still, they maintain a single-game lead in the West Coast Conference, after Gonzaga gacked it in San Francisco. Illinois was not as fortunate, getting blown out by 23 at Nebraska. NC State is in the same boat, falling to Florida State by 14(and having two former players getting tossed by the referee to boot). Conversely, South Florida, though not in the field, continues to thrive under the radar, winning four in a row. And then there was Creighton, who rectified their status with a thrilling last second win over Long Beach State. In between these two extremes of success, there were varying performances, all of which is presented in the following field of 68.

Note: ^indicates team is on the bubble.

Final Four pairings:
South(1) vs. West(4)
East(2) vs. Midwest(3)

First Four matchups:
Tuesday: Texas-Arlington(Southland) vs. Mississippi Valley State(Southwestern); Xavier vs. Northwestern
Wednesday: Vermont(America East) vs. Savannah State(Mid-Eastern); Cincinnati vs. Central Florida

SOUTH Region

Louisville
1-Kentucky(Southeastern) vs. Texas-Arlington/Mississippi Valley State
8-Saint Louis vs. 9-West Virginia^
Portland
4-Indiana vs. 13-Texas^
5-Murray State(Ohio Valley) vs. 12-Belmont(Atlantic Sun)
Greensboro
2-North Carolina vs. 15-Drexel(Colonial)
7-Creighton vs. 10-Alabama^
Columbus
3-Michigan vs. 14-Cincinnati/Central Florida
6-New Mexico(Mountain West) vs. 11-Oral Roberts(Summit)

WEST Region

Columbus
1-Michigan State(Big Ten) vs. 16-Vermont/Savannah State
8-Kansas State vs. 9-Southern Mississippi(Conference USA)
Albuquerque
4-Florida vs. 13-Iona(Metro Atlantic)
5-Nevada Las Vegas vs. 12-Purdue^
Omaha
2-Kansas vs. 15-Nevada(Western Athletic)
7-Virginia vs. 10-Connecticut^
Nashville
3-Marquette vs. 14-Davidson(Southern)
6-Gonzaga vs. 11-Middle Tennessee(Sun Belt)^

EAST Region

Pttsburgh
1-Syracuse(Big East) vs. 16-UNC Asheville(Big South)
8-Vanderbilt vs. 9-Harvard(Ivy)
Portland
4-Wichita State(Missouri Valley) vs. 13-Miami(FL^)
5-Baylor vs. 12-Long Beach State(Big West)^
Greensboro
2-Duke vs. 15-Bucknell(Patriot)
7-Temple(Atlantic 10) vs. 10-Arizona^
Albuquerque
3-Wisconsin vs. 14-Valparaiso(Horizon)
6-Notre Dame vs. 11-Brigham Young^

MIDWEST Region

Omaha
1-Missouri(Big 12) vs. 16-Long Island(Northeast)
8-Mississippi State vs. 9-California(Pacific-12)^
Nashville
4-Florida State(Atlantic Coast) vs. 13-Xavier/Northwestern
5-Louisville vs. 12-Washington^
Louisville
2-Ohio State vs. 15-Weber State(Big Sky)
7-St. Mary's(West Coast) vs. 10-Memphis^
Pittsburgh
3-Georgetown vs. 14-Akron(Mid-American)
6-San Diego State vs. 11-Iowa State^

Notes on seeding: Connecticut and California swapped seeds due to potential confernce conflicts. Brigham Young and Arizona swapped seeds to allow BYU to play at a Thursday/Saturday sub-regional site.

Last four in the field(with position in seed list): Xavier(51), Northwestern(52), Cincinnati(53), Central Florida(55)
First four left out: North Carolina State(56), Seton Hall(57), Illinois(58), Virginia Commonwealth(59)
Next four left out: Oregon(60), St. Joseph's(61), Minnesota(63), South Florida(64)
Under Consideration(by conference): Dayton, La Salle, Iowa, Oklahoma, Tulsa, Ohio, Colorado State, Wyoming, Colorado, Loyola Marymount

Predicting the conference tournament winners

I'll have my projected bracket up in a few minutes, but first. Have you ever tried to predict who's going to emerge victorious in the upcoming conference tournaments? Well then, here's your chance to do so. Just post your predictions using the comments form on the bottom of the post. All entries must be entered by 5 PM CST on Monday, February 27th(That is, precisely one hour before the first conference tournament begins).

