Quick mid-week update…
The 1’s – Arizona, Syracuse, Wisconsin and Michigan State
No change despite the Wisconsin loss. The only question is who is #3 and #4. Michigan State leads the Big Ten and everyone thinks they are better than Wisconsin, but the Badgers still have the better resume. It would be important if the season ended today as the #4 team would likely get bumped from Milwaukee to St. Louis so the NCAA has a Friday site for the First Round 16 seeds to filter into.
The 2’s – Villanova, Wichita State, Florida and Kansas
No change.
The 3’s – Oklahoma State, Ohio State, Iowa State and San Diego State
No change.
The 4’s – Massachusetts, Iowa, Creighton and Cincinnati
Creighton and Cincinnati move-up replacing Baylor and Kentucky. I know Pittsburgh is 16-1, but until they beat someone in the Top 50, they lack upward mobility in my eyes.
The 5’s –Pittsburgh, Kentucky, Memphis and Baylor
That was a bad loss for Baylor, falling to 0-2 on the road. That road record could be troublesome come seeding time.
The 6’s – Louisville, Duke, Oregon and Colorado
No change.
The 7’s – Gonzaga, Missouri, Connecticut and Xavier
Xavier and their 7 top 100 wins, including wins over Cincinnati, Georgetown and Tennessee replaces New Mexico who lost at home to UNLV on Wednesday. Missouri should be lower, but I have not fully committed to that yet.
The 8’s – Michigan, Virginia, California and Florida State
Cal and Florida State rise up. After taking a closer look at UCLA, they were adjusted back until they beat someone.
The 9’s – UCLA, St. Louis, Kansas State and George Washington
Kansas State and Oklahoma swap after the Wildcats beat them on Tuesday. George Washington moves up higher than I expected, but in comparison to New Mexico and Oklahoma, I like what G.W. has done a little better right now.
The 10’s – Oklahoma, New Mexico, Georgetown and North Carolina
This is the landing place for New Mexico, while Georgetown holds steady despite a loss last night.
The 11’s – VCU, Harvard, Tennessee and Minnesota
VCU drops down to here and better get their act together before they are on the wrong side of the bubble.
The 12’s –UWGB, New Mexico State, Dayton, Texas, Arkansas and Stanford
UWGB and New Mexico State are auto bids. Arkansas and Stanford enter, SMU and Illinois exit. I don’t hate SMU, I just need to see more than a home win against Connecticut. Arkansas still needs a good road win, but beating Kentucky, SMU and Minnesota gets them in for now. Stanford won at Connecticut and also at Oregon, two really good road wins.
The 13’s – Akron, Louisiana Tech, Manhattan and North Dakota State
The 14’s – Belmont, UC-Irvine, Boston U. and Delaware
The 15’s – Georgia State, Stephen F. Austin, Mercer and Northern Colorado
The 16’s – Stony Brook, Davidson, Norfolk State, Robert Morris, Southern and Radford
Sports Blog specializing in Bracketology
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
College Basketball 2013-14 - Field of 68 (January 14, 2014 edition)
We have hit the mark of 8 weeks left in the regular season, plus Championship Week. There is still a lot of basketball to be played, but if there wasn’t, here is what my field would look like. (Side Note: For the one bid leagues, I will occasionally stray from taking the regular season leader if there is a stronger team near the top of the standings. The regular season champion does not get an automatic berth, so awarding it like that has never been my practice. I also do not award an automatic bid to a conference leader of a multiple bid league who would not otherwise make it as an at-large, i.e. Nevada of the Mountain West currently.)
The 1’s – Arizona, Syracuse, Wisconsin and Michigan State
The Top 3 remain strong, with the Spartans sneaking in and grabbing the last #1. One could argue Villanova has a better resume than Sparty or that Wichita State is still undefeated. The committee loves Izzo though and would be hard-pressed not to place them here.
The 2’s – Villanova, Wichita State, Florida and Kansas
Villanova and Wichita State do come in as strong #2’s and are joined by Florida and Kansas. The Gators have righted the ship and will eventually contend for a #1 seed if they dominate the SEC. The Big 12 is the strongest conference and Kansas once again looks like the front-runner. So despite 4 losses, the final #2 goes to the team with the #1 RPI and the look of the strongest team in the strongest conference. That being said, a weekend game against the boys from Stillwater could flip the two squads.
