As is usual, I'm taking the liberty(not the university) of putting on my predicting cap and announcing whom I think will posess the 31 automatic tickets to the big dance floor. This year though, I'm making the picks early so that you can enter your picks too. No prizes, however, will be awarded. So you think you can outdo my choices? Bring it on, dudes and dudettes.
America East Vermont
Atlantic Coast Duke
Atlantic Sun Belmont
Atlantic 10 Temple
Big East St. John's
Big Sky Northern Colorado
Big South Coastal Carolina
Big Ten Ohio State
Big 12 Texas A&M
Big West Pacific
Colonial James Madison(bid poach)
Conference USA UTEP
Horizon Valparaiso
Ivy League Harvard
Metro Atlantic Fairfield
Mid-American Ohio
Mid-Eastern Morgan State
Missouri Valley Missouri State
Mountain West San Diego State
Northeast Central Connecticut State
Ohio Valley Austin Peay
Pacific-10 California(bid poach)
Patriot Bucknell
Southeastern Alabama
Southern Furman
Southland Stephen F. Austin
Southwestern Mississippi Valley State
Summit South Dakota State
Sun Belt Florida Atlantic
West Coast St. Mary's
Western Athletic Utah State
And for those projecting the CollegeInsider.com tourney,
Great West NJIT(can you believe they went winless two years ago?)
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Bracket Watch '11 - Bracket Stew....Ewwwww!
Which event this past week was the most jarring to you? Was it the sight of a 20-year old winning the most prestigous NASCAR race? Or the fact that everyone in the top 5(but not Duke) getting upset? For me, being both a college hoops fan and a NASCAR fan as well, it's both.
First off, what Trevor Bayne did yesterday will more than likely stand as the greatest upset in Daytona 500 history, eclipsing what Derrike Cope did in 1990 in terms of pure shock. Secondly, and this point is overlooked, he won the race with a part-time team. That team, the Wood Brothers racing team, used to be one of the best teams in NASCAR, if not the best. After a decade of decline due to sponsorship issues and dwindling results, they decided to take a risk on a driver with lots of potential, but few results to back it up. Yesterday, thanks to an abundance of power in his Ford, coupled with a string of crashes that took out most of the "serious" contenders(including a Big One on lap 29), Bayne went from being an unknown driver into one of the greatest cinderella stories in the course of 208 laps.
But does that moment, seminal as it is, compare to the carnage of the week where it seems everyone was being upset? Yes. Teams from coast to coast were upset at an alarming rate. The result was significant upheaval at the top of the bracket, yet due to Bracketbuster weekend taking place, there were only six spots in the field that exchanged hands. Projections of course are based as if the season has ended already:
Final Four pairings:
East(1) vs. West(4)
Southeast(2) vs. Southwest(3)
First Four pairings:
Tuesday Game A: Butler vs. Boston College
Tuesday Game B: Gonzaga vs. Richmond
Wednesday Game A: Miami(OH)(Mid-American) vs. Texas Southern(Southwestern)
Wednesday Game B: McNeese State(Southland) vs. Bethune Cookman(Mid-Eastern)
East region
@ Cleveland
1-Ohio State(Big Ten) vs. McNeese State/Bethune Cookman
8-Cincinnati vs. 9-Kansas State
@ Tampa
4-Louisville vs. 13-Harvard(Ivy)
5-Xavier(Atlantic 10) vs. 12-Virginia Tech
@ Charlotte
2-Georgetown vs. 15-Vermont(America East)
7-UCLA vs. 10-Alabama
@ Tampa
3-Florida(Southeastern) vs. 14-College of Charleston(Southern)
6-Texas A&M vs. 11-Minnesota
West region
@ Tucson
1-San Diego State(Mountain West) vs. 16-Montana(Big Sky)
8-Utah State(Western Athletic) vs. 9-Old Dominion
@ Denver
4-Arizona(Pacific-10) vs. 13-UTEP(Conference USA)
5-Villanova vs. 12-Butler/Boston College
@ Tulsa
2-Kansas vs. 15-Fairfield(Metro Atlantic)
7-Florida State vs. 10-Georgia
@ Chicago
3-Purdue vs. 14-Morehead State(Ohio Valley)
6-Syracuse vs. 11-St. Mary's(West Coast)
Southeast region
@ Charlotte
1-Duke(Atlantic Coast) vs. 16-Florida Atlantic(Sun Belt)
8-George Mason(Colonial) vs. 9-Illinois
@ Washington, D.C.
