Bracket Projection – March 10

Duke survived NC State to set up a juicy matchup with my Irish on Thursday afternoon.  Here’s to hoping that I’ll be watching the Irish in Vegas on Friday night after a big W.  Since joining the ACC, ND is 4-1 against Duke.

To the bubble…

Pitt likely locked up a bid with a one-point win over Syracuse.  Now all of a sudden, everyone on TV and Twitter has Syracuse out…that’s far-fetched and here’s why.

*R/N – Road/Neutral

Syracuse: 19-13, RPI 61, SOS 42, Top 50 (4-6), Top 100 (8-10), 2 Top 50 R/N wins
Team B: 19-12, RPI 47, SOS 43, Top 50 (2-8), Top 100 (7-10), o Top 50 R/N wins
Team C: 21-10, RPI 56, SOS 57, Top 50 (2-4), Top 100 (6-10), Lost to Syracuse
Team D: 20-10, RPI 55, SOS 60, Top 50 (3-5), Top 100 (8-8), 1 Top 50 R/N win
Team E: 22-9, RPI 39, SOS 74, Top 50 (2-4), Top 100 (6-7), 1 Top 50 R/N win

Team B: Vanderbilt – Everyone has them in…and some safely in. (Here, they are booking a flight to Dayton).  The blind resume shows that Syracuse appears to have the slightly better resume as they have wins at Duke and against A&M on a neutral court.  Vanderbilt’s best non-conference win?  Stony Brook…at home…in overtime.  Vanderbilt’s best road win?  At Florida.

Team C: UConn – This resume is a frequent topic here.  If Cuse is out, so is UConn…simple as that.

Team D: Tulsa – Tulsa has 8 Top 100 wins, but only one R/N win against the Top 75.  Their Top 100 non-conference wins:  Wichita, Ohio and Iona…not exactly quality.

Team E: VCU – These two are very close, which is why they were 36 (Cuse) and 38 (VCU) in today’s 1-68.  Because of the amount of losses, Cuse probably slips below VCU…but it’s very close.  Again, everyone has VCU in right now.

What to learn from this:  Don’t listen to all these guys say “oh this team is now out” when they lose.  Especially Doug Gottlieb, who apparently believes the tournament should have 14 teams.  The Committee will compare the resumes, and right now, Syracuse’s still has them in.  Would I be surprised if they were left out?  Absolutely not.  But if you keep Syracuse out, then teams like Florida should not even be sniffing the bubble.

Last 4 In: Wichita St, Vanderbilt, Monmouth, St. Mary’s
Outside Looking In: Temple, Valparaiso, UConn, Michigan, Tulsa

MIDWEST
1 Kansas vs 16 Fairleigh Dickinson/Holy Cross
8 Butler vs 9 USC
5 Maryland vs 12 Yale
4 Kentucky vs 13 UNC Wilmington
3 Indiana vs 14 S.F. Austin
6 Arizona vs 11 Monmouth/St. Mary’s
7 Texas Tech vs 10 St. Bonaventure
2 UNC vs 15 Green Bay

WEST
1 Xavier vs 16 Florida Gulf Coast
8 Oregon State vs 9 Cincinnati
5 Baylor vs 12 Stony Brook
4 Duke vs 13 Chattanooga
3 WVU vs 14 Akron
6 Wisconsin vs 11 Wichita State/Vanderbilt
7 Dayton vs 10 Syracuse
2 Oregon vs 15 Weber State

SOUTH
1 Michigan State vs 16 Austin Peay/Texas Southern
8 Colorado vs 9 Pittsburgh
5 Texas A&M vs 12 UALR
4 Texas vs 13 S. Dakota State
3 Miami vs 14 Iona
6 Cal vs 11 Northern Iowa
7 Seton Hall vs 10 St. Joseph’s
2 Oklahoma vs 15 New Mexico State

EAST
1 Virginia vs 16 Hampton
8 Providence vs 9 S. Carolina
5 Iowa State vs 12 San Diego State
4 Purdue vs 13 Hawaii
3 Utah vs 14 Louisiana Tech
6 Iowa vs 11 Gonzaga
7 Notre Dame vs 10 VCU
2 Villanova vs 15 UNC Asheville