America East: Stony Brook
Atlantic Coast: North Carolina
Atlantic Sun: Mercer
Atlantic 10: Temple
Big East: Georgetown
Big Sky: Weber State
Big South: UNC Asheville
Big Ten: Michigan
Big 12: Missouri
Big West: Cal State Fullerton(Bid Poach?)
Colonial: George Mason
Conference USA: Central Florida
Horizon: Butler
Metro Atlantic: Fairfield
Mid-American: Buffalo
Mid-Eastern: Savannah State
Missouri Valley: Wichita State
Mountain West: New Mexico
Northeast: Wagner
Ohio Valley: Murray State
Pacific-12: California
Patriot: Bucknell
Southeastern: Kentucky
Southern: Georgia Southern
Southland: Northwestern State
Southwestern: Mississippi Valley State
Summit: South Dakota State
Sun Belt: Middle Tennessee
West Coast: St. Mary's
Western Athletic: Idaho

And for those projecting the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament,
Great West: Utah Valley

Bracket Watch - Friday Seeding Update

Since we're now entering the last three weeks of the season this weekend, it makes sense to start some Friday updates of the seed list(no brackets on Friday until Championship Week). Here's my view as of the end of play last night.

Note: *Indicates current leader; ^Indicates bubble team.

1-Kentucky(South)*, Syracuse(East)*, Missouri(Midwest)*, Ohio State(West)
2-Kansas, Duke, North Carolina, Michigan State*
3-Georgetown, Marquette, Indiana, Baylor
4-Michigan, Wichita State*, Louisville, Florida State*
5-Wisconsin, Florida, Nevada-Las Vegas, Gonzaga
6-Murray State*, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, San Diego State
7-Creighton, Connecticut, Temple*, St. Mary's*
8-Mississippi State, Southern Mississippi*, Purdue, Memphis
9-West Virginia^, California*^, New Mexico*, Harvard*^
10-Saint Louis^, Texas^, Iowa State^, Arizona^
11-Virginia^, Brigham Young^, Long Beach State*^, Alabama^
12-Kansas State^, Seton Hall^, Middle Tennessee State*^, North Carolina State^
13-Oral Roberts*^, Illinois^(First Four), Miami(FL)^(First Four), Washington^(First Four), Belmont*^, Xavier^(First Four)
14-Davidson*, Nevada*, Iona*, Akron*
15-Valparaiso*, Drexel*, Bucknell*, Vermont*
16-UNC Asheville*, Weber State*, Texas-Arlington*(First Four), Long Island*(First Four), Savannah State*(First Four), Mississippi Valley State*(First Four)

Last four in the field: Illinois, Miami(FL), Washington, Xavier
First four left out: Minnesota, Cincinnati, Northwestern, Central Florida
Next four left out: Colorado State, South Florida, Oregon, George Mason
Also under consideration: Clemson, Massachusetts, Dayton, LaSalle, Oklahoma, Marshall, Cleveland State, Missouri State, Northern Iowa, Wyoming, Colorado, Arkansas, Tennessee, Loyola Marymount.

Open Court - And A Rant

I give up. Seriously.

With 13 months until the 2013 tourney, there is STILL no word on where the East regional will be held, and, more importantly, no word on when the announcement will be made. Therefore you will get no more speculation from me on where it will be held. Personally, I blame Madison Square Garden for this, but I won't divulge details. As for tonight, I'll leave this open for you to rant.

Open Court - Valentine's Night

Tomorrow, I'll post my way too early predictions for the 2014 and 2015 sites. Until then, talk about tonight's games here.

An NCAA tell?

As we all wait for the NCAA to announce the site for the Men's East Regional in 2013, the women now know the 16 sites that will host 1st/2nd round action next year. One of the sites announced is a New York City venue, Carnesecca Arena. St. John's University will serve as host. Now St. John's is also slated to serve as host school for a prospective East Regional at Madison Square Garden(along with the Big East Conference). But does the announcement that St. John's is getting part of the Women's tournament signify that the Garden is out of play? Stay tuned.

