Monday, December 25, 2006

Bracketology 101's Field of 65 - Dec. 26

The Breakdown
After making this list (and checking it more than twice) here is our post-holiday Field of 65. This week's bracket was the toughest yet this season to fill. All of the 11 seeds from last week's bracket are gone, as are Virginia and Xavier. Kansas State, fueled by the debut and solid play thus far of Bill Walker, makes its bracket debut this week, as do Texas Tech (playing well as Bobby Knight chases history), New Mexico State (replacing Fresno State as the second team from the WAC), and Drexel (a winner over Syracuse this past week). Kentucky and Georgia Tech also return to the bracket after brief absences.

Here is Bracketology 101's Field of 65 for Dec. 26:

Out This Week
Virginia, Xavier, Michigan, Missouri, Georgia, Fresno State, Holy Cross, Davidson

In This Week
Kentucky, Texas Tech, Drexel, Kansas State, Georgia Tech, New Mexico State, Bucknell, Appalachian State

Last Four In
Kansas State, Texas Tech, Georgia Tech, Drexel

Last Four Out
Stanford, Georgia, Michigan, Virginia Tech

Conference Breakdown
ACC (7), Big XII (6), Big East (6), Big Ten (5), SEC (5), Pac-10 (5), MVC (4), MWC (2), WAC (2), Colonial (2)

America East - Albany

ACC - North Carolina, Duke, Clemson, Maryland, Boston College, Florida State, Georgia Tech

Atlantic Sun - Lipscomb

A-10 - Dayton

Big East - Pittsburgh, UConn, Notre Dame, Marquette, Georgetown, Syracuse

Big Sky - Portland State

Big South - Winthrop

Big Ten - Wisconsin, Ohio State, Michigan State, Purdue, Illinois

Big 12 - Oklahoma State, Kansas, Texas A&M, Texas, Texas Tech, Kansas State

Big West - UC-Santa Barbara

Colonial - Old Dominion, Drexel

C-USA - Memphis

Horizon - Butler

Ivy - Penn

Metro Atlantic - Marist

MAC - Akron

MCC - Southern Utah

MEAC - Howard

MVC - Wichita State, Southern Illinois, Northern Iowa, Missouri State

MWC - Air Force, UNLV

Northeast - Sacred Heart

Ohio Valley - Eastern Kentucky

Pac-10 - UCLA, Arizona, Oregon, Washington, Washington State

Patriot - Bucknell

SEC - Florida, Alabama, LSU, Tennessee, Kentucky

Southern - Appalachian State

Southland - SE Louisiana

SWAC - Alabama A&M

Sun Belt - Western Kentucky

WAC - Nevada, New Mexico State

WCC - Gonzaga

The Seeds

The 1s
UCLA, North Carolina, Florida, Wisconsin

The 2s
Ohio State, Duke, Arizona, Pittsburgh

The 3s
Kansas, UConn, Alabama, Washington

The 4s
Wichita State, Texas A&M, Oregon, Oklahoma State

The 5s
LSU, Notre Dame, Gonzaga, Tennessee

The 6s
Air Force, Memphis, Texas, Marquette

The 7s
Michigan State, Nevada, Clemson, Butler

The 8s
Georgetown, Purdue, Washington State, Maryland

The 9s
Southern Illinois, Kentucky, Boston College, Syracuse

The 10s
UNLV, Northern Iowa, Illinois, Florida State

The 11s
Dayton, Missouri State, Texas Tech, Drexel

The 12s
Kansas State, New Mexico State, Georgia Tech, Old Dominion

The 13s
Winthrop, Western Kentucky, Akron, Southern Utah

The 14s
Bucknell, Penn, Appalachian State, Marist

The 15s
Albany, Sacred Heart, Portland State, UC-Santa Barbara

The 16s
Lipscomb, Eastern Kentucky, SE Louisiana, Howard (Play-In Game), Alabama A&M (Play-In Game)

The Bracket
This Week's Bracket - Dec. 26

Questions? Comments? E-mail Bracketology 101 at bracketologyblog@yahoo.com

Happy Holidays!

Bracketology 101 wants to wish all of our readers a happy and healthy holiday. The week leading up to Christmas has been full of upsets and statements, and we hope you've enjoyed all the action.

Our new bracket - and final bracket of 2006 - will be up on December 26th.

Happy Holidays...

Monday, December 18, 2006

Bracketology 101's Field of 65 - Dec. 18

The Breakdown
For a week with so few games played, last week's results still managed to shake up the bracket quite a bit. Losses by some big conference teams, coupled by some nice upset wins by some mid-majors, opened up the door for the WAC and MWC to pick up second bids this week. The MVC lost one of its five bids this week as well, as Creighton fell to 4-3 with its loss at Fresno State. Illinois (thanks to the return of Brian Randle) holds on to the final at-large spot in this week's bracket, just ahead of Kentucky and Texas Tech. The Wildcats host an underrated UMass team Friday, in what will be another good measuring stick for both bubble teams.

Here is Bracketology 101's Field of 65 for Dec. 18:

Out This Week
Creighton, Louisville, Arkansas, Oral Roberts, CS-Fullerton

In This Week
Georgia, Fresno State, UNLV, Southern Utah, UC-Santa Barbara

Last Four In
Fresno State, Illinois, Dayton, UNLV

Last Four Out
Kentucky, Texas Tech, Creighton, Arkansas

Conference Breakdown
ACC (7), Big East (6), Big XII (6), Big Ten (6), SEC (5), Pac-10 (5), MVC (4), A-10 (2), MWC (2), WAC (2)

America East - Albany

ACC - North Carolina, Duke, Boston College, Clemson, Virginia, Maryland, Florida State

Atlantic Sun - Lipscomb

A-10 - Xavier, Dayton

Big East - Pittsburgh, UConn, Notre Dame, Marquette, Syracuse, Georgetown

Big Sky - Portland State

Big South - Winthrop

Big Ten - Ohio State, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Purdue, Michigan, Illinois

Big 12 - Oklahoma State, Kansas, Texas A&M, Texas, Missouri

Big West - UC-Santa Barbara

Colonial - Old Dominion

C-USA - Memphis

Horizon - Butler

Ivy - Penn

Metro Atlantic - Marist

MAC - Akron

MCC - Southern Utah

MEAC - Howard

MVC - Wichita State, Missouri State, Southern Illinois, Northern Iowa

MWC - Air Force, UNLV

Northeast - Sacred Heart

Ohio Valley - Eastern Kentucky

Pac-10 - UCLA, Arizona, Oregon, Washington, Washington State

Patriot - Holy Cross

SEC - Florida, LSU, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia

Southern - Davidson

Southland - SE Louisiana

SWAC - Alabama A&M

Sun Belt - Western Kentucky

WAC - Nevada, Fresno State

WCC - Gonzaga

The Seeds
The 1s
UCLA, North Carolina, Ohio State, Wisconsin

The 2s
Florida, Pittsburgh, Wichita State, Duke

The 3s
Arizona, LSU, UConn, Alabama

The 4s
Oklahoma State, Kansas, Texas A&M, Oregon

The 5s
Washington, Memphis, Gonzaga, Notre Dame

The 6s
Texas, Butler, Marquette, Michigan State

The 7s
Boston College, Nevada, Clemson, Syracuse

The 8s
Air Force, Georgetown, Missouri State, Purdue

The 9s
Virginia, Maryland, Tennessee, Washington State

The 10s
Xavier, Florida State, Southern Illinois, Northern Iowa

The 11s
Michigan, Missouri, Georgia, Fresno State

The 12s
Illinois, Dayton, UNLV, Old Dominion

The 13s

Winthrop, Western Kentucky, Akron, Southern Utah

The 14s
Albany, Penn, Holy Cross, Marist

The 15s
Sacred Heart, Portland State, UC-Santa Barbara, Davidson

The 16s
Lipscomb, Eastern Kentucky, SE Louisiana, Howard (Play-In Game), Alabama A&M (Play-In Game)

The Bracket
This Week's Bracket - Dec. 18

Questions? Comments? E-mail Bracketology 101 at bracketologyblog@yahoo.com

Monday, December 11, 2006

Bracketology 101's Field of 65 - Dec. 11

The Breakdown
Only a few changes from last week's poll...the biggest shake-up involves the Big 10, which picks up two bids thanks to two-loss weeks from Georgia Tech and San Diego State. There also was barely any change in the amount of big conference bids in this week's bracket. Besides the MVC (and in our bracket at least, the A-10), no mid-major conference has a second team that has proved worthy yet of an at-large. We love the little guy as much as anyone, but the MWC, WAC, WCC, MAC, etc. all are one-bid leagues at this point.