4-Notre Dame vs. 13-Oakland(Summit)
5-Kentucky vs. 12-Gonzaga/Richmond
@ Denver
2-Brigham Young vs. 15-Long Beach State(Big West)
7-Temple vs. 10-Washington
@ Washington, D.C.
3-Connecticut vs. 14-Coastal Carolina(Big South)
6-Missouri vs. 11-Michigan State
Southwest region
@ Cleveland
1-Pittsburgh(Big East) vs. 16-Miami(Ohio)/Texas Southern
8-Tennessee vs. 9-UNLV
@ Denver
4-North Carolina vs. 13-Cleveland State(Horizon)
5-St. John's vs. 12-Belmont(Atlantic Sun)
@ Tulsa
2-Texas(Big 12) vs. 15-Long Island(Northeast)
7-Vanderbilt vs. 10-Marquette
@ Chicago
3-Wisconsin vs. 14-Bucknell(Patriot)
6-West Virginia vs. 11-Missouri State(Missouri Valley)
New to the field: Richmond, UTEP, Harvard, Bethune Cookman, McNeese State, Gonzaga
Leaving the field: Baylor, Memphis, Princeton, Hampton, Wichita State, Texas State
Last four in the field: Butler, Boston College, Gonzaga, Richmond
First four left out: Memphis, Virginia Commonwealth, Baylor, UAB
Next four left out: Clemson, Michigan, Nebraska, Southern Mississippi
The under-consideration board: Maryland, Duquesne, Dayton, Northwestern, Colorado, Wichita State, Colorado State, New Mexico, Washington State, South Carolina
First off, what Trevor Bayne did yesterday will more than likely stand as the greatest upset in Daytona 500 history, eclipsing what Derrike Cope did in 1990 in terms of pure shock. Secondly, and this point is overlooked, he won the race with a part-time team. That team, the Wood Brothers racing team, used to be one of the best teams in NASCAR, if not the best. After a decade of decline due to sponsorship issues and dwindling results, they decided to take a risk on a driver with lots of potential, but few results to back it up. Yesterday, thanks to an abundance of power in his Ford, coupled with a string of crashes that took out most of the "serious" contenders(including a Big One on lap 29), Bayne went from being an unknown driver into one of the greatest cinderella stories in the course of 208 laps.
But does that moment, seminal as it is, compare to the carnage of the week where it seems everyone was being upset? Yes. Teams from coast to coast were upset at an alarming rate. The result was significant upheaval at the top of the bracket, yet due to Bracketbuster weekend taking place, there were only six spots in the field that exchanged hands. Projections of course are based as if the season has ended already:
Final Four pairings:
East(1) vs. West(4)
Southeast(2) vs. Southwest(3)
First Four pairings:
Tuesday Game A: Butler vs. Boston College
Tuesday Game B: Gonzaga vs. Richmond
Wednesday Game A: Miami(OH)(Mid-American) vs. Texas Southern(Southwestern)
Wednesday Game B: McNeese State(Southland) vs. Bethune Cookman(Mid-Eastern)
East region
@ Cleveland
1-Ohio State(Big Ten) vs. McNeese State/Bethune Cookman
8-Cincinnati vs. 9-Kansas State
@ Tampa
4-Louisville vs. 13-Harvard(Ivy)
5-Xavier(Atlantic 10) vs. 12-Virginia Tech
@ Charlotte
2-Georgetown vs. 15-Vermont(America East)
7-UCLA vs. 10-Alabama
@ Tampa
3-Florida(Southeastern) vs. 14-College of Charleston(Southern)
6-Texas A&M vs. 11-Minnesota
West region
@ Tucson
1-San Diego State(Mountain West) vs. 16-Montana(Big Sky)
8-Utah State(Western Athletic) vs. 9-Old Dominion
@ Denver
4-Arizona(Pacific-10) vs. 13-UTEP(Conference USA)
5-Villanova vs. 12-Butler/Boston College
@ Tulsa
2-Kansas vs. 15-Fairfield(Metro Atlantic)
7-Florida State vs. 10-Georgia
@ Chicago
3-Purdue vs. 14-Morehead State(Ohio Valley)
6-Syracuse vs. 11-St. Mary's(West Coast)
Southeast region
@ Charlotte
1-Duke(Atlantic Coast) vs. 16-Florida Atlantic(Sun Belt)
8-George Mason(Colonial) vs. 9-Illinois
@ Washington, D.C.
4-Notre Dame vs. 13-Oakland(Summit)
5-Kentucky vs. 12-Gonzaga/Richmond
@ Denver
2-Brigham Young vs. 15-Long Beach State(Big West)
7-Temple vs. 10-Washington
@ Washington, D.C.