To Big To Succeed?

The following post could have been titled like an old Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoon, except there is no voice over guy to read them out:

AOLTimeWarner, Mountain West Conference USA. Mountain West Conference USA, AOLTimeWarner

OR

The Frequent Flier Conference

OR

Anyone want to televise this piece of cowpie?

The fact that both Conference USA and the Mountain West are planning a shotgun wedding after both leagues were picked apart of their most visible members is puzzling to me, and to others as well. Not that I disapprove of the merger, it's just the fact that UNLV and East Carolina will now share a conference home doesn't make the new association look good in the eyes of two discriminating judges, television(namely, the Worldwide Monopolizer) and the BCS(aka those determined to rip apart said leagues). So once the new league is announced, those who hate both current leagues will immediately denounce it as a failure. In fact some have already done so preemptively.

Bracket Watch '12 - At the far turn of the season.

Less than four weeks remain for teams jockeying for NCAA tournament position. And after another heartstopping weekend, here's how the projected field plays out. As is the case, all projections are done as if the season had ended after the last game of the previous night. All conference leaders are per accseeds.info

Final Four Pairings:
South(1) vs. West(4)
East(2) vs. Midwest(3)

First Four Pairings:
Tuesday: Stony Brook(America East) vs. Mississippi Valley State(Southwestern); Miami(FL) vs. Washington
Wednesday: Texas-Arlington(Southland) vs. Long Island(Northeast); Seton Hall vs. Purdue

SOUTH Region

Louisville
1-Kentucky(Southeastern) vs. 16-Stony Brook/MVSU
8-Connecticut vs. 9-Memphis
Albuquerque
4-Wichita State(Missouri Valley) vs. 13-Oral Roberts(Summit)
5-San Diego State vs. 12-Minnesota
Pittsburgh
2-Georgetown vs. 15-Loyola(MD)(Metro Atlantic)
7-Murray State(Ohio Valley) vs. 10-Texas
Greensboro
3-North Carolina vs. 14-Drexel(Colonial)
6-Wisconsin vs. 11-Alabama

WEST Region

Greensboro
1-Duke vs. 16-UTA/Long Island
8-Iowa State vs. 9-Harvard(Ivy)
Portland
4-St. Mary's(West Coast) vs. 13-Davidson(Southern)
5-Louisville vs. 12-Arizona
Omaha
2-Kansas vs. 15-Weber State(Big Sky)
7-Notre Dame vs. 10-Saint Louis
Columbus
3-Michigan vs. 14-Bucknell(Patriot)
6-Florida vs. 11-Middle Tennessee(Sun Belt)

EAST Region

Pittsburgh
1-Syracuse(Big East) vs. 16-UNC Asheville(Big South)
8-Creighton vs. 9-New Mexico
Nashville
4-Florida State(Atlantic Coast) vs. 13-Seton Hall/Purdue
5-Vanderbilt vs. 12-North Carolina State
Louisville
2-Ohio State vs. 15-Mercer(Atlantic Sun)
7-Southern Mississippi(Conference USA) vs. 10-California(Pacific-12)
Albuquerque
3-Baylor vs. 14-Nevada(Western Athletic)
6-Temple(Atlantic 10) vs. 11-Brigham Young

MIDWEST Region

Omaha
1-Missouri(Big 12) vs. 16-Norfolk State(Mid-Eastern)
8-Mississippi State vs. 9-West Virginia
Portland
4-UNLV(Mountain West) vs. 13-Miami(FL)/Washington
5-Indiana vs. 12-Long Beach State(Big West)
Columbus
2-Michigan State(Big Ten) vs. 15-Valparaiso(Horizon)
7-Gonzaga vs. 10-Kansas State
Nashville
3-Marquette vs. 14-Akron(Mid-American)
6-Virginia vs. 11-Illinois

Note: Seton Hall and NC State swapped seed lines to avoid conference conflicts in the 2nd round.

