The first cycle of elections under the Presidency of Donald Trump is about to commence. There are only a few elections during the year after a presidential election. There are two gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia and those will be covered at different time. For now, this first posting of this series will contend with the special elections for the United States House of Representatives.
Due to various reasons, there are now five vacant seats in the House. They are as follows:
California's 34th District, which will have a primary election on April 4th and a general election on June 6th if necessary. A candidate will need to get 50% of the vote in the primary, otherwise the top two candidates from the primary will compete in the general election, regardless of party affiliation.
Kansas' 4th District, which will have a general election on April 11th
Georgia's 6th District, which will have an initial election on April 25th, and a runoff election if necessary on June 20th
South Carolina's 5th District, which will have a primary election on May 2nd, then a runoff election if necessary on May 16th if a primary candidate doesn't have a majority. The general election is also June 20th
Montana's At-Large District, which will have a general election on May 25th.
None of these races will flip the House one way or the other, but they could be indicative of election trends that may crop up in 2018 or even as far as 2020. For the most part, I will talk about the results of these elections as they come in, but I might do a preview for them as well. The only race I know I will preview for sure is the Kansas election, as that is where I am from.
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
Teams That Can Still Win a National Championship (First Four Day 2)
Just win 6 more games. That's all a team needs to do to win the NCAA Title now. While not remotely practical for many teams, until the clock hits triple zeros, no team is officially eliminated from title contention.
Teams will be listed according to seed and bracket. This will be updated every night of the NCAA Tournament, with some comments as teams advance. For now, the 64 teams that could hypothetically win an NCAA Championship.
East Region
#1 Villanova
#2 Duke
#3 Baylor
#4 Florida
#5 Virginia
#6 Southern Methodist
#7 South Carolina
#8 Wisconsin
#9 Virginia Tech
#10 Marquette
#11 Providence
#11 Southern California
USC was down by as much as 17 in the second half before they stormed back to go ahead with six minutes in the game and held on down the stretch. They will play SMU on Friday.
#12 UNC Wilmington
#13 East Tennessee State
#14 New Mexico State
#15 Troy
#16 Mount St. Mary's
Midwest Region
#1 Kansas
#2 Louisville
#3 Oregon
#4 Purdue
#5 Iowa State
#6 Creighton
#7 Michigan
#8 Miami
#9 Michigan State
#10 Oklahoma State
#11 Rhode Island
#12 Nevada
#13 Vermont
#14 Iona
#15 Jacksonville State
#16 North Carolina Central
#16 UC Davis
UC Davis led a close game throughout the second half and held on to win over North Carolina Central 67-63. They will play Kansas on Friday.
South Region
#1 North Carolina
#2 Kentucky
#3 UCLA
#4 Butler
#5 Minnesota
#6 Cincinnati
#7 Dayton
#8 Arkansas
#9 Seton Hall
#10 Wichita State
#11 Kansas State
#12 Middle Tennessee
#13 Winthrop
#14 Kent State
#15 Northern Kentucky
#16 Texas Southern
West Region
#1 Gonzaga
#2 Arizona
#3 Florida State
#4 West Virginia
#5 Notre Dame
#6 Maryland
#7 Saint Mary's
#8 Northwestern
#9 Vanderbilt
#10 Virginia Commonwealth
#11 Xavier
#12 Princeton
#13 Bucknell
#14 Florida Gulf Coast
#15 North Dakota
#16 South Dakota State
Teams will be listed according to seed and bracket. This will be updated every night of the NCAA Tournament, with some comments as teams advance. For now, the 64 teams that could hypothetically win an NCAA Championship.
East Region
#1 Villanova
#2 Duke
#3 Baylor
#4 Florida
#5 Virginia
#6 Southern Methodist
#7 South Carolina
#8 Wisconsin
#9 Virginia Tech
#10 Marquette
#11 Southern California
USC was down by as much as 17 in the second half before they stormed back to go ahead with six minutes in the game and held on down the stretch. They will play SMU on Friday.
#12 UNC Wilmington
#13 East Tennessee State
#14 New Mexico State
#15 Troy
#16 Mount St. Mary's
Midwest Region
#1 Kansas
#2 Louisville
#3 Oregon
#4 Purdue
#5 Iowa State
#6 Creighton
#7 Michigan
#8 Miami
#9 Michigan State
#10 Oklahoma State
#11 Rhode Island
#12 Nevada
#13 Vermont
#14 Iona
#15 Jacksonville State
#16 UC Davis
UC Davis led a close game throughout the second half and held on to win over North Carolina Central 67-63. They will play Kansas on Friday.
