Bracketology: Where’s the Dominant Team?

By now, you’ve heard this: there are no great teams in college basketball this year.  The last few days revealed that, with upsets up and down the board.  Butler over Villanova.  Arizona over Arizona State (which may not look like such a big upset at season’s end).  Texas Tech over Kansas.  The end result is that we’re barely into January and we have zero undefeated teams in college basketball.  Good luck filling out your brackets this March!

Even as I look at my 1 line now, questions come to mind.  Will Michigan State be hurt by the relative weakness of the Big Ten?  After Purdue on the 3 line, the Big Ten doesn’t appear again until Michigan shows up on the 8 line.  Will North Carolina hold on?  To be honest, right now they are the final 1 seed by default.  Can Villanova win the Big East for a 5^th straight season or will they finally be dethroned?  If they are, don’t expect to see them as a 1 come Selection Sunday.  For now, Duke is the only one I’m convinced will be a 1 seed in the end.

In the next couple of weeks, I’ll start seeding teams from the “mid-majors” for a full 68-team field.  For now, here’s the latest projection.

In since last time: Creighton, Auburn, St. Bonaventure, Houston, Missouri State, Charleston

Out since last time: Washington, St. John’s, Baylor, North Carolina State, Northern Iowa, Towson

1s – Duke, Michigan State, Villanova, North Carolina (+1)

2s – West Virginia, Xavier (+1), Arizona State (-1), Kansas

3s – Arizona (+1), Virginia, Wichita State, Purdue (+1)

4s – Kentucky, Gonzaga (-1), Florida (+1), Texas A & M (-2)

5s – TCU, Seton Hall (+1), Arkansas, Texas Tech (+2)

6s – Oklahoma (+1), Butler (+1), Tennessee (-2), Florida State (-1)

7s – Cincinnati (-1), Miami (-1), Missouri (-1), Syracuse (+1)

8s – Clemson (+1), Michigan (-1), SMU, Notre Dame

9s – Alabama, Rhode Island, Utah (-1), Creighton (new)

10s – Texas (+1), Auburn (new), Ohio State, UCLA (+1)

11s – Nevada, Saint Bonaventure (new), Maryland (-1), Saint Mary’s, Minnesota (-1), Houston

12s – Middle Tennessee, Missouri State (new), Georgia Southern, Charleston (new)

LAST FOUR IN – Maryland, Saint Mary’s, Minnesota, Houston

FIRST FOUR OUT – USC, Washington, Louisville, Saint John’s

NEXT FOUR OUT – Baylor, San Diego State (+1), UCF (-1), Virginia Tech

THIRD FOUR OUT – Marquette (+1), Boise State (+1), Oklahoma State, North Carolina State

So, that will do it for today.  As always, if you want to rip me because I have your team too low or want to discuss anything else related to bracketology, feel free to do so in the comments.  And as always, remember to check out the Bracket Matrix, a must for those of us who are obsessed with this stuff.  Happy New Year!