Last four in the field(by seed list number): Miami(FL)-49; Purdue-50; NC State-52; Washington-53
First four left out: Cincinnati, Belmont, Xavier, Wyoming
Next four left out: Mississippi, Northwestern, Oregon, Northern Iowa
Under Consideration: Central Florida, Colorado State, St. Joseph's, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Maryland, Colorado, South Dakota State, Iona, Ohio

Please note that the next projection will be made out on Friday.

Could next week be the week?

With the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee conducting their annual mock bracket AND the Championships/Sports Management Cabinet holding their bi-annual meetings, all occuring next week Indianapolis, you think we might get some news on who will host the East Regional in 2013?

If you haven't been reading this blog, back in 2009, the NCAA named the host sites for the early rounds of the 2011, 12 and 13 tournaments. But one was left open. It has been speculated that the NCAA wants the regional held at Madison Square Garden, which is undergoing a massive renovation. But that won't be finished until the fall of 2013(The recent NBA Lockout will make the construction schedule this summer even more maddening). On top of all that there are scheduling conflicts with the Knicks, the Rangers, and the Circus, especially the Circus, to deal with. Any and all attempts to unearth anything that would lead to a clue have turned up fruitless. Hopefully with the two groups meeting, we might get some news on the East Regional front, especially with the fact that both the NBA and the NHL have to get their schedules ready for next season. But if not, the whole thing may move to as late as September. With tickets due to go on sale April 1st, if not sooner, the naming of the site needs to occur as quickly as possible.

Open Court - February 9th

BEAST MODE.

That was the state of mood Duke's Austin Rivers was in when he sank a cold-blooded, walk-off three-ball against North Carolina last night. Who's gonna be in beast mode tonight? Discuss freely.

Open Court - February 7th

Sorry about the lack of open courts in recent weeks. Enjoy this one tonight. Highlighting tonight's action is Florida at Kentucky as the Gators try to halt the Wildcats' streak of 48 straight wins in Rupp Arena.

Bracket Watch '12 - M.I.A. not included

Anyone(other than me, save possibly for Kyle Wheliston) see last night's Superb Owl halftime act? I'll save you the trouble if you didn't. Someone executed a bird flip. End of story. No on to this week's field: As always, it is done as if the season ended the day before.

Final Four pairings:
East(1) vs. West(4)
South(2) vs. Midwest(3)

First Four pairings:
Tuesday: Texas-Arlington(Southland) vs. Mississippi Valley State(Southwestern); Central Florida vs. Cincinnati
Wednesday: UNC Asheville(Big South) vs. Stony Brook(America East); Texas vs. Wyoming

EAST Region

Pittsburgh
1-Syracuse(Big East) vs. 16-UTA/MVSU
8-Temple(Atlantic 10) vs. 9-Illinois
Portland
4-San Diego State(Mountain West) vs. 13-Long Beach State(Big West)(Note: Rematch could not be avoided.)
5-Wichita State vs. 12-Iona(Metro Atlantic)
Greensboro
2-North Carolina vs. 15-Belmont(Atlantic Sun)
7-Connecticut vs. 10-Iowa State
Nashville
3-Florida vs. 14-Drexel(Colonial)
6-Michigan vs. 11-California

WEST Region

Omaha
1-Missouri(Big 12) vs. 16-UNCA/Stony Brook
8-Wisconsin vs. 9-Southern Mississippi(Conference USA)
Columbus
4-Marquette vs. 13-Texas/Wyoming
5-Indiana vs. 12-Middle Tennessee(Sun Belt)
Greensboro
2-Duke vs. 15-Long Island(Northeast)
7-Vanderbilt vs. 10-Minnesota
Portland
3-UNLV vs. 14-Cleveland State(Horizon)
6-Louisville vs. 11-Brigham Young

SOUTH Region

Louisville
1-Kentucky(Southeastern) vs. 16-Weber State(Big Sky)
8-West Virginia vs. 9-New Mexico
Portland
4-Creighton(Missouri Valley) vs. 13-Central Florida/Cincinnati
5-St. Mary's(West Coast) vs. 12-Purdue
Columbus
2-Michigan State vs. 15-Bucknell(Patriot)
7-Alabama vs. 10-Memphis
Albuquerque
3-Baylor vs. 14-Oral Roberts(Summit)
6-Virginia vs. 11-Washington(Pacific-12)