The 3’s – Oklahoma State, Ohio State, Iowa State and San Diego State
It was a bad week for Ohio State and Iowa State, as both former unbeatens now carry 2-game losing streaks and fall to #3 seeds. Oklahoma State continues to be a struggling #3, so the Kansas game will be big for them. The committee loves road wins, and San Diego State’s road win at Kansas, along with their only loss being to Arizona, makes them a sneaky #3 at this point.
The 4’s – Baylor, Massachusetts, Kentucky and Iowa
Baylor has wins over Colorado, Kentucky and Dayton and the two losses (Syracuse and Iowa State) are of the quality variety. So why are they behind San Diego State…it is January 14th and they have played exactly one road game. Massachusetts keeps cruising along to a #4, while Kentucky moves up a spot as they continue their solid play. Did I mention the committee likes road wins? Iowa now owns one of the best and finally has that signature win to match-up with the eye test that says this team is really, really good.
The 5’s – Cincinnati, Creighton, Pittsburgh and Memphis
Pittsburgh is becoming an interesting team for this exercise. Kenpom loves them. Their record is 15-1. Their best win though is Stanford, and the ACC schedule will not provide them too many chances for great wins, although they do visit the Carrier Dome this weekend. Cincinnati and Memphis stay strong as the leaders of the AAC and Creighton got a really good win over Xavier on the weekend to separate themselves as the #2 team in the Big East.
The 6’s – Louisville, Duke, Oregon and Colorado
Duke got back on track with the win over Virginia last night, while Louisville had a nice win over SMU on Sunday. Louisville plays at Connecticut on Saturday and outside of hosting Cincinnati on Jan. 30, they play 7 teams with RPI’s over 174 in their next 9. Oregon has lost three straight and is lucky to land as a #6. Colorado now becomes a team to watch with the loss of Spencer Dinwiddie for the season. The Kansas win was with Dinwiddie, so the Buffaloes will be judged more on how they finish than most teams.
The 7’s – Gonzaga, New Mexico, Missouri and Connecticut
I keep finding Gonzaga and New Mexico similar in profile and hard to separate. The Lobos will have a better chance to distinguish themselves, but Gonzaga almost has to win at Memphis (Feb 8) to have much in the way of upward mobility. Missouri doesn’t have a great profile, but with just two losses, they still hold at 7. Their story seems like one that is yet to be written. Connecticut has the win over Florida leading their resume, but they could use the win Saturday over Louisville to stay out of the 8-9 territory.
The 8’s – Michigan, UCLA, Xavier and Virginia
Michigan has a rising profile now that they have started to play well sans Mitch McGary, with good wins over Florida State and Minnesota. The lack of a signature win, plus 4 losses is holding them here. UCLA now has Arizona State as their best win, but like Baylor, is 0-1 on the road. Xavier got a good wake-up call against Creighton, but still has a very solid resume. Virginia could have passed up Duke for 3rd in the ACC, but lost out on a great opportunity for a road win. Florida State and SMU wins are nice and are akin to Michigan’s at this juncture.
The 9’s – St. Louis, Florida State, VCU and Oklahoma
The Billikens are 6-0 on the road, albeit with Dayton as the best win in that group. Florida State’s best wins are Massachusetts and VCU, so it seems fitting to slot them in with 2 teams from the A-10 and one spot below two teams who have them as their best win. Sometimes, this stuff can actually make sense. Then comes VCU, who actually beat Virginia, who is seeded one higher, so maybe it doesn’t always make sense. Oklahoma makes the jump with the win over Iowa State and strong computer numbers. I like Kansas State’s wins a little better yet, but for now I will favor the Sooners.
The 10’s – Kansas State, Georgetown, California and North Carolina
I like Kansas State better than others, as quality wins like Gonzaga and Oklahoma State often erase bad losses like Northern Colorado. The Hoyas own wins over VCU and Kansas State, which makes this a fitting location. California has stormed out in PAC-12 play with 3 road wins, including Oregon and Stanford. The fact that Arkansas is their best non-conference win is what is currently holding them back a little. Finally there is North Carolina, who is a bit similar to Kansas State in that they have really good wins and in the Tar Heels case, just a lot of losses. I still have the Tar Heels in and their wins land them in this territory for seed. They need to figure it out soon though, or they will be this year’s Kentucky in the NIT.
