It’s been a topic of discussion for several weeks. What would happen if Gonzaga lost? Would they fall? Who would take their place as a No. 1 seed? Following the ‘Zags home loss to BYU - which also vaulted the Cougars into a First Four game in today’s bracket - we have an answer: Villanova, at least for now.
The Wildcats - there are two of them (Kentucky) on the top line - slide into the West Region; following UK, Virginia, and Duke. We say for now, because Wisconsin and Arizona also continue to push for that final spot. And it’s conceivable we could see a shift among spots 2-6 on the Seed List between now and Selection Sunday. We know that either Virginia or Duke will lose at least one more game - both play in the ACC tournament. If Wisconsin, Villanova, and Arizona all win out it’ll be interesting to see how the Committee dissects that group of profiles.
With just under two weeks until Selection Sunday, we have several unclaimed spots in the bracket. Perhaps more than ever, conference tournament games could prove decisive . It’ll be even more interesting should we have an upset winner or two. The Atlantic 10 race is a good example - as of this posting, there are three teams tied atop the standings. There are another three teams - VCU, Richmond, and Massachusetts - all within a game or two of the top. It’s perfectly conceivable that anyone of those teams could grab the automatic bid.
To view the complete Seed List for today’s bracket - visit Bracketville.
It’s March. The Madness is almost here.
UPDATED: March 2, 2015
Teams in CAPS represent the projected AUTOMATIC bid. In the event of a tie in the loss column, RPI is the first tiebreaker used. Exceptions are made for teams that use an abbreviation (UCLA, BYU, etc).
FIRST FOUR PAIRINGS - Dayton (First Round)
- Boise State vs. BYU | Midwest Region
- Tulsa vs. Davidson | West Region
- TX-SOUTHERN vs. ST. FRANCIS (NY) | Midwest Region
- NORTH FLORIDA vs. BUCKNELL | East Region
BRACKET PROJECTION ...
| MIDWEST - Cleveland | EAST - Syracuse | |
| Louisville | Charlotte | |
| 1) KENTUCKY | 1) VIRGINIA | |
| 16) ST. FRANCIS / TX-STHERN | 16) NO FLORIDA / BUCKNELL | |
| 8) VCU | 8) DAYTON | |
| 9) Purdue | 9) Xavier | |
| Seattle | Jacksonville | |
| 5) North Carolina | 5) West Virginia | |
| 12) S.F. Austin | 12) MURRAY STATE | |
| 4) Iowa State | 4) Arkansas | |
| 13) IONA | 13) LOUISIANA TECH | |
| Louisville | Pittsburgh | |
| 6) Butler | 6) Providence | |
| 11) Boise State / BYU | 11) Texas A&M | |
| 3) Notre Dame | 3) Maryland | |
| 14) TOLEDO | 14) NC-CENTRAL | |
| Columbus | Omaha | |
| 7) St. John’s | 7) Iowa | |
| 10) Oklahoma State | 10) Cincinnati | |
| 2) WISCONSIN | 2) KANSAS | |
| 15) GEORGIA STATE | 15) ALBANY | |
| WEST - Los Angeles | SOUTH - Houston | |
| Pittsburgh | Charlotte | |
| 1) VILLANOVA | 1) Duke | |
| 16) SACRAMENTO ST | 16) NORTHEASTERN | |
| 8) SAN DIEGO ST | 8) Ohio State | |
| 9) LSU | 9) Georgia | |
| Columbus | Portland | |
| 5) WICHITA STATE | 5) Northern Iowa | |
| 12) Tulsa / Davidson | 12) WOFFORD | |
| 4) Louisville | 4) Utah | |
| 13) VALPARAISO | 13) HARVARD | |
| Jacksonville | Omaha | |
| 6) Georgetown | 6) SMU | |
| 11) NC State | 11) Colorado State | |
| 3) Baylor | 3) Oklahoma | |
| 14) HIGH POINT | 14) UC-DAVIS | |
| Portland | Seattle | |
| 7) Michigan State | 7) Indiana | |
| 10) Mississippi | 10) Oregon | |
| 2) ARIZONA | 2) GONZAGA | |
| 15) NEW MEXICO ST | 15) SO DAKOTA ST |
NOTES on the BRACKET: Kentucky is the overall No. 1 seed followed by Virginia, Duke, and Villanova. Next in line: Wisconsin, Arizona, Gonzaga, and Kansas.
Last Five teams in (at large): Texas A&M, Boise State, BYU, Tulsa, Davidson
First Five teams out (at large): Illinois, Temple, Old Dominion, UCLA, Stanford
Next five teams out (at large): Pittsburgh, Miami-FL, Texas, Rhode Island, Connecticut
Breakdown by Conference ...
Big 10 (7): Wisconsin, Maryland, Indiana, Michigan State, Ohio State, Iowa, Purdue
Big 12 (6): Kansas, Iowa State, Oklahoma, Baylor, West Virginia, Oklahoma State
ACC (6): Virginia, Duke, Notre Dame, Louisville, North Carolina, NC State
Big East (6): Villanova, Butler, Georgetown, Providence, St. John’s, Xavier
SEC (6): Kentucky, Arkansas, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, Texas AM
American (3): SMU, Cincinnati, Tulsa
Pac 12 (3): Arizona, Utah, Oregon
Mountain West (3): San Diego State, Colorado State, Boise State
Atlantic 10 (3): Dayton, VCU, Davidson
Missouri Valley (2): Wichita State, Northern Iowa
West Coast (2): Gonzaga, BYU
Conference USA (1): Louisiana Tech
ONE BID LEAGUES: Georgia State (SBELT), Harvard (IVY), Sacramento State (BSKY), Valparaiso (HZN), S.F. Austin (SLND), Wofford (STHN), UC-Davis (BWEST), Toledo (MAC), Iona (MAAC), Florida Gulf Coast (ASUN), Murray State (OVC), Northeastern (CAA), High Point (BSO), NC-Central (MEAC), South Dakota State (SUM), New Mexico State (WAC), Albany (AEAST), Bucknell (PAT), St. Francis - NY (NEC), Texas-Southern (SWAC)