MIDWEST Region

Pittsburgh
1-Ohio State(Big Ten) vs. 16-Norfolk State(Mid-Eastern)
8-Kansas State vs. 9-Notre Dame
Louisville
4-Georgetown vs. 13-Davidson(Southern)
5-Murray State(Ohio Valley) vs. 12-Colorado State
Omaha
2-Kansas vs. 15-Akron(Mid-American)
7-Harvard(Ivy) vs. 10-Gonzaga
Nashville
3-Florida State(Atlantic Coast) vs. 14-Nevada(Western Athletic)
6-Mississippi State vs. 11-Xavier

Last four in the field: Texas, Wyoming, Central Florida, Cincinnati
First four left out: Saint Louis, Seton Hall, Dayton, Northwestern
Next four left out: NC State, Northern Iowa, Mississippi, Arizona
Under Consideration: Pittsburgh, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Oregon, Miami(FL), Missouri State, South Dakota State, Massachusetts, LaSalle, South Florida, Marshall, Valparaiso

If Kyle Wheliston reads this blog...

...the final score is...

New York Giants 21
New England Patriots 17.

In fact, if he doesn't read this board, someone should send this post immediately upon reading.

P.S. The bracket has been made out(during halftime no less), but I will post it in the morning.

Bracket Watch - January 30th

Last week I promised to present a tournament based on European Soccer tourneys, but when trying to run it I ran into a lot of trouble. So I've had to put the tournament on the shelf until the end of the season. Now onto this week's projections, which look rather ragged after the week that has occured(Though, admittedly, not as ragged as they were the week previous).

Note: All projections are done as if the season has ended already, with no attempt to predict the future. Conference leaders are determined by each leagues' tiebreakers(Which is new this year, previously, if no H2H meetings had been played, I would revert to the RPI. This year, I won't chance it and will use the criterias the conferences are using to determine seeds) .

Final Four Pairings
East(1) vs. South(4)
Midwest(2) vs. West(3)

First Four Games
Tuesday
Stony Brook(America East) vs. Mississippi Valley State(Southwestern)
Illinois vs. Arkansas
Wednesday
Texas-Arlington(Southland) vs. UNC Asheville(Big South)
North Carolina State vs. Cincinnati

EAST Region

Pittsburgh
1-Syracuse(Big East) vs. 16-Stony Brook/MVSU
8-Harvard(Ivy) vs. 9-Iowa State
Columbus
4-Wisconsin vs. 13-LaSalle(Atlantic 10)
5-Murray State(Ohio Valley) vs. 12-Louisville
Albuquerque
2-Baylor vs. 15-Belmont(Atlantic Sun)
7-Gonzaga vs. 10-Colorado State
Greensboro
3-North Carolina vs. 14-George Mason(Colonial)
6-Connecticut vs. 11-Iona(Metro Atlantic)

SOUTH Region

Pittsburgh
1-Ohio State(Big Ten) vs. 16-Long Island(Northeast)
8-Alabama vs. 9-Long Beach State(Big West)
Nashville
4-Georgetown vs. 13-Davidson(Southern)
5-Vanderbilt vs. 12-Xavier
Greensboro
2-Duke vs. 15-Bucknell(Patriot)
7-Wichita State vs. 10-New Mexico
Nashville
3-Florida vs. 14-NC State/Cincinnati
6-Michigan vs. 11-Seton Hall

MIDWEST Region

Louisville
1-Kentucky(Southeastern) vs. 16-Norfolk State(Mid-Eastern)
8-Kansas State vs. 9-Middle Tennessee(Sun Belt)
Portland
4-San Diego State(Mountain West) vs. 13-Notre Dame
5-Indiana vs. 12-Dayton
Omaha
2-Missouri vs. 15-Akron(Mid-American)
7-Virginia vs. 10-Minnesota
Albuquerque
3-Creighton(Missouri Valley) vs. 14-Nevada(Western Athletic)
6-Mississippi State vs. 11-Memphis

WEST Region

Omaha
1-Kansas(Big 12) vs. 16-UTA/UNCA
8-California(Pacific-12) vs. 9-Purdue
Louisville
4-Marquette vs. 13-Illinois/Arkansas
5-Florida State(Atlantic Coast) vs. 12-Oral Roberts(Summit)
Portland
2-Unlv vs. 15-Weber State(Big Sky)
7-St. Mary's(West Coast) vs. 10-Temple
Columbus
3-Michigan State vs. 14-Cleveland State(Horizon)
6-West Virginia vs. 11-Southern Mississipps

Switches: St. Mary's and West Virginia swapped seed lines for better early round placement.