The 11’s – Harvard, Tennessee, Minnesota and George Washington
Harvard’s spot is always difficult to gauge, but I figure somewhere right around where the bubble decisions really start, as they would be in that discussion if they were an at-large. Tennessee does this every year, pairing good wins with maddening losses. Right now, there are not too many, but home losses to Texas A&M should not be repeated. Minnesota almost got a huge win at Michigan State, so I am not dropping them like another conference foe. George Washington currently sits ahead of Dayton and will battle the bubble for the next 8 weeks.
The 12’s –UWGB, New Mexico State, Illinois, Dayton, SMU and Texas
UWGB and New Mexico State are auto bids. I think Illinois is in real trouble. The resume of wins is Missouri and, well, Missouri and some team is going to get squeezed out of the Big 10 race. After the loss to Northwestern, the Illini are the likely candidate. Dayton played St. Louis tough, but currently sits hosting a First Round game. SMU stays in for now, but this spot is tenuous. Texas is also back in, but needs to add some Top 50 wins along the way to support the resume of ok wins and no bad losses.
The 13’s – Akron, Louisiana Tech, Manhattan and North Dakota Stat
The 14’s – Belmont, UC-Irvine, Boston U. and Delaware
The 15’s – Georgia State, Stephen F. Austin, Mercer and Northern Colorado
The 16’s – Norfolk State, Robert Morris, Davidson, Southern, Radford and Stony Brook
The 1’s – Arizona, Syracuse, Wisconsin and Michigan State
The Top 3 remain strong, with the Spartans sneaking in and grabbing the last #1. One could argue Villanova has a better resume than Sparty or that Wichita State is still undefeated. The committee loves Izzo though and would be hard-pressed not to place them here.
The 2’s – Villanova, Wichita State, Florida and Kansas
Villanova and Wichita State do come in as strong #2’s and are joined by Florida and Kansas. The Gators have righted the ship and will eventually contend for a #1 seed if they dominate the SEC. The Big 12 is the strongest conference and Kansas once again looks like the front-runner. So despite 4 losses, the final #2 goes to the team with the #1 RPI and the look of the strongest team in the strongest conference. That being said, a weekend game against the boys from Stillwater could flip the two squads.
The 3’s – Oklahoma State, Ohio State, Iowa State and San Diego State
It was a bad week for Ohio State and Iowa State, as both former unbeatens now carry 2-game losing streaks and fall to #3 seeds. Oklahoma State continues to be a struggling #3, so the Kansas game will be big for them. The committee loves road wins, and San Diego State’s road win at Kansas, along with their only loss being to Arizona, makes them a sneaky #3 at this point.
The 4’s – Baylor, Massachusetts, Kentucky and Iowa
Baylor has wins over Colorado, Kentucky and Dayton and the two losses (Syracuse and Iowa State) are of the quality variety. So why are they behind San Diego State…it is January 14th and they have played exactly one road game. Massachusetts keeps cruising along to a #4, while Kentucky moves up a spot as they continue their solid play. Did I mention the committee likes road wins? Iowa now owns one of the best and finally has that signature win to match-up with the eye test that says this team is really, really good.
The 5’s – Cincinnati, Creighton, Pittsburgh and Memphis
Pittsburgh is becoming an interesting team for this exercise. Kenpom loves them. Their record is 15-1. Their best win though is Stanford, and the ACC schedule will not provide them too many chances for great wins, although they do visit the Carrier Dome this weekend. Cincinnati and Memphis stay strong as the leaders of the AAC and Creighton got a really good win over Xavier on the weekend to separate themselves as the #2 team in the Big East.