3-Connecticut vs. 14-Coastal Carolina(Big South)
6-Missouri vs. 11-Michigan State
Southwest region
@ Cleveland
1-Pittsburgh(Big East) vs. 16-Miami(Ohio)/Texas Southern
8-Tennessee vs. 9-UNLV
@ Denver
4-North Carolina vs. 13-Cleveland State(Horizon)
5-St. John's vs. 12-Belmont(Atlantic Sun)
@ Tulsa
2-Texas(Big 12) vs. 15-Long Island(Northeast)
7-Vanderbilt vs. 10-Marquette
@ Chicago
3-Wisconsin vs. 14-Bucknell(Patriot)
6-West Virginia vs. 11-Missouri State(Missouri Valley)
New to the field: Richmond, UTEP, Harvard, Bethune Cookman, McNeese State, Gonzaga
Leaving the field: Baylor, Memphis, Princeton, Hampton, Wichita State, Texas State
Last four in the field: Butler, Boston College, Gonzaga, Richmond
First four left out: Memphis, Virginia Commonwealth, Baylor, UAB
Next four left out: Clemson, Michigan, Nebraska, Southern Mississippi
The under-consideration board: Maryland, Duquesne, Dayton, Northwestern, Colorado, Wichita State, Colorado State, New Mexico, Washington State, South Carolina
Friday, February 18, 2011
Bracket Watch '11 - Friday Update
Before I release the seeding update, I admit that I'm being harsh on Georgia. If you look at the current Bracket Matrix, I'm the only one who doesn't believe the Bulldogs are not NCAA worthy. This is simply because they have a tough finish to their schedule(starting this weekend at Tennessee) and the fact they have lost several key home games too to the likes of Xavier and Vanderbilt. That said, the Bulldogs are in the projected field today, since it appears no one else wants in.
Projected seeds as of Today(And this week, regions for the #1 seeds); teams underlined will be in the first four:
1-Ohio State(East), Texas(Southwest), Pittsburgh(Southeast), Duke(West)
2-Kansas, Brigham Young, San Diego State, Notre Dame
3-Connecticut, Georgetown, Purdue, Wisconsin
4-Florida, Syracuse, North Carolina, Villanova
5-Arizona, Kentucky, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt
6-Louisville, Xavier, West Virginia, Illinois
7-Missouri, Temple, St. John's, Tennessee
8-Florida State, UCLA, Utah State, Washington
9-Cincinnati, George Mason, Alabama, UNLV
10-St. Mary's, Baylor, Marquette, Virginia Tech
11-Minnesota, Missouri State, Memphis, Kansas State
12-Boston College, Michigan State, Belmont, Georgia, Old Dominion
13-Wichita State, Butler, Oakland, Princeton, Cleveland State
14-Miami(Ohio), Coastal Carolina, Vermont, College of Charleston
15-Montana, Fairfield, Morehead State, Bucknell
16-Long Beach State, Hampton, Long Island, Florida Atlantic, Texas State, Texas Southern
New to the field: Kansas State, Butler, Cleveland State, Miami(Ohio), Georgia
Leaving the field: Richmond, UTEP, UAB, Valparaiso, Kent State
Last four in the field: Georgia, Old Dominion, Wichita State, Butler
First four left out: Richmond, UAB, Gonzaga, Colorado State
Next four left out: Penn State, Washington State, Harvard, Duquesne
The underconsideration board: Clemson, North Carolina State, Maryland, Dayton, Northwestern, Oklahoma State, Southern Mississippi, Valparaiso, New Mexico, South Carolina
Projected seeds as of Today(And this week, regions for the #1 seeds); teams underlined will be in the first four:
1-Ohio State(East), Texas(Southwest), Pittsburgh(Southeast), Duke(West)
2-Kansas, Brigham Young, San Diego State, Notre Dame
3-Connecticut, Georgetown, Purdue, Wisconsin
4-Florida, Syracuse, North Carolina, Villanova
5-Arizona, Kentucky, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt
6-Louisville, Xavier, West Virginia, Illinois
7-Missouri, Temple, St. John's, Tennessee
8-Florida State, UCLA, Utah State, Washington
9-Cincinnati, George Mason, Alabama, UNLV
10-St. Mary's, Baylor, Marquette, Virginia Tech
11-Minnesota, Missouri State, Memphis, Kansas State
12-Boston College, Michigan State, Belmont, Georgia, Old Dominion
13-Wichita State, Butler, Oakland, Princeton, Cleveland State
14-Miami(Ohio), Coastal Carolina, Vermont, College of Charleston
15-Montana, Fairfield, Morehead State, Bucknell
16-Long Beach State, Hampton, Long Island, Florida Atlantic, Texas State, Texas Southern
New to the field: Kansas State, Butler, Cleveland State, Miami(Ohio), Georgia
Leaving the field: Richmond, UTEP, UAB, Valparaiso, Kent State
Last four in the field: Georgia, Old Dominion, Wichita State, Butler
First four left out: Richmond, UAB, Gonzaga, Colorado State
Next four left out: Penn State, Washington State, Harvard, Duquesne
The underconsideration board: Clemson, North Carolina State, Maryland, Dayton, Northwestern, Oklahoma State, Southern Mississippi, Valparaiso, New Mexico, South Carolina
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Guess Who?
