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With our overall #1 seed losing to Vanderbilt earlier this week and stumbling towards a victory against depleted (yet resilient) Kentucky, you had to drop them from the top spot, right? Wrong. Until UNC scores their first signature victory on March 8 (and perhaps again on March 16), we don’t feel comfortable placing UNC - who themselves struggled mightily against Boston College – in the top spot. That said, UCLA leaps over UNC and Memphis with impressive showings against Arizona and Arizona State.

On the second seed line, as Clement indicated on Saturday evening, I was vindicated by Texas’s surprising defeat to Texas Tech. As a result, they are tied again with Kansas, who I expect to win the Big XII tournament. Nevertheless, in a season ends today format, Texas would be a sure-fire #1 seed because they have three signature wins.

With the top-tier talk out of the way, let’s hit some talking points …

If Kansas State played Arizona in the 1st round as we’ve projected, how many pro scouts would be at that game? It’s fun to imagine.

It’s amazing what Florida (v. Tennessee, @ Kentucky) and Ohio State (v. Purdue, v. Michigan State) can do between now and the start of their respective conference tournaments. For that reason, we had to include the resume-deprived Gators who pass the eye test (barely). Because we think the Buckeyes will not go empty-handed heading into the Big Ten Tournament, which should consider reducing itself to a two-day, four-team tournament, they are included in our last four out.

Despite their 8-6 record in what many consider (neither of us do) the nation’s toughest conference, it’s very difficult to take Virginia Tech too seriously considering that they will have faced the league’s top three teams (Duke, UNC, Clemson) a grand total of three times in the regular season. If they win 10 games, then it's almost impossible to count them out.

Why Dayton? We project them to win out in the A-14 regular season. With two victories in the A-14 conference tournament, Dayton makes a strong case for a bid. If the Flyers can resurrect their early season form, the committee has had the tendency in years past to forgive ugly losses in January and February for a stellar non-conference resume coupled with a few wins in March.

Thank you, Terrapins. We had this baby projected with you comfortably clinging to a double-digit lead against Clemson … and then you lost. They remain in the bracket on the strength of their winning record in the ACC (a win @ JPJ will do the trick), solid true road record (5-3) … and that win at the Smith Center.

Three from the Valley? NO …. YES! With a win at Southern Illinois behind the shooting and mohawk of Osiris Eldridge, Illinois State upped its record to 13-5 in the Valley and that’s good enough for us so long as they can avoid a shock defeat at Arch Madness. Moreover, the likely semifinal between these teams will be an unannounced tournament play-in game.

On the injury front, we are concerned about how Patrick Patterson’s season-ending injury will affect the Wildcats. If today is any indication of how they will play, the #10 seed may be considered disrespectful. Additionally, Oklahoma will be without the services of one Blake Griffin for its final two games, which may jeopardize Oklahoma’s seeding in the Big XII tournament and NCAA at-large bid prospects.

That’s all for now. If you have any questions, comments, or just wish to send a shout, shoot me a line at phashemi@gmail.com.

The Seedings
1: Tennessee (SEC), UCLA (PAC-10), North Carolina (ACC), Memphis (C-USA)
2: Kansas (Big XII), Texas, Xavier (A-10), Duke
3: Georgetown (Big East), Louisville, Wisconsin (Big Ten), Stanford
4: UConn, Michigan State, Vanderbilt, Purdue
5: Indiana, Marquette, Notre Dame, Drake (MVC)
6: Washington State, Gonzaga (WCC), Butler (Horizon), USC
7: Clemson, Pittsburgh, Mississippi State, Miami-FL
8: Arkansas, Arizona State, St. Mary’s, Kansas State
9: Arizona, Oklahoma, BYU, Baylor

 

Visit: www.phsports.blogspot.com for:

-The final at-large bids

-Conference breakdowns

-Last Four In/Last Four Out/Next Four Out

 

www.phsports.blogspot.com

 

The rest of the seeding and projections are there.

 

Check it out! Especially Maryland, Syracuse, Dayton, and fans of all bubble teams!