The 6’s – Louisville, Duke, Oregon and Colorado
Duke got back on track with the win over Virginia last night, while Louisville had a nice win over SMU on Sunday. Louisville plays at Connecticut on Saturday and outside of hosting Cincinnati on Jan. 30, they play 7 teams with RPI’s over 174 in their next 9. Oregon has lost three straight and is lucky to land as a #6. Colorado now becomes a team to watch with the loss of Spencer Dinwiddie for the season. The Kansas win was with Dinwiddie, so the Buffaloes will be judged more on how they finish than most teams.
The 7’s – Gonzaga, New Mexico, Missouri and Connecticut
I keep finding Gonzaga and New Mexico similar in profile and hard to separate. The Lobos will have a better chance to distinguish themselves, but Gonzaga almost has to win at Memphis (Feb 8) to have much in the way of upward mobility. Missouri doesn’t have a great profile, but with just two losses, they still hold at 7. Their story seems like one that is yet to be written. Connecticut has the win over Florida leading their resume, but they could use the win Saturday over Louisville to stay out of the 8-9 territory.
The 8’s – Michigan, UCLA, Xavier and Virginia
Michigan has a rising profile now that they have started to play well sans Mitch McGary, with good wins over Florida State and Minnesota. The lack of a signature win, plus 4 losses is holding them here. UCLA now has Arizona State as their best win, but like Baylor, is 0-1 on the road. Xavier got a good wake-up call against Creighton, but still has a very solid resume. Virginia could have passed up Duke for 3rd in the ACC, but lost out on a great opportunity for a road win. Florida State and SMU wins are nice and are akin to Michigan’s at this juncture.
The 9’s – St. Louis, Florida State, VCU and Oklahoma
The Billikens are 6-0 on the road, albeit with Dayton as the best win in that group. Florida State’s best wins are Massachusetts and VCU, so it seems fitting to slot them in with 2 teams from the A-10 and one spot below two teams who have them as their best win. Sometimes, this stuff can actually make sense. Then comes VCU, who actually beat Virginia, who is seeded one higher, so maybe it doesn’t always make sense. Oklahoma makes the jump with the win over Iowa State and strong computer numbers. I like Kansas State’s wins a little better yet, but for now I will favor the Sooners.
The 10’s – Kansas State, Georgetown, California and North Carolina
I like Kansas State better than others, as quality wins like Gonzaga and Oklahoma State often erase bad losses like Northern Colorado. The Hoyas own wins over VCU and Kansas State, which makes this a fitting location. California has stormed out in PAC-12 play with 3 road wins, including Oregon and Stanford. The fact that Arkansas is their best non-conference win is what is currently holding them back a little. Finally there is North Carolina, who is a bit similar to Kansas State in that they have really good wins and in the Tar Heels case, just a lot of losses. I still have the Tar Heels in and their wins land them in this territory for seed. They need to figure it out soon though, or they will be this year’s Kentucky in the NIT.
The 11’s – Harvard, Tennessee, Minnesota and George Washington
Harvard’s spot is always difficult to gauge, but I figure somewhere right around where the bubble decisions really start, as they would be in that discussion if they were an at-large. Tennessee does this every year, pairing good wins with maddening losses. Right now, there are not too many, but home losses to Texas A&M should not be repeated. Minnesota almost got a huge win at Michigan State, so I am not dropping them like another conference foe. George Washington currently sits ahead of Dayton and will battle the bubble for the next 8 weeks.
The 12’s –UWGB, New Mexico State, Illinois, Dayton, SMU and Texas
UWGB and New Mexico State are auto bids. I think Illinois is in real trouble. The resume of wins is Missouri and, well, Missouri and some team is going to get squeezed out of the Big 10 race. After the loss to Northwestern, the Illini are the likely candidate. Dayton played St. Louis tough, but currently sits hosting a First Round game. SMU stays in for now, but this spot is tenuous. Texas is also back in, but needs to add some Top 50 wins along the way to support the resume of ok wins and no bad losses.
