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