Last four in the field: Illinois, Arkansas, NC State, Cincinnati
First four left out: Washington, Texas, Mississippi, Brigham Young
Next four left out: Massachusetts, Stanford, South Florida, Marshall
Also under consideration: Miami(FL), Saint Louis, Pittsburgh, Northwestern, Oklahoma, Central Florida, Missouri State, Northern Iowa, Wyoming, Arizona, Oregon, New Mexico State

A season-long tournament?

This afternoon I happened to watch the Carling Cup semifinal tie between Liverpool and Manchester City(Liverpool won the 2-game aggregate series 3-2) and wondered whether or not a season long tournament would be appropriate for College Basketball.

First, a backgrounder
Internationally, most soccer leagues(MLS and Australia's A-League are notable exceptions) are devoid of playoffs, everything is determined by how well you do over a long season. To compensate, there are open-style, season-long tournaments conducted by national governing bodies. Thus you get competitions like the FA Cup, the Copa del Rey, and the U.S. Open Cup.

Now, the poser
Could you see something like this in college basketball? Where everyone has a chance to win it? Probably not, but it's worth trying out. The tournament would involve every Division I school playing an FA Cup-style tournament, with brackets drawn after every round and every team having the right to host a game(ex.; Kentucky drawing a road game at Portland State, or Kansas hosting Duke before the semis). Theoretically, such a tournament would have the following characteristics(using this year's Division I list; excluding Nebraska-Omaha):

*Round 1: 216 teams compete to move on(these would include most of the lower levels of D-I)
*Round 2: Round 1 winners play-off
*Round 3: 54 teams from conferences like Conference USA, Atlantic 10, Mountain West, Missouri Valley, and Horizon League play Round 2 winners in hopes of playing in;
*Round 4: The 74 teams from the BCS 6 join the competition, playing for 7 additional rounds of knock-out competition before determining the cup winner.

Pros
It would make the regular season more valuable.
Allows for smaller schools to reap more benefits and visibility.
The final would easily sell out and TV ratings would be better than what the National Championship Game gets now.

Cons
Every BCS 6 school would hate having to go anywhere.
Length of the tournament would be a major problem.
Some schools(particularly the West Coast) don't want to be in the wrong side of the pool.
Would immediately render the NCAA tournament(and the various conference tournaments) defunct.
College Football would get very angry of the mere idea of College Basketball infringing on their turf.
Controversy would flare when a non-BCS school wins the tournament.

Tomorrow, I'll present how a FA Cup-style tournament would work with the alignment this season.

Bracket Watch '12 - January 23rd.

After a few weeks of just seeds, I now have a bracket to put them in. And I'll tell you this much, it will be difficult for anyone to correctly pick all 68 teams this year, never mind getting close with their seeds.

Final Four Pairings:
East(1) vs. West(4)
South(2) vs. Midwest(3)

The First Four:
Tuesday: Boston University(America East) vs. Mississippi Valley State(Southwestern); Minnesota vs. Xavier
Wednesday: UNC Asheville(Big South) vs. Texas-Arlington(Southland); Saint Louis vs. Marshall

EAST Regional

@ Pittsburgh
1-Syracuse(Big East) vs. Boston University/MVSU
8-Wichita State vs. 9-Virginia
@ Albuquerque
4-Florida vs. 13-Minnesota/Xavier
5-St. Mary's(West Coast) vs. 12-Long Beach State
@ Greensboro
2-North Carolina vs. 15-Norfolk State(Mid-Eastern)
7-Louisville vs. 10-New Mexico
@ Columbus
3-Michigan(Big Ten) vs. 14-Central Florida(Conference USA)
6-Kansas State vs. 11-Temple