The 13’s – Akron, Louisiana Tech, Manhattan and North Dakota Stat
The 14’s – Belmont, UC-Irvine, Boston U. and Delaware
The 15’s – Georgia State, Stephen F. Austin, Mercer and Northern Colorado
The 16’s – Norfolk State, Robert Morris, Davidson, Southern, Radford and Stony Brook
Saturday, January 11, 2014
College Basketball 2013-14 - Field of 68 (January 11, 2014 edition)
I have seen enough…it is time to fully transition my
Field of 68 to a “based on what has happened thus far” methodology. Teams are now establishing resumes that can
be compared and contrasted, especially as conference play hits high gear here
in January. It will also allow for a
more fluid movement of teams based on current results vs future
expectations. One trend I was beginning
to see was the opening up of the last few spots in the field. The teams that looked like they were ready to
grab those spots based on decent non-conference showings have come out and
looked like NIT teams at best. So here
is the Field of 68 as I have it as of today.
The 1’s – Arizona, Syracuse, Wisconsin and
Iowa State
The four undefeated teams from the major conferences
occupy these spots. I see Michigan State
some places, but if the tournament started today, Iowa State has a better
schedule, better wins and did not lose to a 5-loss North Carolina team.
The 2’s – Michigan State, Ohio State,
Wichita State and Villanova
This
group consists of the remaining undefeated team (Wichita State), a one-loss
leader of the 3rd rated conference (Villanova) and the two one-loss
teams from the Big Ten that will be in play for a #1 seed all season long.
The 3’s – Florida, Oklahoma State, Colorado
and Kansas
The
best 2-loss teams in the country lead this group. Florida has started to look the part of a
higher seed and is the class of the SEC.
Oklahoma State has a couple good wins (Colorado, Memphis), but is
teetering on a slight fall with the loss of Michael Cobbins. Colorado has wins over Kansas and Oregon and
is establishing themselves as Arizona’s chief competition for the PAC-12
title. I debated over the last #3 right
now, but went with Kansas. The Jayhawks
have 4 losses, but with an RPI sitting at #2, a collection of really good wins
and no bad losses, I feel the committee will reward the Jayhawks for playing
the schedule they took on. As it
currently sits, there is no team with an RPI over 200 on their entire schedule,
played and un-played.
The 4’s – Baylor, Oregon, San Diego State
and Massachusetts
Baylor
and Oregon are 2-loss teams whose wins are not quite as good as teams on the
3-line. Both teams have the
non-conference resumes to be seeded higher if they can get it going in league
play. Finally, the 1-loss leaders of the
Mountain West and Atlantic 10 gain the last two 4’s. Both of these conferences are well-respected
and the Aztecs have a victories over Kansas and Creighton in their pocket,
while the Minutemen sit at #4 in the RPI.
The 5’s – Cincinnati, Kentucky, Duke and
Memphis
While
the SOS #’s never love Cincinnati, they have wins over Pittsburgh, Memphis and
NC State and lead the AAC. The
discussion of playing teams with RPI’s in the 300’s vs those in the low 200’s
is for another day. Kentucky has quietly
righted the ship and has 6 top 100 wins.
Duke is a bit of an enigma, but has played a decent schedule and owns
wins over Michigan and UCLA. I don’t
love them here yet, but I have a hard time seeing the committee putting Xavier
ahead of them with the same amount of losses.
Memphis, with wins over Oklahoma State and Louisville grabs the last 5
spot.
The 6’s – Xavier, Creighton, Pittsburgh and
Iowa
The
Musketeers are quietly putting together a good season, with wins over
Tennessee, Cincinnati and Wake Forest.
Not sure what happened in the Bahamas, but the rest of the season has
been solid. Creighton and Pittsburgh
have strong records, but haven’t really beaten a string of quality
opponents. Both teams have upward mobility
if they start doing that in conference play.
Iowa has lost to Villanova, Iowa State and Wisconsin, and you see where
those teams sit. The Xavier and Notre
Dame wins are nice enough to grab the last 6.
The 7’s – Louisville, Gonzaga, Missouri and New
Mexico
If not
for North Carolina, Louisville would be the biggest seeding conundrum of the
Field. They are the defending champs and
have only 3 losses, but when Southern Miss is by far your best win? Gonzaga gets some computer love, but the WCC
is not helping them and the loss to Portland does not either. Missouri has the ugly loss to Georgia, but
decent wins vs UCLA, NC State and West Virginia make them a difficult 2-loss
team to seed. New Mexico has similar
computer numbers to Gonzaga, but a better win than the Zags (Cincinnati) and no
bad losses.
