After a great week, the Tigers are back up to a No. 7 seed. It helps, too, that it was BracketBusters weekend in college hoops, when some potential bubble teams got a chance to expand their tournament resumes.
This actually benefits larger schools such as Missouri, because it further weakens the bubble. And this year, though there are teams of which you could debate the merit of joining the field of 65, the bubble seems weaker than ever. I had a hard time picking my first four teams out, and a 15-11 Connecticut team just about made it.
That being said, this field should provide a pretty exciting tournament in which we could see a return to upsets that we haven't seen for two years. (Four No. 1 seeds in the Final Four? Really?)
Speaking of my Final Four, though, Kansas and Kentucky continue to show up every week. After that, it's a little fuzzy. Standings-wise, I've got Michigan State and Purdue taking the trip, but I'd put Villanova in over MSU at this point. Here's the bracket:
MIDWEST (St. Louis)
Oklahoma City: 1. Kansas vs. 16. Campbell/Jackson State; 8. Cornell vs. 9. Illinois
Providence: 4. Vanderbilt vs. 13. Murray State; 5. Temple vs. 12. Siena
Spokane: 3. New Mexico vs. 14. North Texas; 6. Wisconsin vs. 11. UTEP
Providence: 2. West Virginia vs. 15. Lehigh; 7. Maryland vs. 10. Oklahoma State
EAST (Syracuse)
New Orleans: 1. Kentucky vs. 16. Morgan State; 8. Baylor vs. 9. Florida State
San Jose: 4. Butler vs. 13. St. Mary's; 5. Wake Forest vs. 12. Marquette
Buffalo: 3. Michigan State vs. 14. Sam Houston State; 6. Louisville vs. 11. Old Dominion
Jacksonville: 2. Duke vs. 15. Coastal Carolina; 7. Missouri vs. 10. Dayton
SOUTH (Houston)
Oklahoma City: 1. Syracuse vs. 16. Robert Morris; 8. Clemson vs. 9. Rhode Island
Spokane: 4. Pittsburgh vs. 13. Northeastern; 5. Gonzaga vs. 12. UAB
New Orleans: 3. Ohio State vs. 14. Wofford; 6. Northern Iowa vs. 11. UNLV
Milwaukee: 2. Villanova vs. 15. Weber State; 7. Tennessee vs. 10. Virginia Tech
WEST (Salt Lake City)
Buffalo: 1. Purdue vs. 16. Stony Brook; 8. Texas vs. 9. California
San Jose: 4. BYU vs. 13. Akron; 5. Texas A&M vs. 12. Florida
Jacksonville: 3. Georgetown vs. 14. Oakland; 6. Richmond vs. 11. Georgia Tech
Milwaukee: 2. Kansas State vs. 15. UCSB; 7. Xavier vs. 10. Utah State
Reader comments
at 1:43 p.m.
Mycoskie: Something else to consider: Conference opponents can not meet until the regional final. So, Texas can not be the 8 seed in the same region where Texas A&M is the 5 seed, as that would line them up to potentially play in the regional semi-final. Same is the case for Syracuse as the 1 and Pitt as the 4.