Here is Bracketology 101's Field of 65 for Dec. 11:

Out This Week
Georgia Tech, Villanova, San Diego State, Robert Morris, Western Carolina

In This Week
Purdue, Washington State, Illinois, Sacred Heart, Davidson

Last Four In
Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, Louisville

Last Four Out
Georgia Tech, Villanova, San Diego State, Vanderbilt

Conference Breakdown
Big East (7), ACC (7), Big XII (6), Big Ten (6), MVC (5), SEC (5), Pac-10 (5), A-10 (2)

America East - Albany

ACC - North Carolina, Duke, Boston College, Clemson, Virginia. Maryland, Florida State

Atlantic Sun - Lipscomb

A-10 - Xavier, Dayton

Big East - Pittsburgh, UConn, Notre Dame, Marquette, Syracuse, Georgetown, Louisville

Big Sky - Portland State

Big South - Winthrop

Big Ten - Ohio State, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Purdue, Michigan, Illinois

Big 12 - Oklahoma State, Kansas, Texas A&M, Texas

Big West - CS-Fullerton

Colonial - Old Dominion

C-USA - Memphis

Horizon - Butler

Ivy - Penn

Metro Atlantic - Marist

MAC - Akron

MCC - Oral Roberts

MEAC - Howard

MVC - Wichita State, Missouri State, Southern Illinois, Creighton, Northern Iowa

MWC - Air Force

Northeast - Sacred Heart

Ohio Valley - Eastern Kentucky

Pac-10 - UCLA, Arizona, Washington, Oregon, Washington State

Patriot - Holy Cross

SEC - Florida, LSU, Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas

Southern - Davidson

Southland - SE Louisiana

SWAC - Alabama A&M

Sun Belt - Western Kentucky

WAC - Nevada

WCC - Gonzaga

The Seeds
The 1s
UCLA, Pittsburgh, North Carolina, Ohio State

The 2s
Florida, Duke, Wisconsin, Wichita State

The 3s
Arizona, LSU, UConn, Alabama

The 4s
Oklahoma State, Kansas, Gonzaga, Texas A&M

The 5s
Washington, Memphis, Notre Dame, Oregon

The 6s
Texas, Boston College, Marquette, Michigan State

The 7s
Butler, Nevada, Clemson, Syracuse

The 8s
Air Force, Virginia, Georgetown, Missouri State

The 9s
Maryland, Southern Illinois, Xavier, Tennessee

The 10s
Purdue, Florida State, Creighton, Washington State

The 11s
Northern Iowa, Dayton, Michigan, Louisville

The 12s
Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri, Old Dominion

The 13s

Winthrop, Western Kentucky, Oral Roberts, Akron

The 14s
Albany, Penn, Holy Cross, Marist

The 15s
Sacred Heart, Lipscomb, Portland State, Davidson

The 16s
CS-Fullerton, Eastern Kentucky, SE Louisiana, Howard (Play-In Game), Alabama A&M (Play-In Game)

Questions? Comments? E-mail Bracketology 101 at bracketologyblog@yahoo.com

Monday, December 04, 2006

Bracketology 101's Field of 65 - Dec. 4

The Breakdown
As to be expected this early in the year, there were quite a few changes in this week's bracket. There are so many big conference teams with (a.) shaky losses or (b.) losses to the only quality teams they've faced so far, that it makes it tough to choose who's in and who's out. Thanks to some big conference dropouts this week, the MVC was able to snag a fifth bid.

Here is Bracketology 101's Field of 65 for Dec. 4:

Out This Week
Kentucky, George Washington, West Virginia, New Mexico, Ohio, Northern Arizona, Wofford, Delaware State, Tennessee State

In This Week
Missouri, Notre Dame, Florida State, Northern Iowa, Dayton, Akron, Portland State, Western Carolina, Howard, Eastern Kentucky

Last Four In
Michigan, Florida State, Arkansas, Northern Iowa

Last Four Out
Illinois, Purdue, West Virginia, Fresno State

Conference Breakdown
Big East (8), ACC (8), Big XII (5), MVC (5), SEC (5), Big Ten (4), Pac-10 (4), A-10 (2), MWC (2)

America East - Albany

ACC - North Carolina, Duke, Maryland, Virginia, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Boston College, Florida State

Atlantic Sun - Lipscomb

A-10 - Xavier, Dayton

Big East - Pittsburgh, UConn, Syracuse, Marquette, Georgetown, Villanova, Notre Dame, Louisville

Big Sky - Portland State

Big South - Winthrop

Big Ten - Ohio State, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Michigan

Big 12 - Texas A&M, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Texas, Missouri

Big West - CS-Fullerton

Colonial - Old Dominion

C-USA - Memphis

Horizon - Butler

Ivy - Penn

Metro Atlantic - Marist

MAC - Akron

MCC - Oral Roberts

MEAC - Howard

MVC - Wichita State, Missouri State, Creighton, Southern Illinois, Northern Iowa

MWC - Air Force, San Diego State

Northeast - Robert Morris

Ohio Valley - Eastern Kentucky

Pac-10 - UCLA, Washington, Arizona, Oregon

Patriot - Holy Cross

SEC - Florida, Alabama, LSU, Tennessee, Arkansas,

Southern - Western Carolina

Southland - SE Louisiana

SWAC - Alabama A&M

Sun Belt - Western Kentucky

WAC - Nevada

WCC - Gonzaga

The Seeds

The 1s
UCLA, Pittsburgh, North Carolina, Ohio State

The 2s
Florida, Alabama, LSU, Washington

The 3s
Texas A&M, Duke, Wisconsin, UConn

The 4s
Wichita State, Kansas, Memphis, Gonzaga

The 5s
Nevada, Arizona, Butler, Syracuse

The 6s
Marquette, Michigan State, Maryland, Oklahoma State

The 7s
Texas, Clemson, Virginia, Oregon

The 8s
Xavier, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Air Force

The 9s
Missouri State, Creighton, Villanova, Boston College

The 10s
Southern Illinois, Tennessee, Missouri, San Diego State

The 11s
Notre Dame, Louisville, Northern Iowa, Michigan

The 12s
Florida State, Arkansas, Old Dominion, Dayton

The 13s
Winthrop, Western Kentucky, Oral Roberts, Akron

The 14s
Albany, Penn, Holy Cross, Marist

The 15s
Robert Morris, Lipscomb, Portland State, Western Carolina

The 16s
CS-Fullerton, Eastern Kentucky, SE Louisiana, Howard (Play-In Game), Alabama A&M (Play-In Game)

The Bracket
This Week's Bracket - Dec. 4

Questions? Comments? E-mail Bracketology 101 at bracketologyblog@yahoo.com

Sunday, November 26, 2006

Bracketology 101's First Field of 65 - Nov. 26

After a long vacation, several hollow promises of pre-season picks, and some fun message board banter about the future of Bracketology 101, here - finally - is our first bracket projection of 2006.

We apologize to our readers for its tardiness, and want to let all of you know that we appreciate your patience. Unfortunately, we began this site two years ago as something to do in out spare time, but in recent months, our lives have interfered with our ability to make time for predictions and projections. Without getting into too much detail, Craig is currently completing Marine fleet aviator training, which will culminate in a tour of Iraq in September. As he moves up in rank in the military and continues his flight training, his availability to contribute to the site has greatly decreased, and has caused us to re-evaluate what we wanted to do with Bracketology 101.

We originally thought of selling the site to another aspiring bracketologist (interested, pokerplayer?) , but ultimately decided that some Bracketology 101 is better than no Bracketology 101 at all. Each week throughout the course of the season, we (Chris) will post our updated Field of 65. We will also try to answer as many comments and e-mails as possible. Other than that, however, the editorial content on the site (Games To Watch, Top 10 Lists, etc.) that we posted daily last year will be pretty limited. The bracket itself will be our main focus. That's our plan - and we plan on sticking to it.

Thanks again for understanding. We're glad to have you aboard for what's shaping up to be another unpredictable, exciting college basketball season.