The 8’s – Connecticut, Michigan, North
Carolina and Kansas State
Connecticut
had a bad trip to the State of Texas, but still has that Florida win to hang
their hat on. Michigan has a rising
profile now that they have started to play well sans Mitch McGary, with good
wins over Florida State and Minnesota.
Right now I am pegging North Carolina here, as the 5 losses are not
pretty, but the wins over Michigan State, Kentucky and Louisville? are. Kansas State has a nice little run going,
including wins over Gonzaga and Oklahoma State.
The 9’s – Tennessee, UCLA, Virginia and
Illinois
Tennessee
has beaten Xavier, Virginia and Wake Forest for a nice little collection of
wins. UCLA looks the part, but UCSB is
the best win to date. Virginia started
slow, but has come on as of late. Wins
over Florida State, SMU and Wake Forest is the start of a good collection. Illinois is a better version of UCLA on the
computers, with the win over Missouri to boot.
The 10’s – VCU, Minnesota, Florida State and
St. Louis
The
Atlantic 10 finds two teams on this line, both who have some upward
potential. VCU has to add to their win
over Virginia and St. Louis is still looking for its first top 50 win. Minnesota and Florida State join them, each
with middling resumes that could take them either way at this point.
The 11’s – Harvard, Southern Miss,
Georgetown and Dayton
Harvard’s
spot is always difficult to gauge, but I figure somewhere right around where
the bubble decisions really start, as they would be in that discussion if they
were an at-large. Southern Miss is very
similar to Harvard in resume. Both teams
could see a bump back to the 12 line if the bottom of the at-large field
solidifies itself. Georgetown is another
team that is tough to figure out, while Dayton has to hope the Gonzaga win
stays strong and they can add some quality A-10 wins to it.
The 12’s –UWGB, California, Oklahoma, Arizona
State, SMU and George Washington
UWGB is
an auto bid. Cal enters the field after
a huge road win at Oregon. George
Washington is still on solid footing with the Creighton win and 5 top-100
victories. The last 3, I basically threw
darts at. I feel a Big 12 team
(Oklahoma, Texas or West Virginia) is destined for the first four this year,
with the overall strength of the conference, but someone has to be around .500
in league play. SMU is in the top 50 in
RPI, KenPom, Sagarin and BPI, despite only the win over UConn. Finally, Arizona State edges out some of the
ACC and SEC bubble teams, as well as St. Mary’s and Boise State at this
point. The Sun Devils are top 40 in 3 of
the rating systems and just need to boost up their RPI.
The 13’s – Ohio, New Mexico State, UCSB and
North Dakota State
The 14’s – Belmont, Manhattan, Boston U. and
Delaware
The 15’s – Georgia State, Stephen F. Austin,
St. Francis (NY) and North Carolina Central
The 16’s – Northern Colorado, Davidson, Southern,
Radford, Florida Gulf Coast and Stony Brook
Friday, January 3, 2014
College Basketball 2013-14 - Field of 68 (January 3, 2014 edition)
A few things happened Thursday night. Michigan won at Minnesota, pushing them back into the bracket after a short hiatus. This home loss could signal that Minnesota is more the team we thought in the pre-season and is headed for a couple months on the bubble. For now, I will drop them a seed from yesterday. Conveniently, Stanford opened PAC-12 play with a home loss and has disappeared from today's Field. Memo to Stanford...beating only Connecticut will not get you into the Field. St. Mary's was blown out by Gonzaga and is barely holding onto a spot. With very few chances at quality wins, the Gaels are one bad loss from being on the wrong side of the bubble. I also flipped Dayton and George Washington's seeds, mostly because I can. I will try and bracket these up at some point as well.
