Saturday, March 15, 2008

A Last Look Ahead

Since I love this tournament stuff like a fat kid loves cake, let's break down the tournament one last time before it is busted out officially. For ease, I will be assuming the higher seeded teams win the games going on tomorrow. Obviously, if Illinois wins the Big Ten or Georgia the SEC, things change dramatically.

Autobids (31): North Carolina, Coppin State, Drake, UMBC, Temple, UNLV, Belmont, Mt St Mary's, Kansas, Austin Peay, Pitt, UCLA, Portland State, American, Winthrop, Arkansas, Wisconsin, Davidson, UCF/UCI, Northwestern State, George Mason, Oral Roberts, Memphis, Western Kentucky, Butler, Miss Valley State, Cornell, San Diego, Siena, NMSU/Boise, Kent State

Locks (26) : Duke, Miami, Clemson, UCONN, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Louisville, Marquette, West Virginia, Indiana, Michigan State, Purdue, Texas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Stanford, USC, Washington State, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Mississippi State, Kentucky, Xavier, Gonzaga, BYU, St. Mary's

That leaves eight bids for the following 16 teams: Virginia Tech, Villanova, Ohio State, Kansas State, Baylor, Arizona, Oregon, Arizona State, Mississippi, St Joe's, UMass, Dayton, South Alabama, Illinois State, Virginia Commonwealth, and New Mexico.

I think Ohio State, Kansas State, Arizona, St Joe's, and South Alabama are very safe. That leaves three bids. I think they will go to Baylor, Oregon, and Virginia Tech.

With that being said, here is my first ever attempt at projecting a bracket:

EAST:
#1 North Carolina vs. #16 Northwestern St OR Coppin State
#8 UNLV vs. #9 Davidson
#4 Notre Dame vs. #13 George Mason
#5 Drake vs. #12 Arizona

#2 Tennessee vs. #15 Belmont
#7 Gonzaga vs. #10 Miami
#3 Stanford vs. #14 Oral Roberts
#6 Marquette vs. #11 Temple

WEST:
#1 UCLA vs. #16 Mississippi Valley State
#8 Kansas State vs. #9 BYU
#4 Purdue vs. #13 Siena
#5 UCONN vs. #12 Baylor

#2 Georgetown vs. #15 Portland State
#7 Vanderbilt vs. #10 St Mary's
#3 Xavier vs. #14 Cornell
#6 USC vs. #11 Western Kentucky

MIDWEST:
#1 Kansas vs. #16 American
#8 West Virginia vs. #9 Arkansas
#4 Butler vs. #13 Cal State-Fullerton
#5 Michigan State vs. #12 Virginia Tech

#2 Wisconsin vs. #15 San Diego
#7 Mississippi State vs. #10 Kent State
#3 Louisville vs. #14 Austin Peay
#6 Oklahoma vs. #11 Ohio State

SOUTH:
#1 Memphis vs. #16 Mount St Mary's
#8 Texas A&M vs. #9 Kentucky
#4 Pitt vs. #13 Boise State
#5 Clemson vs. #12 Oregon

#2 Texas vs. #15 UM-Baltimore County
#7 Washington State vs. #10 St Joseph's
#3 Duke vs. #14 Winthrop
#6 Indiana vs. #11 South Alabama


So there you go

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Any chance for an NIT bracket challenge? This may be the first NIT worth following since 1993.

Anonymous said...

Seth Greenberg, VT, Vitale, shut up! Win more games! Shut up!

ASU honks, shut up! Play a tougher schedule. Shut up!