Enjoy the games,

Chris
Bracketology 101

------------------------

Here is Bracketology 101's first Field of 65:

Last Four In
West Virginia, New Mexico, Xavier, Arkansas

Last Four Out
Wake Forest, Houston, Florida State, Iowa State

Conference Breakdown
Big East (8), ACC (7), SEC (6), Big Ten (5), Big XII (4), MVC (4), Pac-10 (4), MWC (3), A-10 (2)

America East - Albany

ACC - North Carolina, Duke, Maryland, Georgia Tech, Virginia, Clemson, Boston College

Atlantic Sun - Lipscomb

A-10 - George Washington, Xavier

Big East - Pittsburgh, Marquette, Syracuse, UConn, Georgetown, Villanova, Louisville, West Virginia

Big Sky - Northern Arizona

Big South - Winthrop

Big Ten - Ohio State, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Michigan, Illinois

Big 12 - Kansas, Texas A&M, Texas, Oklahoma State

Big West - CS-Fullerton

Colonial - Old Dominion

C-USA - Memphis

Horizon - Butler

Ivy - Penn

Metro Atlantic - Marist

MAC - Ohio

MCC - Oral Roberts

MEAC - Delaware State

MVC - Wichita State, Missouri State, Creighton, Southern Illinois

MWC - San Diego State, Air Force, New Mexico

Northeast - Robert Morris

Ohio Valley - Tennessee State

Pac-10 - UCLA, Washington, Arizona, Oregon

Patriot - Holy Cross

SEC - Florida, LSU, Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas

Southern - Wofford

Southland - SE Louisiana

SWAC - Alabama A&M

Sun Belt - Western Kentucky

WAC - Nevada

WCC - Gonzaga

The Seeds

The 1s
UCLA, Pittsburgh, Kansas, Florida

The 2s
North Carolina, LSU, Ohio State, Alabama

The 3s
Marquette, Duke, Texas A&M, Washington

The 4s
Memphis, Wisconsin, Syracuse, UConn

The 5s
Nevada, Wichita State, Maryland, Gonzaga

The 6s
Georgia Tech, Butler, Georgetown, Michigan State

The 7s
Texas, Arizona, San Diego State, Michigan

The 8s
Illinois, Virginia, George Washington, Oklahoma State

The 9s
Kentucky, Missouri State, Villanova, Clemson

The 10s
Creighton, Oregon, Tennessee, Boston College

The 11s
Southern lllinois, Louisville, Air Force, West Virginia

The 12s
Old Dominion, New Mexico, Xavier, Arkansas

The 13s
Winthrop, Western Kentucky, Oral Roberts, Ohio

The 14s
Albany, Penn, Holy Cross, Marist

The 15s
Northern Arizona, Lipscomb, Robert Morris, Wofford

The 16s
CS-Fullerton, Tennessee State, SE Louisiana, Delaware State (Play-In Game), Alabama A&M (Play-In Game)

The Bracket
This Week's Bracket - Nov. 26

Questions? Comments? E-mail Bracketology 101 at bracketologyblog@yahoo.com

Sunday, November 19, 2006

We're Still Alive...

Just wanted to let all of our readers know that we still exist and that we will have our first bracket of the year up shortly (hopefully before Thanksgiving). Even though out first predictions are not usually out until mid-to-late November, we had planned on posting a bracket a little earlier this season. Unfortunately, Craig has been swamped with Marines work and Chris has been trying to balance college basketball watching with teaching high school English, so we simply haven't had enought time to post anything as of yet.

Hope everyone has enjoyed the games thus far. It's certainly been a good couple of weeks for the little guy (Oral Roberts, Vermont, Winthrop and Sacred Heart in close losses, etc.) and for upsets (most recently Nebraska over Creighton). Hopefully, that parity will continue the rest of the way.

Keep visiting and we'll have our bracket up soon (we promise)...

Chris and Craig
Bracketology 101

Sunday, September 17, 2006

We'll Be Back...Very Soon

The college basketball season is just days away - and so is the return of Bracketology 101. In the next couple days, we will post our pre-season Field of 65, announce our pre-season Final Four picks, and analyze what fans should expect as their teams officially get ready tip-off.

See you soon...

Chris and Craig
Bracketology 101

Thursday, April 06, 2006

Congrats!

Congratulations to G. Hardy and S. Bhaskar for winning our ESPN tourney challenge group. It was a good tourney until the Final Four which was one of the worst in memory. In the next couple days we'll post our picks for next year's Final Four and our upcoming plans.

Friday, March 24, 2006

Questions After a Great Two Nights of Games

How in the world did Rashad Anderson hit that shot?

How quickly is Marcus Williams moving up draft boards?

Has anyone seen Rudy Gay...anyone?....anyone?

How is Brandon Roy not a Naismith finalist (and Gay is)?

Why didn't Ryan Appleby just put up a shot after that steal?

How did UConn let him get such a good look at the buzzer?

Will the real UConn ever show up?

How do you stop Joakim Noah?

Who's man was Will Sheridan?

How many turnovers could Boston College possibly have in big spots?

Is there a bigger pest in college basketball than Kyle Lowry? A more underrated player?

How ridiculous would a Washington-George Mason regional final have sounded?

Can the Patriots keep this miracle going?

Who played worse down the stretch...Duke or Gonzaga?

Who were you happier to see lose...Redick or Morrison?

What was a better finish...UCLA-Gonzaga or Texas-WVU?

Is Memphis really this good or are their opponents no good?

When was the last time Duke looked so bad at the end of a game and just seemed to pack it in with a couple minutes to go?

Can Friday's games possibly top tonight's?

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Ranking the Conferences

Here's how we would rank the multiple bid conferences after the first weekend of the Tourney...

1. Big East (9-4, 4 teams left)
2. ACC (6-2, 2 teams left)
3. SEC (7-4, 2 teams left)
4. Pac-10 (5-2, 2 teams left)
5. MVC (4-2, 2 teams left)
6. Big 12 (3-3, 1 team left)
7. Colonial (2-1, 1 team left)
8. C-USA (2-1, 1 team left)
9. Big Ten (3-6, 0 teams left)
10. A-10 (1-2, 0 teams left)
11. MWC (0-2)
12. WAC (0-2)

It was apparent this weekend that Utah State and Air Force did not deserve bids based upon their own performance and their conference performance. Cincinnati, Hofstra, Missouri State, Creighton, or Florida State all would have been better choices.

Thursday, March 16, 2006

Our Thoughts on the Bracket

Our final thoughts on the bracket before the Tourney starts...

We ended up correctly picking 62 out of the 65 teams in the tourney field. We missed Utah State, Air Force and George Mason. We correctly seeded 31 teams and we got 50 teams within one line of their seed. To see how we stacked up against the competition go to http://bracketproject.atspace.com/comparison.htm/.

We were the best site out there in terms of seeding. Our biggest regret with this bracket was taking out George Mason, who we had in the whole last week, and replacing them with Hofstra on Sunday. We placed too much stock in the Skinn suspension and not enough in the fact that their AD was on the Selection Committee. Maybe when we saw Lunardi change his bracket just before the selection show to include George Mason we should have changed ours as well. I think it's safe to say that he got some inside information and made that change.

We have expressed our thoughts about the Selection Committee through our comments this week so we won't go into that anymore. But basically they gave bids to conferences rather then teams.

As for the Tourney itself Chris and Craig both believe that UConn, Duke, Villanova, and UCLA will make the Final Four with Duke and UConn meeting in the Final and UConn winning it all. To see our whole bracket just go to the ESPN tourney challenge group once the tourney starts this afternoon.

Thanks to everyone for a great year. We'll still be updating the site periodically in the coming weeks as the Tourney progresses.

Monday, March 13, 2006

Bracketology 101's Tourney Challenge

We have set up the Bracketology 101 Tournament Challenge group at ESPN.com. Come sign up and see how you stack up against the guys from B101.

The group, "B101's Tourney Challenge" is private and the password is "b101."

Good luck...

Sunday, March 12, 2006

Bracketology 101's Final Field of 65

Final Bracket Reasoning....
-Seton Hall's big road wins put them over the top for a bid.
-Michigan gets left out because of their bad finish. A major reason for their poor finish was injuries but even with Abram back against Minnesota they still lost.
-Hofstra gets the nod over George Mason because of their two late season wins against them and because of Skinn's suspension. It was also tough to put Mason in ahead of Creighton since they lost at home to them by 20.
-Creighton's losing 4 out of their last 6 kept them out of the field.

