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As Big Blue Nation continues to celebrate its eighth NCAA championship, it’s certainly possible that UK will be a No. 1 seed again next March – depending on how many current Wildcats return. Even with some expected departures, coach John Calipari is bringing another Top 5 recruiting class to Lexington. So let’s go ahead and…
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Now that the 2012 NCAA tournament bracket has been revealed, how did the Selection Committee do? Just fine. This year’s group of bubble teams presented a variety of unique challenges. They either had bad losses, not enough good wins, or some combination of both. Several more lacked quality schedules. Added together, we had a collection…
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Regardless of how the final selections come together tonight, the Selection Committee has completed a monumental task. There has rarely been a field this diverse and a bubble this large. We could see a variety of outcomes, and none of them will necessarily be wrong or right. That’s the truth about this year’s bubble. What…
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It’s Selection Sunday. Here are the No. 1 seed scenarios: Kentucky will be the No. 1 overall seed. The only question – for weeks now, really – is whether the Wildcats will be in the South or Midwest. Geographically, St. Louis (Midwest) is a few miles closer, but it’s a small enough margin not to…
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Bubble banter: Ole Miss among those trying to crash the dance
Mar 10, 2012, 12:15 PM EDT
The bubble reached new heights and depths on Friday. That leaves us with about 11 spots up for grabs. We have potential party crashers in Conference USA (Marshall), SEC (Ole Miss), and Atlantic 10 (St. Bonaventure/Massachusetts). The Pac-12 will have an upset winner, too – with Arizona and Colorado in the championship game. Then there’s…
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Now that was a wild day. Here’s a breakdown of how it all affected the NCAA tournament bracket. The bubble remains a strange and ever-moving target. We’ll be reviewing everything thoroughly again, so things could change. We also have some potential bid stealers alive in the Atlantic-10, Conference USA, and Pac-12. Just another crazy night. …
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Bracket push: NC State, Dayton, Miami among those in need of wins
Mar 9, 2012, 10:09 AM EDT
Even after hours of resume comparisons, there are more questions than answers when it comes to this year’s bubble teams. And Friday’s games promise more of the same. Where do we stand? Let’s take a look. Disclaimer: Current results are subject to change. The last 5 teams currently IN the field …. Seton Hall, Texas, Mississippi…
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Conference tournament action on Thursday and Friday could have a huge impact on who’s in and who’s out when the brackets are revealed this Sunday. New teams involved in the anxious waiting game include Seton Hall and West Virginia. Both lost second round tourney games on Wednesday. For teams like South Florida, Northwestern, Dayton, Xavier, St. Joseph’s,…
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NCAA tourney projections: Texas, Northwestern, S. Florida need wins
Mar 8, 2012, 12:48 AM EDT
Four days and counting until Selection Sunday: time for an updated look at the bracket. After losing to Louisville on Wednesday, Seton Hall joins Drexel, Iona, Oral Roberts, and Middle Tennessee State as nervous at-large hopefuls. West Virginia is in that group, too, but is a little more secure heading into action on Thursday and Friday. …
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Several mid-major bubble teams will have long waits until Selection Sunday. These include Iona, Drexel, Oral Roberts, and Middle Tennessee State. All lost in their conference tournaments. We now have 28 projected locks and another six teams that should feel confident. That leaves 29 teams on the bubble for roughly 12 spots. It’s going to…
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With a little help from Ohio State Sunday afternoon in East Lansing, North Carolina grabs the final No. 1 seed in our latest bracket projection. We’re one week from Selection Sunday. Kentucky continues to own the No. 1 overall seed and stays in the South. Syracuse (East) and Kansas (Midwest) hold the other two positions.…
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Bubble Banter: UConn, Miss. St., Northwestern badly need wins
Mar 3, 2012, 9:25 AM EDT
The NCAA tournament bubble isn’t necessarily any weaker, but it certainly isn’t shrinking. Games this weekend should help clear up a few spots – although it hasn’t happened yet. Right now, there are 25 teams listed as projected locks, with another seven teams in strong position to claim a bid (Should Be In). When you add in the…
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VCU, South Florida, Colorado St. sneak into our latest NCAA bracket
Mar 2, 2012, 8:58 AM EDT