It's blind resume time once again. Can you identify this bubble team?
Current RPI: 58.
Division I Record: 16-10
SOS: 0.574
SOS Rank: 18
vs. RPI top 50: 2-8
vs. RPI 51-100: 5-1
vs. RPI 101-150: 2-0
vs. RPI 151-200: 1-1
vs. the Dregs: 5-0
Hint: this team faces a tough finishing stretch.
(All info current as of Tuesday Morning. It comes from Rivals.Yahoo.com)
Current RPI: 58.
Division I Record: 16-10
SOS: 0.574
SOS Rank: 18
vs. RPI top 50: 2-8
vs. RPI 51-100: 5-1
vs. RPI 101-150: 2-0
vs. RPI 151-200: 1-1
vs. the Dregs: 5-0
Hint: this team faces a tough finishing stretch.
(All info current as of Tuesday Morning. It comes from Rivals.Yahoo.com)
Monday, February 14, 2011
Bracket Watch '11 - Who wants to be an NCAA tourney team?
At this point, many teams don't want to be one. And they know who they are. OTOH, teams like George Mason and Alabama are looking more and more like NCAA teams. Given the paucity of teams distinguishing themselves, these two are closer to being locks than most people realize.
With that being said, here's the latest projection, complete with a new #1 overall seed to boot.
Final Four Pairings:
East(1) vs. West(4)
Southeast(2) vs. Southwest(3)
The First Four:
Tuesday Game A: Cincinnati vs. Wichita State
Tuesday Game B: Richmond vs. UAB
Wednesday Game A: Murray State(Ohio Valley) vs. Florida Atlantic(Sun Belt)
Wednesday Game B: Texas State(Southland) vs. Texas Southern(Southwestern)
East region
@ Cleveland
1-Pittsburgh(Big East) vs. 16-Texas State/Texas Southern
8-George Mason(Colonial) vs. 9-Utah State(Western Athletic)
@ Tucson
4-Vanderbilt vs. 13-Cincinnati/Wichita State
5-Texas A&M vs. 12-UTEP(Conference USA)
@ Charlotte
2-Duke(Atlantic Coast) vs. 15-Long Island(Northeast)
7-Washington vs. 10-Alabama
@ Chicago
3-Wisconsin vs. 14-Bucknell(Patriot)
6-Villanova vs. 11-Baylor
(Note: Baylor and Alabama swapped seeds so that the Bears would not face Duke in the 3rd round, if they defeated Washington)
West region
@ Tulsa
1-Kansas vs. 16-Hampton(Mid-Eastern)
8-St. Mary's(West Coast) vs. 9-Minnesota
@ Tampa
4-North Carolina vs. 13-Princeton(Ivy)
5-West Virginia vs. 12-Belmont(Atlantic Sun)
@ Denver
2-Brigham Young(Mountain West) vs. 15-Kent State(Mid-American)
7-Xavier(Atlantic 10) vs. 10-Marquette
@ Chicago
3-Notre Dame vs. 14-Valparaiso(Horizon)
6-Arizona(Pacific-10) vs. 11-Michigan State
Southeast region
@ Cleveland
1-Ohio State(Big Ten) vs. 16-Murray State/Florida Atlantic
8-St. John's vs. 9-UNLV
@ Denver
4-Louisville vs. 13-Coastal Carolina(Big South)
5-Missouri vs. 12-Old Dominion
@ Charlotte
2-Georgetown vs. 15-Vermont(America East)
7-Temple vs. 10-Virginia Tech
@ Tampa
3-Florida(Southeastern) vs. 14-College of Charleston(Southern)
6-Illinois vs. 11-Memphis
Southwest region
@ Tulsa
1-Texas(Big 12) vs. 16-Long Beach State(Big West)
8-UCLA vs. 9-Florida State
@ Washington D.C.