Games to keep an eye on this weekend: Drexel at Southern Miss, Cincinnati at Memphis, Pittsburgh at NC State, St. John's at Georgetown, Michigan State at Indiana, Connecticut at SMU, Butler at Xavier, Oklahoma State at Kansas State, Duke at Notre Dame, Virginia at Florida State, Oklahoma at Texas, Iowa at Wisconsin, San Diego State at Kansas and Oregon at Colorado
The 1's - Arizona, Syracuse, Ohio State and Michigan State
The 2's - Wisconsin, Oklahoma State, Oregon and Florida
The 3's - Wichita State, Kansas, Villanova and Iowa State
The 4's - Baylor, Louisville, Duke, and Memphis
The 5's - North Carolina, Kentucky, Colorado and Iowa
The 6's - Gonzaga, Massachusetts, Missouri and Connecticut
The 7's - San Diego State, Creighton, Illinois and Florida State
The 8's - Harvard, New Mexico, LSU and UCLA
The 9's - Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Texas and Xavier
The 10's - VCU, Minnesota, Georgetown and St. Louis
The 11's - Arkansas, Boise State, George Washington and Michigan
The 12's - St. Mary's, Dayton, Tennessee, Kansas State, Toledo and Southern Miss
The 13's - UCSB, North Dakota State, New Mexico State and Manhattan
The 14's - Belmont, UWGB, Louisiana-Lafayette and Drexel
The 15's - Florida Gulf Coast, Stephen F Austin, Boston U. and St. Francis (NY)
The 16's - Radford (1st Rd), NC Central, Texas Southern (1st Rd), Stony Brook (1st Rd), Northern Colorado and Elon (1st Rd)
Games to keep an eye on this weekend: Drexel at Southern Miss, Cincinnati at Memphis, Pittsburgh at NC State, St. John's at Georgetown, Michigan State at Indiana, Connecticut at SMU, Butler at Xavier, Oklahoma State at Kansas State, Duke at Notre Dame, Virginia at Florida State, Oklahoma at Texas, Iowa at Wisconsin, San Diego State at Kansas and Oregon at Colorado
The 1's - Arizona, Syracuse, Ohio State and Michigan State
The 2's - Wisconsin, Oklahoma State, Oregon and Florida
The 3's - Wichita State, Kansas, Villanova and Iowa State
The 4's - Baylor, Louisville, Duke, and Memphis
The 5's - North Carolina, Kentucky, Colorado and Iowa
The 6's - Gonzaga, Massachusetts, Missouri and Connecticut
The 7's - San Diego State, Creighton, Illinois and Florida State
The 8's - Harvard, New Mexico, LSU and UCLA
The 9's - Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Texas and Xavier
The 10's - VCU, Minnesota, Georgetown and St. Louis
The 11's - Arkansas, Boise State, George Washington and Michigan
The 12's - St. Mary's, Dayton, Tennessee, Kansas State, Toledo and Southern Miss
The 13's - UCSB, North Dakota State, New Mexico State and Manhattan
The 14's - Belmont, UWGB, Louisiana-Lafayette and Drexel
The 15's - Florida Gulf Coast, Stephen F Austin, Boston U. and St. Francis (NY)
The 16's - Radford (1st Rd), NC Central, Texas Southern (1st Rd), Stony Brook (1st Rd), Northern Colorado and Elon (1st Rd)
|
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EAST
(New York)
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MIDWEST
(Indy)
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SOUTH
(Arlington)
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WEST
(Anaheim)
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(1)
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Syracuse
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Ohio State
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Michigan State
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Arizona
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(16)
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Radford/Stony Brook
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Texas Southern/Elon
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NC Central
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Northern Colorado
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|
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Buffalo,
NY
|
St.
Louis, MO
|
Milwaukee,
WI
|
San
Diego, CA
|
|
(8)
|
LSU
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UCLA
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Harvard
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New Mexico
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(9)
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Cincinnati
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Pittsburgh
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Xavier
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Texas
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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(5)
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Iowa
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Kentucky
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Colorado
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North Carolina
|
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(12)
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Southern Miss
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Kansas State/St. Mary’s
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Tennessee/Dayton
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Toledo
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|
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San
Diego, CA
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Raleigh,
NC
|
Orlando,
FL
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Spokane,
WA
|
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(4)
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Baylor
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Louisville
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Duke
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Memphis
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(13)
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North Dakota State
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Manhattan
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New Mexico State
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UCSB
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|
|
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|
|
|
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(6)
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Connecticut
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Massachusetts
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Missouri
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Gonzaga
|
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(11)
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Arkansas
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Boise State
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Michigan
|
George Washington
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|
|
Buffalo,
NY
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San
Antonio, TX
|
San
Antonio, TX
|
Raleigh,
NC
|
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(3)
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Villanova
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Kansas
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Wichita State
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Iowa State
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(14)
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Belmont
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Louisiana-Lafayette
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Drexel
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UWGB
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(7)
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Florida State
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Creighton
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San Diego State
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Illinois
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(10)
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St. Louis
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Minnesota
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VCU
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Georgetown
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Milwaukee,
WI
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Spokane,
WA
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St.
