I’m pretty sure it’s all mental for St. Mary’s against Duke West. They just missed wide open shot, after wide open shot, in the first half as they were down 21 at the break. The Gaels made a run, but still ended up getting crushed for a third time.
It’s clear now that I had St. Mary’s overseeded, especially as their best win is at Dayton, who was without Kendall Pollard and Josh Cunningham. Of course, they missed the tournament last year at 27-5. Let’s compare their resume to last year.
2016 SMC: 27-5, RPI: 40, SOS: 163, Top 50: 2-2, Top 100: 6-3
2017 SMC: 28-4, RPI: 19, SOS: 92, Top 50: 2-4, Top 100: 8-4
Are they in? Sure. But they’ll be no higher than an 8 seed.
You’ll see that I’ve moved Wichita State up to a 7 seed. This may be completely wrong, and could change before Sunday, but right now, I think the committee is going to have a hard time putting the Shockers on the 9 line or below.
Last Four In: Xavier, Vanderbilt, USC, Kansas State
Next Four: Rhode Island, Illinois State, Illinois, Iowa
MIDWEST
1 Kansas vs. 16 New Orleans/Mt. St. Mary’s – Tulsa
8 Creighton vs. 9 Arkansas
5 Virginia vs. 12 USC/Kansas State
4 Purdue vs. E. Tennessee St – Milwaukee
3 Arizona vs. 14 CSU Bakersfield – Salt Lake City
6 Wisconsin vs. 11 Wake Forest
7 Oklahoma St vs. 10 Providence
2 Louisville vs. 15 N. Kentucky – Indianapolis
WEST
1 Oregon vs. 16 UC Irvine – Sacramento
8 Northwestern vs. 9 St. Mary’s
5 Notre Dame vs. 12 Nevada
4 Butler vs. 13 Akron – Milwaukee
3 Duke vs. 14 Winthrop – Greenville
6 Iowa State vs. 11 Xavier/Vanderbilt
7 Wichita State vs. 10 Michigan State
2 Gonzaga vs. 15 E. Washington – Salt Lake City
EAST
1 Villanova vs. 16 NC Central/S. Dakota St – Buffalo
8 Michigan vs. 9 VCU
5 Cincinnati vs. 12 UT-Arlington
4 Florida vs. 13 Princeton – Orlando
3 Florida State vs. 14 Florida Gulf Coast – Orlando
6 Minnesota vs. 11 Middle Tenn St
7 Virginia Tech vs. 10 Seton Hall
2 Baylor vs. 15 Iona – Tulsa
SOUTH
1 UNC vs. 16 Jacksonville St – Greenville
8 Dayton vs. 9 S. Carolina
5 SMU vs. 12 UNC Wilmington
4 West Virginia vs. 13 Vermont – Buffalo
3 Kentucky vs. 14 Bucknell – Indianapolis
6 Maryland vs. 11 Syracuse
7 Miami vs. 10 Marquette
2 UCLA vs. 15 Texas Southern – Sacramento
HEAD VS GUT 