SDS Bracketology: Our latest NCAA Tournament projections (Feb. 2)
Published:
Well friends, we’ve made it to February, and that means the month of March — and its accompanying Madness — is just around the corner. And while I don’t doubt that the NCAA Tournament will provide us with no shortage of drama and surprises along the way, I must admit, as I look at this prospective tournament field, it’s really beginning to feel like our 4 top seeds are starting to create a considerable amount of space between themselves and the rest of the field.
Of course, this means nothing once the bracket is revealed. Even the teams that feel like the most rock-solid tournament contenders can be had on any given night. But what we may be heading toward is a situation where Arizona, Michigan, UConn and Duke have already locked up No. 1 seeds heading into Championship Week.
Now I say this knowing full well that even though these 4 teams look damn near unbeatable right now, we aren’t going to get to March with these powerhouses having a combined 3 losses. Impossible? No. Unlikely? Of course.
As far as where some of those losses may come, well, I have a few ideas:
February 6 — UConn at St. John’s
February 7 — Duke at North Carolina
February 9 — Arizona at Kansas
February 17 — Michigan at Purdue
February 21 — UConn at Villanova
February 21 — Arizona at Houston
February 21 — Michigan vs. Duke (One of these teams is definitely losing this game)
February 27 — Michigan at Illinois
So here’s the catch — each one of these games could end in an L, but as long as any other unexpected upsets don’t pop up along the way, it may not make a difference when it comes to seeding for the NCAA Tournament. Sure, programs like Illinois, Iowa State, or Houston may very well end up going on a heater and making things interesting. Just don’t be surprised if the 4 teams on the 1-line don’t change from now until March 15.
The Bracket
Bracketology Breakdown
No. 1 Seeds: Arizona Wildcats (West Region), Michigan Wolverines (Midwest Region), UConn Huskies (East Region), Duke Blue Devils (South Region)
Multi-Bid Leagues: ACC (9), Big 12 (7), Big East (3), Big Ten (11), Mountain West (3), SEC (9), WCC (2)
SEC Seeding: Florida (3), Vanderbilt (4), Alabama (6), Arkansas (6), Tennessee (6), Texas A&M (7), Kentucky (8), Auburn (9), Georgia (9)
Bubble Watch
Last 4 Byes: Virginia Tech, USC, New Mexico, Indiana
Last 4 In: San Diego State, UCLA, Miami FL, Ohio State
First 4 Out: Seton Hall, California, Santa Clara, Texas
Next 4 Out: Mizzou, Stanford, TCU, George Mason
10 Biggest Games of the Week
Monday, February 2 – 9 p.m. ET, ESPN – Kansas at Texas Tech
Tuesday, February 3 – 9 p.m. ET, ESPN2 – NC State at SMU
Wednesday, February 4 – 7 p.m. ET, FS1 – UCF at Houston
Wednesday, February 4 – 7 p.m. ET, SEC Network – Texas A&M at Alabama
Wednesday, February 4 – 11 p.m. ET, FS1 – Utah State at New Mexico
Friday, February 6 – 8 p.m. ET, FOX – UConn at St. John’s
Saturday, February 7 – 6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN – Duke at North Carolina
Saturday, February 7 – 8 p.m. ET, FOX – Illinois at Michigan State
Saturday, February 7 – 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN – Houston at BYU
Sunday, February 8 – 1 p.m. ET, CBS – Michigan at Ohio State