4-Connecticut vs. 13-Oakland(Summit)
5-Kentucky vs. 12-Richmond/UAB
@ Tucson
2-San Diego State vs. 15-Montana(Big Sky)
7-Syracuse vs. 10-Missouri State(Missouri Valley)
@ Washington D.C.
3-Purdue vs. 14-Fairfield(Metro Atlantic)
6-Tennessee vs. 11-Boston College
New to the field: Richmond, Montana, Memphis, Wichita State, Alabama, Texas State
Leaving the field: Clemson, Duquesne, Northern Colorado, Kansas State, Virginia Commonwealth, Northwestern State
Last four in the field: Cincinnati, Richmond, UAB, Wichita State
First four left out: Georgia, Virginia Commonwealth, Kansas State, Duquesne
Next four left out: Harvard, Clemson, Gonzaga, Butler
The under-consideration board: Maryland, Dayton, Providence, Michigan, Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Cleveland State, Colorado State, New Mexico, Washington State, South Carolina
With that being said, here's the latest projection, complete with a new #1 overall seed to boot.
Final Four Pairings:
East(1) vs. West(4)
Southeast(2) vs. Southwest(3)
The First Four:
Tuesday Game A: Cincinnati vs. Wichita State
Tuesday Game B: Richmond vs. UAB
Wednesday Game A: Murray State(Ohio Valley) vs. Florida Atlantic(Sun Belt)
Wednesday Game B: Texas State(Southland) vs. Texas Southern(Southwestern)
East region
@ Cleveland
1-Pittsburgh(Big East) vs. 16-Texas State/Texas Southern
8-George Mason(Colonial) vs. 9-Utah State(Western Athletic)
@ Tucson
4-Vanderbilt vs. 13-Cincinnati/Wichita State
5-Texas A&M vs. 12-UTEP(Conference USA)
@ Charlotte
2-Duke(Atlantic Coast) vs. 15-Long Island(Northeast)
7-Washington vs. 10-Alabama
@ Chicago
3-Wisconsin vs. 14-Bucknell(Patriot)
6-Villanova vs. 11-Baylor
(Note: Baylor and Alabama swapped seeds so that the Bears would not face Duke in the 3rd round, if they defeated Washington)
West region
@ Tulsa
1-Kansas vs. 16-Hampton(Mid-Eastern)
8-St. Mary's(West Coast) vs. 9-Minnesota
@ Tampa
4-North Carolina vs. 13-Princeton(Ivy)
5-West Virginia vs. 12-Belmont(Atlantic Sun)
@ Denver
2-Brigham Young(Mountain West) vs. 15-Kent State(Mid-American)
7-Xavier(Atlantic 10) vs. 10-Marquette
@ Chicago
3-Notre Dame vs. 14-Valparaiso(Horizon)
6-Arizona(Pacific-10) vs. 11-Michigan State
Southeast region
@ Cleveland
1-Ohio State(Big Ten) vs. 16-Murray State/Florida Atlantic
8-St. John's vs. 9-UNLV
@ Denver
4-Louisville vs. 13-Coastal Carolina(Big South)
5-Missouri vs. 12-Old Dominion
@ Charlotte
2-Georgetown vs. 15-Vermont(America East)
7-Temple vs. 10-Virginia Tech
@ Tampa
3-Florida(Southeastern) vs. 14-College of Charleston(Southern)
6-Illinois vs. 11-Memphis
Southwest region
@ Tulsa
1-Texas(Big 12) vs. 16-Long Beach State(Big West)
8-UCLA vs. 9-Florida State
@ Washington D.C.
4-Connecticut vs. 13-Oakland(Summit)
5-Kentucky vs. 12-Richmond/UAB
@ Tucson
2-San Diego State vs. 15-Montana(Big Sky)
7-Syracuse vs. 10-Missouri State(Missouri Valley)
@ Washington D.C.
3-Purdue vs. 14-Fairfield(Metro Atlantic)
6-Tennessee vs. 11-Boston College
New to the field: Richmond, Montana, Memphis, Wichita State, Alabama, Texas State
Leaving the field: Clemson, Duquesne, Northern Colorado, Kansas State, Virginia Commonwealth, Northwestern State
Last four in the field: Cincinnati, Richmond, UAB, Wichita State
First four left out: Georgia, Virginia Commonwealth, Kansas State, Duquesne
Next four left out: Harvard, Clemson, Gonzaga, Butler
The under-consideration board: Maryland, Dayton, Providence, Michigan, Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Cleveland State, Colorado State, New Mexico, Washington State, South Carolina
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