South Region
#1 North Carolina
#2 Kentucky
#3 UCLA
#4 Butler
#5 Minnesota
#6 Cincinnati
#7 Dayton
#8 Arkansas
#9 Seton Hall
#10 Wichita State
#11 Kansas State
#12 Middle Tennessee
#13 Winthrop
#14 Kent State
#15 Northern Kentucky
#16 Texas Southern
West Region
#1 Gonzaga
#2 Arizona
#3 Florida State
#4 West Virginia
#5 Notre Dame
#6 Maryland
#7 Saint Mary's
#8 Northwestern
#9 Vanderbilt
#10 Virginia Commonwealth
#11 Xavier
#12 Princeton
#13 Bucknell
#14 Florida Gulf Coast
#15 North Dakota
#16 South Dakota State
Tuesday, March 14, 2017
Teams That Can Still Win a National Championship (First Four Day 1)
Just win 6 (or 7) games. That's all a team needs to do to win the NCAA Title now. While not remotely practical for many teams, until the clock hits triple zeros, no team is officially eliminated from title contention.
Teams will be listed according to seed and bracket. This will be updated every night of the NCAA Tournament, with some comments as teams advance. For now, the 66 teams that could hypothetically win an NCAA Championship.
East Region
#1 Villanova
#2 Duke
#3 Baylor
#4 Florida
#5 Virginia
#6 Southern Methodist
#7 South Carolina
#8 Wisconsin
#9 Virginia Tech
#10 Marquette
#11 Providence
#11 Southern California
#12 UNC Wilmington
#13 East Tennessee State
#14 New Mexico State
#15 Troy
#16 Mount St. Mary's
Mount St. Mary's advanced to a first round matchup with Villanova after beating New Orleans 67-66 on a go ahead jumper by Junior Robinson with 1:27 to go in regulation.
#16 New Orleans
Midwest Region
#1 Kansas
#2 Louisville
#3 Oregon
#4 Purdue
#5 Iowa State
#6 Creighton
#7 Michigan
#8 Miami
#9 Michigan State
#10 Oklahoma State
#11 Rhode Island
#12 Nevada
#13 Vermont
#14 Iona
#15 Jacksonville State
#16 North Carolina Central
#16 UC Davis
South Region
#1 North Carolina
#2 Kentucky
#3 UCLA
#4 Butler
#5 Minnesota
#6 Cincinnati
#7 Dayton
#8 Arkansas
#9 Seton Hall
#10 Wichita State
#11 Wake Forest
#11 Kansas State
Kansas State led most of the way and made their free throws down the stretch as the Wildcats beat Wake Forest 95-88 in a First Four game. Kansas State will advance to play Cincinnati.
#12 Middle Tennessee
#13 Winthrop
#14 Kent State
#15 Northern Kentucky
#16 Texas Southern
West Region
#1 Gonzaga
#2 Arizona
#3 Florida State
#4 West Virginia
#5 Notre Dame
#6 Maryland
#7 Saint Mary's
#8 Northwestern
#9 Vanderbilt
#10 Virginia Commonwealth
#11 Xavier
#12 Princeton
#13 Bucknell
#14 Florida Gulf Coast
#15 North Dakota
#16 South Dakota State
Teams will be listed according to seed and bracket. This will be updated every night of the NCAA Tournament, with some comments as teams advance. For now, the 66 teams that could hypothetically win an NCAA Championship.
East Region
#1 Villanova
#2 Duke
#3 Baylor
#4 Florida
#5 Virginia
#6 Southern Methodist
#7 South Carolina
#8 Wisconsin
#9 Virginia Tech
#10 Marquette
#11 Providence
#11 Southern California
#12 UNC Wilmington
#13 East Tennessee State
#14 New Mexico State
#15 Troy
#16 Mount St. Mary's
Mount St. Mary's advanced to a first round matchup with Villanova after beating New Orleans 67-66 on a go ahead jumper by Junior Robinson with 1:27 to go in regulation.
Midwest Region
#1 Kansas
#2 Louisville
#3 Oregon
#4 Purdue
#5 Iowa State
#6 Creighton
#7 Michigan
#8 Miami
#9 Michigan State
#10 Oklahoma State
#11 Rhode Island
#12 Nevada
#13 Vermont
#14 Iona
#15 Jacksonville State
#16 North Carolina Central
#16 UC Davis
South Region
#1 North Carolina
#2 Kentucky
#3 UCLA
#4 Butler
#5 Minnesota
#6 Cincinnati
#7 Dayton
#8 Arkansas
#9 Seton Hall
#10 Wichita State
#11 Kansas State
Kansas State led most of the way and made their free throws down the stretch as the Wildcats beat Wake Forest 95-88 in a First Four game. Kansas State will advance to play Cincinnati.
#12 Middle Tennessee
#13 Winthrop
#14 Kent State
#15 Northern Kentucky
#16 Texas Southern
West Region
#1 Gonzaga
#2 Arizona
#3 Florida State
#4 West Virginia
#5 Notre Dame
#6 Maryland
#7 Saint Mary's
#8 Northwestern
#9 Vanderbilt
#10 Virginia Commonwealth
#11 Xavier
#12 Princeton
#13 Bucknell
#14 Florida Gulf Coast
#15 North Dakota
#16 South Dakota State
Sunday, March 12, 2017
Teams That Can Still Win a National Championship (Pre-NCAA Tournament)
Just win 6 (or 7) games. That's all a team needs to do to win the NCAA Title now. While not remotely practical for many teams, until the clock hits triple zeros, no team is officially eliminated from title contention.