Here is Chris and Craig's final Field of 65:

Last Four In
Texas A&M, Missouri State, Seton Hall, Hofstra

Last Four Out
Michigan, George Mason, Creighton, Florida State

Conference Breakdown
Big East (9), Big Ten (6), SEC (6), MVC (5), ACC (4), Pac-10 (4), Big 12 (4), C-USA (2), Colonial (2), A-10 (2)

America East - Albany

ACC - Duke, North Carolina, Boston College, North Carolina State

Atlantic Sun - Belmont

A-10 - Xavier, George Washington

Big East - UConn, Villanova, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, West Virginia, Georgetown, Marquette, Cincinnati, Seton Hall

Big Sky - Montana

Big South - Winthrop

Big Ten - Ohio State, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan State, Indiana, Wisconsin

Big 12 - Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M

Big West - Pacific

Colonial - NC-Wilmington, Hofstra

C-USA - Memphis, UAB

Horizon - Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Ivy - Penn

Metro Atlantic - Iona

MAC - Kent State

MCC - Oral Roberts

MEAC - Hampton

MVC - Southern Illinois, Wichita State, Northern Iowa, Bradley, Missouri State

MWC - San Diego State

Northeast - Monmouth

Ohio Valley - Murray State

Pac-10 - UCLA, Washington, Arizona, California

Patriot - Bucknell

SEC - LSU, Florida, Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky, Alabama

Southern - Davidson

Southland - Northwestern State

SWAC - Southern

Sun Belt - South Alabama

WAC - Nevada

WCC - Gonzaga

The Seeds

The 1s
Duke, UConn, Villanova, Memphis

The 2s
Ohio State, Texas, UCLA, Illinois

The 3s
Iowa, Gonzaga, Pittsburgh, North Carolina

The 4s
Boston College, LSU, Florida, Kansas

The 5s
Syracuse, Michigan State, Tennessee, West Virginia

The 6s
George Washington, Washington, Georgetown, Nevada

The 7s
Oklahoma, Indiana, Marquette, Arkansas

The 8s
Wisconsin, Wichita State, Kentucky, Southern Illinois

The 9s
Bucknell, UAB, Arizona, California

The 10s
Northern Iowa, Bradley, North Carolina State, Cincinnati

The 11s
NC-Wilmington, San Diego State, Alabama, Texas A&M

The 12s
Missouri State, Seton Hall, Hofstra, Kent State

The 13s
Wisconsin-Milwaukee, South Alabama, Xavier, Iona

The 14s
Winthrop, Murray State, Northwestern State, Montana

The 15s
Pacific, Penn, Davidson, Albany

The 16s
Oral Roberts, Belmont, Southern, Monmouth (Play-In Game), Hampton (Play-In Game)

The Bracket

Bracketology 101's Final Field of 65

Bracket courtesy Matt Reeves.

Questions? Comments? E-mail Chris and Craig at bracketologyblog@yahoo.com

Bracketology 101's Selection Sunday Chat

Bracketology 101 will host a live chat Sunday from 1-2 p.m. ET. Stop by to discuss who's in, who's out, who's seeded where, and who will be sweating it out the most as the hours tick down to the Selection Show.

JOIN CHAT NOW!!!

Click "Join Chat" at the bottom of the screen to join.

Saturday, March 11, 2006

Bracketology 101's Field of 65 - March 11

Bubble Breakdown
Here is how we see it. There are 4 spots up for grabs still. We think Texas A&M, Bradley, Cal, NC State, and Alabama are all safe. The teams we have in that we would not be shocked if they are left out are Cincinnati, Missouri State, Seton Hall and George Mason. The only teams they can be replaced by in our mind is Michigan, Hofstra, and Creighton (or South Carolina, Utah State, Nebraska, or Wake Forest if they win their conference tourneys). San Diego State is a major wild card right now. They have a chance at an at-large should they lose tonight and it would be a very tough call. We think Missouri State and Cincinnati are relatively safe right now and it is highly unlikely that we would take them out of the bracket. After that you have Seton Hall and George Mason. It's not too hard to make a case for Michigan or Hofstra to be in the bracket over them. Michigan has had a lot of injuries down the stretch which has been a major impact on their bad finish. George Mason's situation with Skinn being suspended for a game is a major factor as well. So as we evaluate things further there is a possibility we would take out Seton Hall or George Mason for Michigan or Hofstra and possibly Creighton by the time our final bracket comes out tomorrow afternoon. Let the debate continue...

Here is Chris and Craig's latest field:

Last Four In
Cincinnati, Missouri State, Seton Hall, George Mason

Last Four Out
Michigan, Hofstra, Creighton, Florida State

In This Bracket
none

Out This Bracket
none

Conference Breakdown
(Automatic bids in multiple bid conferences are the first teams listed. Teams who have already earned a bid are in bold.)
Big East (9), Big Ten (6), SEC (6), MVC (5), ACC (4), Pac-10 (4), Big 12 (4), C-USA (2), Colonial (2), A-10 (2)

America East - Albany

ACC - Duke, North Carolina, Boston College, North Carolina State

Atlantic Sun - Belmont

A-10 - Xavier, George Washington

Big East - Pittsburgh, Villanova, UConn, West Virginia, Georgetown, Marquette, Syracuse, Cincinnati, Seton Hall

Big Sky - Montana

Big South - Winthrop

Big Ten - Ohio State, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Indiana

Big 12 - Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M

Big West - Pacific

Colonial - NC-Wilmington, George Mason

C-USA - Memphis, UAB

Horizon - Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Ivy - Penn

Metro Atlantic - Iona

MAC - Kent State

MCC - Oral Roberts

MEAC - Delaware State

MVC - Southern Illinois, Wichita State, Northern Iowa, Bradley, Missouri State

MWC - San Diego State

Northeast - Monmouth

Ohio Valley - Murray State

Pac-10 - UCLA, Washington, Arizona, California

Patriot - Bucknell

SEC - LSU, Tennessee, Florida, Arkansas, Alabama, Kentucky

Southern - Davidson

Southland - Northwestern State

SWAC - Southern

Sun Belt - South Alabama

WAC - Nevada

WCC - Gonzaga

The Seeds

The 1s
Villanova, UConn, Duke, Memphis

The 2s
Ohio State, Texas, North Carolina, Pittsburgh

The 3s
LSU, Illinois, UCLA, Gonzaga

The 4s
Iowa, Boston College, Kansas, Florida

The 5s
Michigan State, Tennessee, Washington, West Virginia

The 6s
Georgetown, Nevada, George Washington, Oklahoma

The 7s
Marquette, Indiana, Wisconsin, Arkansas

The 8s
Syracuse, Wichita State, Bucknell, Southern Illinois

The 9s
Kentucky, UAB, Arizona, California

The 10s
Northern Iowa, NC-Wilmington, Bradley, North Carolina State

The 11s
Alabama, Texas A&M, Cincinnati, San Diego State

The 12s
Missouri State, Seton Hall, George Mason, Kent State

The 13s
Wisconsin-Milwaukee, South Alabama, Iona, Xavier

The 14s
Winthrop, Pacific, Murray State, Montana

The 15s
Northwestern State, Albany, Davidson, Penn

The 16s
Oral Roberts, Delaware State, Belmont, Monmouth (Play-In Game), Southern (Play-In Game)

Questions? Comments? E-mail Chris and Craig at bracketologyblog@yahoo.com

Friday, March 10, 2006

Weekend Recap

Saturday's Games
Memphis 57, UAB 46
Tigers have #1 seed locked up no matter what happens with Texas and Ohio State.

Albany 80, Vermont 67
Danes lock up the auto bid from the America East.

South Carolina 65, Kentucky 61
Bubble teams will be glued to the screen on Sunday hoping the 'Cocks don't steal their bid.

Texas 74, Texas A&M 70
Good effort out of the Aggies which was all that was necessary for them to feel safe tomorrow.

Florida 81, LSU 65
Gators hope that the third times the charm against South Carolina.

Boston College 85, UNC 82
Tar Heels can forget about that #2 seed.

Xavier 62, St. Joseph's 61
Great finish to this one as the Musketeers grab the A-10's auto.

UCLA 71, California 52
Not a good showing for Cal, but just the fact they were in this game made them safe.

Kent State 71, Toledo 66
Top-seeded Golden Flashes take the MAC.

Syracuse 65, Pittsburgh 61
Orange wrap up the biggest Cinderella story in Big East tourney history.

Southern 57, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 44
Jaguars grab a bid and a spot in the Play-In Game...

Hampton 60, Delaware State 56
...against Hampton, who shocked top-seeded Delaware State to win the MEAC.