Welcome to March. Three new teams have joined the bracket: Colorado State, South Florida, and VCU. Sliding out: Northwestern, Dayton, and St. Joseph’s. It’s going to be an interesting nine days until Selection Sunday. The race for No. 1 seeds continues with Goliath matchups this weekend. Michigan State hosts Ohio State and the Spartans can wrap…
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It’s going to be a busy and bubble-filled two weeks. Conference tournaments are underway, so the landscape can maneuver quickly. There aren’t a lot of changes since Saturday, but a few teams have made moves. Purdue has moved off the bubble and into the “Should Be In” category after a victory at Michigan. Drexel joins…
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After a somewhat bumpy weekend, not a lot has changed from Saturday. Kentucky (South), Syracuse (East), Michigan State (Midwest), and Kansas (West) remain No. 1 seeds. Ohio State’s home loss to Wisconsin drops the Buckeyes to No. 8 on the s-curve. That means the Buckeyes are one spot from falling to a No. 3 seed. …
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Two weeks from Selection Sunday and only two of four No. 1 seeds appear to be locked in place: Kentucky and Syracuse. Six teams are wrangling for those final two spots – most likely in the Midwest and West Regions. While the South Region appears to be a more natural fit for Kentucky, it’s possible…
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Bubble Banter: West Virginia sliding fast, while UConn, Purdue in danger zones
Feb 25, 2012, 8:00 AM EDT
West Virginia is moving in the wrong direction. Marquette rallied Friday night in Morgantown and handed the Mountaineers their seventh loss in nine games. Not that WVU is alone. Mississippi State and Southern Mississippi have also created some potential bubble trouble for themselves. Southern Miss has posted consecutive losses to Houston and UTEP – which follows an…
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Fresh off road wins at Ohio State and Purdue, the Michigan State Spartans have not only grabbed first place in the Big Ten but also a No. 1 seed in this week’s bracket projection. MSU is 7-3 vs. teams currently ranked in the Top 25 of the RPI, which is two more such victories than…
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There’s no perfect bracket, but it’s not for lack of effort on NCAA tournament selection committee’s part
Feb 17, 2012, 10:12 PM EDT
Those of us fortunate enough to have participated in the NCAA Mock Selection process learned firsthand that there’s no such thing as a perfect bracket. Even with 37 at-large bids available, there’s always team No. 38. You can’t escape tough decisions. Committee Chair Jeff Hathaway said he and his fellow Selection Committee members realize the…
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What goes into selecting the NCAA tournament field? Here’s a glimpse
Feb 17, 2012, 10:34 AM EDT
Dave Ommen is in Indianapolis with 19 other members of the media for a mock NCAA tournament selection session. Their final bracket will be posted Friday, but here’s an early glimpse at their work. My initial reaction to Day 1 of the Mock Selection process in Indianapolis: the NCAA team does a remarkable job of…
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With Valentine’s Day arriving on Tuesday, the Missouri Tigers will find a lot to love about our latest bracket projection. Mizzou moves up to No. 3 on the s-curve – behind Kentucky and Syracuse – which positions the Tigers for a little home cooking in St. Louis via the Midwest Region. If Missouri fans are…
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The latest edition of Bubble Banter projects 32 teams as either “locks” or teams that “should be in” with a month of action remaining until Selection Sunday. With 68 total spots available (including 31 automatic qualifiers), there are roughly 14 spots available and 38 teams on the bubble. As clarification, several teams listed as bubble…
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With the Super Bowl behind us, college basketball takes center stage. The Missouri Tigers grabbed the spotlight Saturday night in Columbia by beating Kansas. That victory, combined with an earlier win at Baylor, vaults Mizzou to No. 4 on the s-curve and into the final No. 1 seed position in our latest bracket. North Carolina…
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When the Super Bowl ends on Sunday night, the sports world will turn its attention toward March Madness. We’ll begin to think more seriously about No. 1 seeds, brackets, and oh yeah, those teams on the bubble. Must be time to debut Bubble Banter. As it’s still more than a month from Selection Sunday, the…
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Kentucky and Syracuse remain No. 1 and No. 2 on the s-curve in this week’s bracket. That scenario may not change when the actual Field of 68 is announced on Selection Sunday. Wildcat fans can start making plans to watch their team in nearby Louisville during Rounds 2 and 3 of March Madness. It would…