WEST Regional

@ Greensboro
1-Duke vs. 16-Eastern Michigan(Mid-American)
8-Wisconsin vs. 9-California(Pacific-12)
@ Nashville
4-Vanderbilt vs. 13-Saint Louis/Marshall
5-Connecticut vs. 12-North Carolina State
@ Omaha
2-Missouri vs. 15-Bucknell(Patriot)
7-Harvard(Ivy) vs. 10-Purdue
@ Portland
3-Nevada-Las Vegas vs. 14-Weber State(Big Sky)
6-Indiana vs. 11-Oral Roberts(Summit)

SOUTH Region

@ Louisville
1-Kentucky(Southeastern) vs. 16-Valparaiso(Horizon)
8-Seton Hall vs. 9-Dayton(Atlantic 10)
@ Nashville
4-Florida State(Atlantic Coast) vs. 13-Iowa State
5-Michigan State vs. 12-Southern Mississippi
@ Albuquerque
2-Baylor vs. 15-George Mason(Colonial)
7-Marquette vs. 10-Illinois
@ Pittsburgh
3-Georgetown vs. 14-Belmont(Atlantic Sun)
6-Mississippi State vs. 11-Colorado State

MIDWEST Region

@ Omaha
1-Kansas(Big 12) vs. 16-UNC Asheville/UT Arlington
8-Alabama vs. 9-Gonzaga
@ Columbus
4-Murray State(Ohio Valley) vs. 13-Davidson(Southern)
5-West Virgina vs. 12-Middle Tennessee(Sun Belt)
@ Louisville
2-Ohio State vs. 15-Long Island(Northeast)
7-Cincinnati vs. 10-Virginia Tech
@ Portland
3-Creighton(Missouri Valley) vs. 14-Nevada(Western Athletic)
6-San Diego State(Mountain West) vs. 11-Iona(Metro Atlantic)

Last four in the field: Minnesota, Xavier, Saint Louis, Marshall
First four left out: Oregon, South Florida, Memphis, Stanford
Next four left out: Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio, Mississippi
Also under consideration: La Salle, Massachusetts, Pittsburgh, Iowa, Oklahoma, Cleveland State, Akron, Missouri State, Northern Iowa, Arizona, Arkansas, Brigham Young

For Note Purposes Only
Look for the State of the Bubble series next week.

Open Court - January 18th

Enjoy the night.

Guess Who?

It's that time again to start posting blind resumes. Here's the first one:

(Data from rpiforecast.com)

Current RPI: 56
Current SOS: 98
Current Record: 14-4
Current Conf Record: 4-1
Current Record vs RPI 1-50: 2-2
Key wins: St. Mary's, Southern Mississippi
Bad loss: Arkansas-Little Rock

Do you know this team? If you do, post a comment.

Open Court - MLK Day

Since there are some early games today, I'm opening Open Court early for those watching some of the afternoon games. But most of the action is going on tonight. Specifically, Kansas hosts an unbeaten Baylor squad who has wins against Northwestern, BYU, and West Virginia. Can the Bears extend their streak to 18? Or will the alpha male Jayhawks assert their dominance? Another unbeaten team, Syracuse, is also in action. But expect the Orange to continue their winning ways vs. a Pittsburgh team that is close to losing the whole plot(The Panthers are winless in Big East play).

Bracket Watch '12-Monday Seeds

Over the weekend, I decided to only do a seeding of the field this week. Don't worry, I'll be bracketing by next week.

*Indicates a First Four team.

1-Syracuse(East), Kentucky(Midwest), Duke(South), Baylor(West)
2-Ohio State, Kansas, North Carolina, Michigan State
3-Seton Hall, Connecticut, Indiana, Georgetown
4-Marquette, Illinois, Florida, Murray State
5-Missouri, Alabama, Michigan, UNLV
6-Louisville, Florida State, Creighton, West Virginia
7-San Diego State, Kansas State, Vanderbilt, Virginia
8-Gonzaga, Purdue, Stanford, Cincinnati
9-Mississippi State, Wisconsin, St. Mary's, Temple
10-Harvard, New Mexico, Memphis, Dayton
11-California, Wichita State, Marshall, LSU
12-Oregon*, Long Beach State, Colorado State, Ohio*, Southern Mississippi*, Saint Louis*
13-Middle Tennessee, Nevada, Oral Roberts, Cleveland State
14-Akron, Long Island, Weber State, George Mason
15-Belmont, UNC Asheville, Iona, Norfolk State
16-Bucknell, Davidson, Stony Brook*, Pennsylvania*, Texas-Arlington*, Mississippi Valley State*