Nevada 70, Utah State 63 (OT)
And the bubble rejoices.

San Diego State 69, Wyoming 64
Bubble teams breathe easier again, as do Chris and Craig. The bracket would have been that much harder to make if the Aztecs would have lost this one.

Friday's Games
Wake Forest 82, North Carolina State 71
Wake continues their out-of-nowhere run, beating N.C. State for the second time in a week. The free-falling Wolfpack back into the Dance on a four-game losing streak.

Indiana 61, Wisconsin 56
Hoosiers aren't only safe, they played their way out of the 8-9 game.

Texas A&M 86, Colorado 53
So much for a competitive "elimination game."

Kentucky 68, Alabama 61
Kentucky sures up their bid, while 'Bama picks up its 12th loss. They're still in because of their good wins in conference (LSU, Tennessee, Florida, Kentucky, Arkansas), but their bad finish means they might be a double digit seed tomorrow.

South Carolina 79, Tennessee 71
If you're picking the Volunteers to go far in your office pool, we'll buy a bracket.

Bucknell 74, Holy Cross 59
The Bison get a bid, and bubble teams breathe a sigh of relief.

Memphis 68, Houston 54
Another celebrated win in Bubbleville.

St. Joseph's 73, Temple 59 & Xavier 70, Fordham 59
Hawks and Musketeers will battle it out for the auto out of the A-10. The two teams split during the regular season.

Syracuse 58, Georgetown 57
Just another night at the office for Mr. Overrated.

UAB 63, UTEP 60
Blazers would have been an interesting case had they lost this one. With the win, they're safe for good.

San Diego State 63, UNLV 60
Aztecs have an easy road left a bid with Air Force and BYU out, but they almost gave it all away in this one. There's a lot of talk out west about SDSU being safe regardless of what happens in the final. We beg to differ so they better take care of business against Wyoming tomorrow.

Pittsburgh 68, Villanova 54
Impressive win for the Panthers, and a potentially very costly loss for Nova (Ray).

Michigan State 61, Illinois 56
Are the up-and-down Spartans peaking at the right time?

Boston College 80, Maryland 66
Enough with all the Maryland scenarios. They're done.

UCLA 71, Arizona 59
Wildcats can only manage one tourney win without Adams.

Nebraska 69, Oklahoma 63
Disappointing loss for the Sooners will hurt their seed slightly. Huskers could cause some real chaos with a couple more wins.

Florida 74, Arkansas 71
Just when you though the Gators were ready to hang it up this year they come out and win a couple tough games.

Cal 91, Oregon 87 2OT
The Bears are a lock now and bubble teams can breath easier now that the Ducks are done.

Utah State 68, Louisiana Tech 64
Aggies will be playing for the NCAA tourney life against Nevada in the WAC final since their at-large profile probably won't get them a bid.

Thursday, March 09, 2006

Bracketology 101's Field of 65 - March 10

Bracketology 101 will start its Weekend Update Friday.

Here is Chris and Craig's latest field:

Last Four In
Seton Hall, Cincinnati, Missouri State, George Mason

Last Four Out
Hofstra, Michigan, Creighton, Colorado

In This Bracket
Syracuse, Xavier

Out This Bracket
Florida State, Michigan

Conference Breakdown
(Automatic bids in multiple bid conferences are the first teams listed. Teams who have already earned a bid are in bold.)
Big East (9), Big Ten (6), SEC (6), MVC (5), ACC (4), Pac-10 (4), Big 12 (4), C-USA (2), Colonial (2), A-10 (2)

America East - Albany

ACC - Duke, North Carolina, Boston College, North Carolina State

Atlantic Sun - Belmont

A-10 - Xavier, George Washington

Big East - Villanova, UConn, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Georgetown, Marquette, Syracuse, Cincinnati, Seton Hall

Big Sky - Montana

Big South - Winthrop

Big Ten - Ohio State, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Indiana

Big 12 - Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M

Big West - Pacific

Colonial - NC-Wilmington, George Mason

C-USA - Memphis, UAB

Horizon - Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Ivy - Penn

Metro Atlantic - Iona

MAC - Kent State

MCC - Oral Roberts

MEAC - Delaware State

MVC - Southern Illinois, Wichita State, Northern Iowa, Bradley, Missouri State

MWC - San Diego State

Northeast - Monmouth

Ohio Valley - Murray State

Pac-10 - UCLA, Washington, Arizona, California

Patriot - Bucknell

SEC - LSU, Tennessee, Florida, Arkansas, Alabama, Kentucky

Southern - Davidson

Southland - Northwestern State

SWAC - Southern

Sun Belt - South Alabama

WAC - Nevada

WCC - Gonzaga

The Seeds

The 1s
Villanova, UConn, Duke, Memphis

The 2s
Ohio State, Texas, Illinois, North Carolina

The 3s
Gonzaga, LSU, UCLA, Pittsburgh

The 4s
Iowa, Tennessee, Washington, Boston College

The 5s
Kansas, Florida, Oklahoma, West Virginia

The 6s
Georgetown, Michigan State, Nevada, George Washington

The 7s
Marquette, Wisconsin, Arkansas, North Carolina State

The 8s
Indiana, Wichita State, Bucknell, Alabama

The 9s
Kentucky, Southern Illinois, UAB, Arizona

The 10s
Northern Iowa, Syracuse, NC-Wilmington, Bradley

The 11s
California, Texas A&M, Cincinnati, San Diego State

The 12s
Seton Hall, Missouri State, George Mason, Kent State

The 13s
Wisconsin-Milwaukee, South Alabama, Iona, Xavier

The 14s
Winthrop, Pacific, Murray State, Montana

The 15s
Northwestern State, Albany, Davidson, Penn

The 16s
Oral Roberts, Delaware State, Belmont, Monmouth (Play-In Game), Southern (Play-In Game)

The Bracket

Bracket - March 10

Bracket courtesy Matt Reeves.

Questions? Comments? E-mail Chris and Craig at bracketologyblog@yahoo.com

Thursday's Games to Watch

Big East Tourney
Syracuse vs. UConn
The Orange were not even competitive with the Huskies during their two regular season meetings, but if the Orange can pull off the upset here they would be in the field of 65.

Pittsburgh vs. West Virginia
This rubber match is a battle for a top 4 tourney seed.

ACC Tourney
Wake Forest vs. Florida State
The ACC homers think that the Seminoles are automatically in since they ended up 9-7 in conference play, but FSU must win this one to get a bid.

Georgia Tech vs. Maryland
The Terps are still on the fringe of the bubble and will need at least 2 wins in tourney play to have a shot at a bid.

Pac-10 Tourney
Stanford vs. Arizona
A win for the Wildcats would make them a lock (which may be tough without Adams).

USC vs. Cal
As long as the Bears can avoid the upset here then they can feel safe come Sunday.

Other Conference Tourney Matchups
Temple vs. George Washington
GW will have to try to earn the auto bid without Pops, which gives A-10 teams a great chance to pull off the upset and steal a bid.

SMU vs. UAB
Blazers need to make it to the championship game to really feel safe.

Minnesota vs. Michigan
We think if the Wolverines can pick up the W here they can feel safe on Sunday even with their poor finish.

Mississippi vs. Kentucky
As long as the Wildcats can avoid the upset here they are a lock.