Louis, MO
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Orlando,
FL
|
|
(2)
|
Wisconsin
|
Oregon
|
Oklahoma State
|
Florida
|
|
(15)
|
Boston U.
|
Stephen F. Austin
|
Florida Gulf Coast
|
St. Francis (NY)
|
Thursday, January 2, 2014
College Basketball 2013-14 - Field of 68 (January 2, 2014 Edition)
We head into the beginnings of conference play with a decent idea of how good teams are, but there are still going to be surprises and disappointments. The teams included in the Field of 68 below are for the most part (in the case of at-large berths) who would be in today based on what has happened. I am still taking into account some reasonable projections as to how the conference races might shake out in determining the seeding. For example, I still believe Michigan State will win the Big 10, therefore, they are taking the last #1 spot and Wisconsin is at a #2 despite a better non-conference showing. I think Kansas will at least finish top 2 in the Big 12, so they currently are seeded at or higher than undefeated Iowa State and Baylor. I am not as keen on a team such as Louisville, who might win the AAC, but it is tough to see the overall resume being worthy of a really high seed after what they did in the non-conference.
The 1's - Arizona, Syracuse, Ohio State and Michigan State
The 2's - Wisconsin, Oklahoma State, Oregon and Florida
The 3's - Wichita State, Kansas, Villanova and Iowa State
The 4's - Baylor, Louisville, Duke, and Memphis
The 5's - North Carolina, Kentucky, Colorado and Iowa
The 6's - Gonzaga, Massachusetts, Missouri and Connecticut
The 7's - San Diego State, Creighton, Illinois and Florida State
The 8's - Harvard, New Mexico, LSU and UCLA
The 9's - Minnesota, Pittsburgh, Texas and Xavier
The 10's - VCU, Cincinnati, Georgetown and St. Louis
The 11's - Arkansas, Boise State, Dayton and Stanford
The 12's - St. Mary's, George Washington, Tennessee, Kansas State, Toledo and Southern Miss
The 13's - UCSB, North Dakota State, New Mexico State and Manhattan
The 14's - Belmont, UWGB, Louisiana-Lafayette and Drexel
The 15's - Florida Gulf Coast, Stephen F Austin, Boston U. and St. Francis (NY)
The 16's - Radford (1st Rd), NC Central, Texas Southern (1st Rd), Stony Brook (1st Rd), Northern Colorado and Elon (1st Rd)
The 1's - Arizona, Syracuse, Ohio State and Michigan State
The 2's - Wisconsin, Oklahoma State, Oregon and Florida
The 3's - Wichita State, Kansas, Villanova and Iowa State
The 4's - Baylor, Louisville, Duke, and Memphis
The 5's - North Carolina, Kentucky, Colorado and Iowa
The 6's - Gonzaga, Massachusetts, Missouri and Connecticut
The 7's - San Diego State, Creighton, Illinois and Florida State
The 8's - Harvard, New Mexico, LSU and UCLA
The 9's - Minnesota, Pittsburgh, Texas and Xavier
The 10's - VCU, Cincinnati, Georgetown and St. Louis
The 11's - Arkansas, Boise State, Dayton and Stanford
The 12's - St. Mary's, George Washington, Tennessee, Kansas State, Toledo and Southern Miss
The 13's - UCSB, North Dakota State, New Mexico State and Manhattan
The 14's - Belmont, UWGB, Louisiana-Lafayette and Drexel
The 15's - Florida Gulf Coast, Stephen F Austin, Boston U. and St. Francis (NY)
The 16's - Radford (1st Rd), NC Central, Texas Southern (1st Rd), Stony Brook (1st Rd), Northern Colorado and Elon (1st Rd)
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