Last four in the field: Oregon, Ohio, Southern Mississippi, Saint Louis
First four left out: Mississippi, Xavier, Northern Iowa, Texas
Next four left out: Arizona, North Carolina State, Minnesota, Pittsburgh
Also under consideration: Maryland, Notre Dame, Rutgers, Northwestern, Oklahoma, Illinois State, UCLA, Colorado, Washington, Utah State

Open Court - January 13th-15th

First off, yes I mistakenly omitted Virginia and included Notre Dame in my first field projection. At least some people noticed.

Now for the fun part, there's acutally going to be some good games for tonight. So I'm opening this Open Court thread early to allow for some conversation. Also, I won't be able to post tomorrow as I'm going to watch Red Bull Crashed Ice down at the Cathedral(which gives you some idea of where I live).

Open Court-January 9th

Welcome to Open Court. The official daily open thread to everything college basketball. I'm launching this tonight as a replacement for Bracketology 101's daily open threads. As you're well aware, Chris and Craig are in a holding pattern(what with both of them having families to care and nourish), so I've taken up the initiative to have an open forum where one can spout off on College Hoops. I'll be be here each morning to share my observations as well. So go ahead and spout off whatever you have on your minds.

NOTE: You can talk about tonight's BCS Championship game. Just as fair to do so.

Bracket Watch '12 - The season debut

Well, conference play is underway in most of the country. Making this the perfect time to put up the first field of 68. Seeds are up first this week(the full bracket will be up later this afternoon).

1-Syracuse(East), Kentucky(South), Ohio State(Midwest), Baylor(West)
2-North Carolina, Duke, Kansas, Indiana
3-Michigan State, Louisville, Missouri, Alabama
4-Unlv, Georgetown, Michigan, Florida
5-Kansas State, Saint Louis, Murray State, Connecticut
6-Purdue, Seton Hall, West Virginia, Marquette
7-San Diego State, Gonzaga, Creighton, Notre Dame
8-Illinois, Kansas State, Stanford, Mississippi State
9-Memphis, Harvard, St. Mary's, Dayton
10-New Mexico, Wisconsin, Texas, Temple
11-Arizona, Florida State, Southern Mississippi, Long Beach State
12-Colorado, Middle Tennessee, Iona, Marshall
13-Wichita State*, Vanderbilt*, Nevada, Virginia Tech*, Ohio*, Cleveland State
14-George Mason, Illinois State, Davidson, Belmont
15-Weber State, Buffalo, Bucknell, Oral Roberts
16-Lamar, Norfolk State, Central Connecticut State*, UNC Asheville*, Stony Brook*, Texas Southern*

*Will play in the First Four.

Last four in the field: Wichita State, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, Ohio
First four left out: Pittsburgh, Northern Iowa, Xavier, California
Next four left out: Saint Joseph's, Kent State, Northwestern, Central Florida
Also under consideration: North Carolina State, Rutgers, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Missouri State, Washington

I'm back!

It turns out we only lost the internet for about 12 hours last Tuesday, so I'll have the first real projections for the season tomorrow.

Also coming soon
Since Bracketology 101 isn't having any new posts soon(But not without reason, both Chris and Craig became fathers recently, which, IMO, is more important than just being bracketologists.), I'll be opening new daily talk threads so you can comment on the games. Look for those to start up tomorrow.

Some bad news.

At this time, the internet bill at my house is a month past due, and my brother is looking for a way to find it. Because of this, I cannot guarantee that a projection of the bracket can be done this week, or next. So while I will be doing a bracket, it might not be posted this week. If it's still out next week, I won't bother. I still intend on doing brackets in March, but it's not a guarantee that it will happen.