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Bracketoloy 101's Field Of 65 - March 9

Here is Chris and Craig's latest field:

Last Four In
Florida State, Cincinnati, Missouri State, George Mason

Last Four Out
Hofstra, Air Force, Creighton, Syracuse

In This Bracket
Monmouth, Montana

Out This Bracket
Fairleigh Dickinson, Northern Arizona

Conference Breakdown
(Automatic bids in multiple bid conferences are the first teams listed. Teams who have already earned a bid are in bold.)
Big East (8), Big Ten (7), SEC (6), ACC (5), MVC (5), Pac-10 (4), Big 12 (4), C-USA (2), Colonial (2)

America East - Albany

ACC - Duke, North Carolina, Boston College, North Carolina State, Florida State

Atlantic Sun - Belmont

A-10 - George Washington

Big East - UConn, Villanova, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Marquette, Georgetown, Seton Hall, Cincinnati

Big Sky - Montana

Big South - Winthrop

Big Ten - Ohio State, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan

Big 12 - Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M

Big West - Pacific

Colonial - UNC-Wilmington, George Mason

C-USA - Memphis, UAB

Horizon - Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Ivy - Penn

Metro Atlantic - Iona

MAC - Kent State

MCC - Oral Roberts

MEAC - Delaware State

MVC - Southern Illinois, Wichita State, Northern Iowa, Bradley, Missouri State

MWC - San Diego State

Northeast - Monmouth

Ohio Valley - Murray State

Pac-10 - UCLA, Washington, Arizona, California

Patriot - Bucknell

SEC - LSU, Tennessee, Florida, Arkansas, Alabama, Kentucky

Southern - Davidson

Southland - Northwestern State

SWAC - Southern

Sun Belt - South Alabama

WAC - Nevada

WCC - Gonzaga

The Seeds

The 1s
UConn, Villanova, Duke, Memphis

The 2s
Ohio State, Texas, Illinois, North Carolina

The 3s
Gonzaga, LSU, George Washington, UCLA

The 4s
Iowa, Tennessee, West Virginia, Washington

The 5s
Pittsburgh, Boston College, Kansas, Florida

The 6s
Oklahoma, Michigan State, Nevada, Marquette

The 7s
Georgetown, Wisconsin, Arkansas, North Carolina State

The 8s
Indiana, Wichita State, Bucknell, Alabama

The 9s
Kentucky, Southern Illinois, Michigan, UAB

The 10s
Arizona, Northern Iowa, UNC-Wilmington, Bradley

The 11s
Seton Hall, Texas A&M, California, Cincinnati

The 12s
Florida State, Missouri State, George Mason, San Diego State

The 13s
Kent State, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, South Alabama, Iona

The 14s
Winthrop, Pacific, Murray State, Montana

The 15s
Northwestern State, Albany, Davidson, Penn

The 16s
Oral Roberts, Delaware State, Belmont, Monmouth (Play-In Game), Southern (Play-In Game)

Questions? Comments? E-mail Chris and Craig at bracketologyblog@yahoo.com

Wednesday's Games to Watch

Big East Tourney
Syracuse vs. Cincinnati
Orange need 2 wins to have a shot at a bid. The Bearcats may be in win or lose, but a win here makes them a lock.

Rutgers vs. Seton Hall
Pirates may be in as well win or lose. A win here makes them a lock. They wouldn't want to lose this one though and add another head scratching loss to their resume for the committee to mull over.

Conference Championship Games
Monmouth at Fairleigh Dickinson
Two Jersey schools battle it out for the Northeast Conference Championship.

Montana at Northern Arizona
Big Sky championship pits the pre-season favorite Grizzlies up against the regular season champ Lumberjacks.

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Bracketology 101's Field of 65 - March 8

Here is Chris and Craig's latest field:

Last Four In
Florida State, California, Missouri State, George Mason

Last Four Out
Hofstra, Air Force, Creighton, Colorado

In This Bracket
South Alabama

Out This Bracket
Western Kentucky

Conference Breakdown
(Automatic bids in multiple bid conferences are the first teams listed. Teams who have already earned a bid are in bold.)
Big East (8), Big Ten (7), SEC (6), ACC (5), MVC (5), Pac-10 (4), Big 12 (4), C-USA (2), Colonial (2)

America East - Albany

ACC - Duke, North Carolina, Boston College, North Carolina State, Florida State

Atlantic Sun - Belmont

A-10 - George Washington

Big East - UConn, Villanova, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Marquette, Georgetown, Seton Hall, Cincinnati

Big Sky - Northern Arizona

Big South - Winthrop

Big Ten - Ohio State, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan

Big 12 - Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M

Big West - Pacific

Colonial - UNC-Wilmington, George Mason

C-USA - Memphis, UAB

Horizon - Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Ivy - Penn

Metro Atlantic - Iona

MAC - Kent State

MCC - Oral Roberts

MEAC - Delaware State

MVC - Southern Illinois, Wichita State, Northern Iowa, Bradley, Missouri State

MWC - San Diego State

Northeast - Fairleigh Dickinson

Ohio Valley - Murray State

Pac-10 - UCLA, Washington, Arizona, California

Patriot - Bucknell

SEC - LSU, Tennessee, Florida, Arkansas, Alabama, Kentucky

Southern - Davidson

Southland - Northwestern State

SWAC - Southern

Sun Belt - South Alabama

WAC - Nevada

WCC - Gonzaga

The Seeds

The 1s
UConn, Villanova, Duke, Memphis

The 2s
Ohio State, Texas, Illinois, North Carolina

The 3s
Gonzaga, LSU, George Washington, UCLA

The 4s
Iowa, Tennessee, West Virginia, Washington

The 5s
Pittsburgh, Boston College, Kansas, Florida

The 6s
Oklahoma, Michigan State, Nevada, Marquette

The 7s
Georgetown, Wisconsin, Arkansas, North Carolina State

The 8s
Indiana, Wichita State, Bucknell, Alabama

The 9s
Kentucky, Seton Hall, Southern Illinois, Michigan

The 10s
Arizona, Cincinnati, UAB, Northern Iowa

The 11s
Bradley, UNC-Wilmington, Texas A&M, California

The 12s
Florida State, Missouri State, George Mason, San Diego State

The 13s
Kent State, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, South Alabama, Iona

The 14s
Winthrop, Pacific, Murray State, Northwestern State

The 15s
Northern Arizona, Albany, Davidson, Penn

The 16s
Oral Roberts, Delaware State, Belmont, Fairleigh Dickinson (Play-In Game), Southern (Play-In Game)

The Bracket

Bracket - March 8th

Bracket courtesy Matt Reeves.

Questions? Comments? E-mail Chris and Craig at bracketologyblog@yahoo.com

Monday, March 06, 2006

Tuesday's Games To Watch

Conference Championship Games
Western Kentucky vs. South Alabama
The two best teams in the Sun Belt square off for the automatic. Hilltoppers won the overall conference title, and beat UAB earlier in the year, but aren't at-large worthy if they lose.

Oral Roberts vs. Chicago State
Yup, that's 11-18 Chicago State looking for one last miracle against the top-seeded Golden Eagles.

Wisconsin-Milwaukee vs. Butler
Panthers have been the pick in the Horizon all along, but have struggled of late. Can second-seeded Butler sneak in and grab a bid?

Bracketology 101's Field of 65 - March 7

Here is Chris and Craig's latest field:

Last Four In
Florida State, California, Missouri State, George Mason

Last Four Out
Hofstra, Air Force, Creighton, Colorado

In This Bracket
UNC-Wilmington

Out This Bracket
Hofstra

Conference Breakdown
(Automatic bids in multiple bid conferences are the first teams listed. Teams who have already earned a bid are in bold.)
Big East (8), Big Ten (7), SEC (6), ACC (5), MVC (5), Pac-10 (4), Big 12 (4), C-USA (2), Colonial (2)

America East - Albany

ACC - Duke, North Carolina, Boston College, North Carolina State, Florida State

Atlantic Sun - Belmont

A-10 - George Washington

Big East - UConn, Villanova, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Marquette, Georgetown, Seton Hall, Cincinnati

Big Sky - Northern Arizona

Big South - Winthrop

Big Ten - Ohio State, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan

Big 12 - Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M

Big West - Pacific

Colonial - UNC-Wilmington, George Mason

C-USA - Memphis, UAB

Horizon - Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Ivy - Penn

Metro Atlantic - Iona

MAC - Kent State

MCC - Oral Roberts

MEAC - Delaware State

MVC - Southern Illinois, Wichita State, Northern Iowa, Bradley, Missouri State

MWC - San Diego State

Northeast - Fairleigh Dickinson

Ohio Valley - Murray State

Pac-10 - UCLA, Washington, Arizona, California

Patriot - Bucknell

SEC - LSU, Tennessee, Florida, Arkansas, Alabama, Kentucky

Southern - Davidson

Southland - Northwestern State

SWAC - Southern

Sun Belt - Western Kentucky

WAC - Nevada

WCC - Gonzaga

The Seeds
The 1s
UConn, Villanova, Duke, Memphis

The 2s
Ohio State, Texas, Illinois, Gonzaga

The 3s
North Carolina, LSU, George Washington, UCLA

The 4s
Iowa, Tennessee, West Virginia, Washington

The 5s
Pittsburgh, Boston College, Kansas, Florida

The 6s
Oklahoma, Michigan State, Nevada, Marquette

The 7s
Georgetown, Wisconsin, Arkansas, North Carolina State

The 8s
Indiana, Wichita State, Bucknell, Alabama

The 9s
Kentucky, Seton Hall, Southern Illinois, Michigan

The 10s
Arizona, Cincinnati, UAB, Northern Iowa

The 11s
Bradley, UNC-Wilmington, Texas A&M, California

The 12s
Florida State, Missouri State, George Mason, San Diego State

The 13s
Western Kentucky, Kent State, Iona, Wisconsin-Milwaukee

The 14s
Winthrop, Pacific, Murray State, Northwestern State

The 15s
Northern Arizona, Penn, Albany, Davidson

The 16s
Oral Roberts, Delaware State, Belmont, Fairleigh Dickinson (Play-In Game), Southern (Play-In Game)

The Bracket

Bracket - March 6th

Bracket courtesy Matt Reeves.

Questions? Comments? E-mail Chris and Craig at bracketologyblog@yahoo.com

Sunday, March 05, 2006

Bracketology 101's Field of 65 - March 6

Here is Chris and Craig's latest field:

Last Four In
Florida State, California, Missouri State, George Mason

Last Four Out
Air Force, Creighton, UNC-Wilmington, Colorado

In This Bracket
Seton Hall, Bradley, Florida State, Texas A&M, Iona, Belmont, Davidson

Out This Bracket
Syracuse, Colorado, UNC-Wilmington, Creighton, Manhattan, Lipscomb, Georgia Southern

Conference Breakdown
(Automatic bids in multiple bid conferences are the first teams listed. Teams who have already earned a bid are in bold.)
Big East (8), Big Ten (7), SEC (6), ACC (5), MVC (5), Pac-10 (4), Big 12 (4), C-USA (2), Colonial (2)

America East - Albany

ACC - Duke, North Carolina, Boston College, North Carolina State, Florida State

Atlantic Sun - Belmont

A-10 - George Washington

Big East - UConn, Villanova, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Marquette, Georgetown, Seton Hall, Cincinnati

Big Sky - Northern Arizona

Big South - Winthrop

Big Ten - Ohio State, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan

Big 12 - Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M

Big West - Pacific

Colonial - Hofstra, George Mason

C-USA - Memphis, UAB

Horizon - Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Ivy - Penn

Metro Atlantic - Iona

MAC - Kent State

MCC - Oral Roberts

MEAC - Delaware State

MVC - Southern Illinois, Wichita State, Northern Iowa, Bradley, Missouri State

MWC - San Diego State

Northeast - Fairleigh Dickinson

Ohio Valley - Murray State

Pac-10 - UCLA, Washington, Arizona, California

Patriot - Bucknell

SEC - LSU, Tennessee, Florida, Arkansas, Alabama, Kentucky

Southern - Davidson

Southland - Northwestern State

SWAC - Southern

Sun Belt - Western Kentucky

WAC - Nevada

WCC - Gonzaga

The Seeds
The 1s
UConn, Villanova, Duke, Memphis

The 2s
Ohio State, Texas, Illinois, Gonzaga

The 3s
North Carolina, LSU, George Washington, UCLA

The 4s
Iowa, Tennessee, West Virginia, Washington

The 5s
Pittsburgh, Boston College, Kansas, Florida

The 6s
Oklahoma, Michigan State, Nevada, Marquette

The 7s
Georgetown, Wisconsin, Arkansas, North Carolina State

The 8s
Indiana, Wichita State, Bucknell, Alabama

The 9s
Kentucky, Seton Hall, Southern Illinois, Michigan

The 10s
Arizona, Cincinnati, UAB, Northern Iowa

The 11s
Bradley, Texas A&M, Florida State, California

The 12s
Hofstra, Missouri State, George Mason, San Diego State

The 13s
Western Kentucky, Kent State, Iona, Wisconsin-Milwaukee

The 14s
Winthrop, Pacific, Murray State, Northwestern State

The 15s
Northern Arizona, Penn, Albany, Davidson

The 16s
Oral Roberts, Delaware State, Belmont, Fairleigh Dickinson (Play-In Game), Southern (Play-In Game)

The Bracket

Bracket- March 5th

Bracket courtesy Matt Reeves.

Questions? Comments? E-mail Chris and Craig at bracketologyblog@yahoo.com

Saturday, March 04, 2006

Weekend Recap

What a wild two days of games...and Championship Week is just getting started.

Cincinnati 78, West Virginia 75
This locks up a bid for the Bearcats, regardless of the Big East tourney.

Illinois 75, Michigan State 68
Michigan State's seed continues to fall.

Winthrop 51, Coastal Carolina 50
Back-to-back dance tickets for the Eagles.

Texas A&M 75, Texas Tech 59
Aggies back up their big win vs. Texas.

George Washington 86, Charlotte 85 (OT)
Great finish to this one. Seeding for GW is going to be very interesting.

Tennessee 68, Vanderbilt 59
Vandy's bubble is burst.

Belmont 74, Lipscomb 69
Belmont advances to their first ever Big Dance.

Bradley 60, Wichita State 52
No more arguing about Bradley - they're a lock.

Indiana 59, Michigan 57
Hoosiers continue the string of bubble teams winning big games this week. This one should lock up a bid for them.

UNC-Wilmington 69, Delaware 56
With so many bubble teams stepping up, Wilmington better keep taking care of business in the CAA tourney.

Air Force 63, Colorado State 59
Falcons are in a very similar situation to Wilmington.

Murray State 74, Samford 57
Racers earn the automatic bid and will be a tough out in the tourney.

UCLA 75, Stanford 54
Cardinals bubble has finally burst, while the Bruins continue to look strong.

Wake Forest 76, N.C. State 63
Wolfpack's seed continues to fall as they lose to the last place Demon Deacons.

Mississippi State 71, Alabama 58
Bad loss for the Tide, they can't afford another one in the opening round of the SEC tourney (Georgia or South Carolina is their likely opponent).

Southern Illinois 55, Northern Iowa 46 OT
SIU-Bradley championship was the only chance for the MVC to get 6 bids and that's what they got. Missouri State and Creighton fans cannot like this result though because if the conference doesn't get 6 bids then one of those 2 teams will be the first one to get the axe. It will be tough making a bracket tomorrow because of this result.

Washington 70, Arizona 67
That's eight in a row for the Huskies as their seed keeps climbing.

George Mason 61, Georgia State 56
The bracket would have gotten a whole lot messier if Mason blew this one.

South Florida 63, Georgetown 56
Bulls' lone Big East win was a shocker, and will knock the Hoyas down a notch.

California 71, USC 60
Bears are the ultimate "bubble" team right now. This past week's results have made it imperative they make a deep Pac-10 tourney run.

Hofstra 72, VCU 66
Pride take care of business and now must beat Mason again to stay alive for a bid. A concern for the three CAA hopefuls still playing: The Colonial has not received more than one bid to the Dance in 20 years. With big conference teams getting the wins they need lately, 3 from the CAA is looking less and less likely.

Memphis 69, Houston 62
Cougars blew a big first half lead, and couldn't get the marquee win they desperately needed.

Colorado 84, Iowa State 82
Buffs are lost in the shuffle right now. They need to make some major noise in the Big 12 tourney.

North Carolina 83, Duke 76
Tar Heels ruin Senior Night at Cameron and continue their tear. UNC, incredibly, is looking like a 3 seed, and will likely be a lot of people's "sleeper" in the tourney.

Villanova 92, Syracuse 82
Devastating lose for the Orange. 7-9 in Big East will not get it done. Need at least one win in Big East tourney to even get consideration now. Two wins will get them back in the field.

Florida 79, Kentucky 64
Gators stopped the bleeding some with a nice road win. Wildcats just need to avoid an upset in the opening round of the SEC tourney and they are a lock.

Florida State 67, Miami 64
Seminoles will lock up a bid with a win over Wake in the first round of the ACC tourney.

Davidson 80, Chattanooga 55
Wildcats win the Southern tourney and punch their ticket.

Southern Illinois 59, Bradley 46
The MVC tournament played out perfectly for the conference, with Southern Illinois - the team most on the bubble going in - winning it all. Right now, the MVC is a five-team league, with Creighton looking like the odd team out. By the way, is it against the rules to break 60 in this conference?

Maryland 71, Virginia 70
Terps aren't dead yet, but they'll need at least two wins in the ACC toruney to get in the conversation.

Texas 72, Oklahoma 48
Impressive win for the Longhorns, who lock up the Big XII tourney's top seed.

Gonzaga 96, San Diego 92 (OT)
Bubble teams breathe a sigh of relief as Gonzaga holds on.

Hofstra 58, George Mason 49
Hofstra still needs to beat Wilmington in the final to get a bid. The Colonial hasn't earned an at-large bid in two decades: Will Mason break that streak? It'll be a long week for the Patriots.

Friday, March 03, 2006

Friday's Games to Watch

MVC Conference Tourney
Bradley vs. Creighton
Braves need a win to have a chance at a bid. Bluejays need a win or else they will be sweating it out next Sunday. Biggest game of the night.

Evansville vs. Southern Illinois
Aces have a nice little three game winning streak going. Could they beat the Salukis again?

Northern Iowa vs. Missouri State
The loser of this one should still get an at-large bid, but it would be a tough 9 days waiting around to hear their name called.

Lipscomb vs. Gardner-Webb
Winner of this one is the favorite to take the A-Sun title.

Seton Hall at Pittsburgh
Win for Hall makes the a lock for a bid regardless of the Big East tourney.

Thursday, March 02, 2006

Thursday's Games To Watch

After a huge night last night for teams on the bubble, a much lighter slate tonight...

Memphis at UAB
Can the Blazers follow in the footsteps of FSU and A&M?

Syracuse at DePaul

Tricky conference road game for the Orange; they need it to guarantee a .500 conference mark.

UCLA at California
A win here would work wonders for Cal's 60 RPI.

Wisconsin at Michigan State
Inconsistent Spartans need to bounce back from the Indiana disaster. They also need to try to get to 8-8 in the Big Ten and avoid a serious seed hit.

Conference Tournament Action
Missouri Valley
Illinois State vs. Evansville, Indiana State vs. Drake

Big South
High Point vs. Winthrop, Charleston Southern vs. Coastal Carolina

Northeast

Sacred Heart vs. CCSU, Robert Morris vs. Mount St. Mary's, Quinnipiac vs. Fairleigh Dickinson, Long Island vs. Monmouth

Southern
Wofford at Appalachian State, UNC-Greensboro vs. Western Carolina, Citadel vs. Furman

Atlantic Sun
Mercer vs. Lipscomb, Campbell vs. Belmont, Gardner-Webb vs. ETSU, Stetson vs. Florida Atlantic

Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Wednesday's Games To Watch

What a night it's going to be in Bubbleville...

Duke at Florida State

It all comes down to this for the much-debated 'Noles.

Texas at Texas A&M
Same goes for the Aggies. A win and they jump ahead of resume-challenged Colorado (who they beat head-to-head) for the Big XII's fourth bid.

Colorado at Kansas
People have been holding their noses when putting the Buffs in their brackets the last couple weeks. Here's one final chance to prove they belong.

Indiana at Purdue
Resurgent Hoosiers won't lose this one...right?

Vanderbilt at Mississippi
Vandy needs 4 wins in a row to have a chance to dance. It starts with this one.

Kentucky at Tennessee
Wildcats are the sixth team out of the SEC right now, and by far the most in danger to not go dancing. A split this week is all they need to feel safe, but they have a tough road left.

Miami (FL) at Maryland
'Canes are hanging onto the bubble by a thread. They can't afford another loss until pretty deep into the ACC tournament.

Virginia at North Carolina
Virginia is on life support too, needing to win their last two. By the end of the night, will all of the ACC bubbles be popped?

Wyoming at San Diego State
Aztecs look to clinch sole possession of the MWC regular season title.

Sunday, February 26, 2006

Bracketology 101's Field of 65 - Feb. 26

Bracket Reasoning

Colonial...Hofstra's huge win over George Mason earlier in the week made us believers in them again. They still have work to do though. They will most likely face Mason again in the conference tourney semi's and if they can win that game then they can get an at-large bid even if they were to lose to UNC-Wilmington in the championship. UNC-Wilmington needs to reach the championship game to feel safe.

MVC...A huge mess. The conference tourney starting this week will determine so much. The game between Creighton and Bradley on Friday is the most important one. Both teams have their share of good wins and bad losses in and out of conference (Creighton's resume is slightly better). With the Bluejays tourney history we like them in this game so they received one of the last bids. Bradley has really played well down the stretch but they still will need this one to secure an at-large bid for themselves. If Creighton were to lose they would really be sweating it out come Selection Sunday. Southern Illinois kept themselves alive with their win over UNI but they will need to get to the the conference championship to get an at-large because of their bad losses and poor finish. UNI and Missouri State are probably both safe regardless of the outcome of their game.

MWC...We still like SDSU to win the conference tourney (their at-large hopes are non-existant) and as long as Air Force can get by BYU and into the championship it will be enough for a bid.

ACC...No bubble team wants to be the 5th bid out of this league. Out of the teams still clinging to the bubble Miami has the best chance to finish 9-7 in conference, but even if they do they still most likely need to make it to the tourney semi's to get an at-large. Someone will really need to step up to make the ACC a 5 bid conference.

Big 12...Colorado cannot afford anymore bad losses and still get a bid and will need to get to the semi's of the conference tourney to get a bid. Texas A&M is coming on strong but they need a big win for their ugly resume before they can be taken too seriously.

A-10...St. Louis is playing really well right now and look like they are the only team with a shot to take down GW in the conference tourney. If they can take care of business this week there is a good chance you'll see them in the bracket next week as the A-10 automatic bid.

Here is Chris and Craig's latest field:

Last Four In
Colorado, Air Force, Creighton, Hofstra

Last Four Out
Bradley, Southern Illinois, Texas A&M, Seton Hall

In This Week
Indiana, Hofstra, Kent State, Manhattan, Oral Roberts, Lipscomb

Out This Week

Seton Hall, Florida State, Akron, Iona, IUPUI, Gardner-Webb

Conference Breakdown
(Automatic bids in multiple-bid conferences are the first teams listed.)
Big East (8), Big Ten (7), SEC (6), ACC (4), MVC (4), Big 12 (4), PAC-10 (4), Colonial (3), MWC (2), C-USA (2)

America East - Albany

ACC - Duke, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Boston College

Atlantic Sun - Lipscomb

A-10 - George Washington

Big East - UConn, Villanova, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Georgetown, Marquette, Cincinnati, Syracuse

Big Sky - Northern Arizona

Big South - Winthrop

Big Ten - Ohio State, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Michigan, Indiana

Big 12 - Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado

Big West - Pacific

Colonial - UNC-WIlmington, George Mason, Hofstra

C-USA - Memphis, UAB

Horizon - Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Ivy - Penn

Metro Atlantic - Manhattan

MAC - Kent State

MCC - Oral Roberts

MEAC - Delaware State

MVC - Wichita State, Missouri State, Northern Iowa, Creighton

MWC - San Diego State, Air Force

Northeast - Fairleigh Dickinson

Ohio Valley - Murray State

PAC-10 - UCLA, Washington, Arizona, California

Patriot - Bucknell

SEC - Tennessee, LSU, Florida, Arkansas, Alabama, Kentucky

Southern - Georgia Southern

Southland - Northwestern State

SWAC - Southern

Sun Belt - Western Kentucky

WAC - Nevada

WCC - Gonzaga

The Seeds
The 1s
Duke, UConn, Memphis, Villanova

The 2s
Texas, Gonzaga, Ohio State, Illinois

The 3s
Pittsburgh, Tennessee, UCLA, George Washington

The 4s
Iowa, West Virginia, LSU, North Carolina

The 5s
Washington, Georgetown, Wisconsin, Michigan State

The 6s
Boston College, Kansas, Oklahoma, North Carolina State

The 7s
Marquette, Michigan, Florida, Nevada

The 8s
Wichita State, Arkansas, Alabama, Bucknell

The 9s
Arizona, George Mason, Missouri State, Kentucky

The 10s
Cincinnati, California, Northern Iowa, Syracuse

The 11s
Indiana, UNC-Wilmington, UAB, Creighton

The 12s
Colorado, Air Force, Hofstra, San Diego State

The 13s
Western Kentucky, Kent State, Manhattan, Wisconsin-Milwaukee

The 14s
Northwestern State, Winthrop, Murray State, Northern Arizona

The 15s
Pacific, Albany, Penn, Oral Roberts

The 16s
Georgia Southern, Delaware State, Fairleigh Dickinson, Lipscomb (Play-In Game), Southern (Play-In Game)

The Bracket

This Week's Bracket

Bracket courtesy Matt Reeves.

Questions? Comments? E-mail Chris and Craig at bracketologyblog@yahoo.com