Teams will be listed according to seed and bracket. This will be updated every night of the NCAA Tournament, with some comments as teams advance. For now, the 68 teams that could hypothetically win an NCAA Championship.
East Region
#1 Villanova
#2 Duke
#3 Baylor
#4 Florida
#5 Virginia
#6 Southern Methodist
#7 South Carolina
#8 Wisconsin
#9 Virginia Tech
#10 Marquette
#11 Providence
#11 Southern California
#12 UNC Wilmington
#13 East Tennessee State
#14 New Mexico State
#15 Troy
#16 Mount St. Mary's
#16 New Orleans
Midwest Region
#1 Kansas
#2 Louisville
#3 Oregon
#4 Purdue
#5 Iowa State
#6 Creighton
#7 Michigan
#8 Miami
#9 Michigan State
#10 Oklahoma State
#11 Rhode Island
#12 Nevada
#13 Vermont
#14 Iona
#15 Jacksonville State
#16 North Carolina Central
#16 UC Davis
South Region
#1 North Carolina
#2 Kentucky
#3 UCLA
#4 Butler
#5 Minnesota
#6 Cincinnati
#7 Dayton
#8 Arkansas
#9 Seton Hall
#10 Wichita State
#11 Wake Forest
#11 Kansas State
#12 Middle Tennessee
#13 Winthrop
#14 Kent State
#15 Northern Kentucky
#16 Texas Southern
West Region
#1 Gonzaga
#2 Arizona
#3 Florida State
#4 West Virginia
#5 Notre Dame
#6 Maryland
#7 Saint Mary's
#8 Northwestern
#9 Vanderbilt
#10 Virginia Commonwealth
#11 Xavier
#12 Princeton
#13 Bucknell
#14 Florida Gulf Coast
#15 North Dakota
#16 South Dakota State
Teams will be listed according to seed and bracket. This will be updated every night of the NCAA Tournament, with some comments as teams advance. For now, the 68 teams that could hypothetically win an NCAA Championship.
East Region
#1 Villanova
#2 Duke
#3 Baylor
#4 Florida
#5 Virginia
#6 Southern Methodist
#7 South Carolina
#8 Wisconsin
#9 Virginia Tech
#10 Marquette
#11 Providence
#11 Southern California
#12 UNC Wilmington
#13 East Tennessee State
#14 New Mexico State
#15 Troy
#16 Mount St. Mary's
#16 New Orleans
Midwest Region
#1 Kansas
#2 Louisville
#3 Oregon
#4 Purdue
#5 Iowa State
#6 Creighton
#7 Michigan
#8 Miami
#9 Michigan State
#10 Oklahoma State
#11 Rhode Island
#12 Nevada
#13 Vermont
#14 Iona
#15 Jacksonville State
#16 North Carolina Central
#16 UC Davis
South Region
#1 North Carolina
#2 Kentucky
#3 UCLA
#4 Butler
#5 Minnesota
#6 Cincinnati
#7 Dayton
#8 Arkansas
#9 Seton Hall
#10 Wichita State
#11 Wake Forest
#11 Kansas State
#12 Middle Tennessee
#13 Winthrop
#14 Kent State
#15 Northern Kentucky
#16 Texas Southern
West Region
#1 Gonzaga
#2 Arizona
#3 Florida State
#4 West Virginia
#5 Notre Dame
#6 Maryland
#7 Saint Mary's
#8 Northwestern
#9 Vanderbilt
#10 Virginia Commonwealth
#11 Xavier
#12 Princeton
#13 Bucknell
#14 Florida Gulf Coast
#15 North Dakota
#16 South Dakota State
Teams That Can Still Win A National Championship (Championship Week Final)
This will be the last update before the NCAA Tournament field is announced. The 69 teams will be organized by automatic qualifiers, safe at-large bids, and the bubble.
Automatic Bids (32 teams)
Duke
Vermont
Rhode Island
Florida Gulf Coast
Iowa State
Villanova
North Dakota
Winthrop
UC Davis
UNC Wilmington
Middle Tennessee
Northern Kentucky
Princeton
Iona
Kent State
North Carolina Central
Wichita State
Nevada
Mount St. Mary's
Jacksonville State
Arizona
Bucknell
Kentucky
East Tennessee State
New Orleans
Texas Southern
South Dakota State
Troy
Gonzaga
New Mexico State
Michigan
Southern Methodist
Safe At-Large Bids (27 teams)
Virginia Commonwealth
Dayton
Notre Dame
North Carolina
Florida State
Louisville
Virginia Tech
Miami
Virginia
West Virginia
Kansas
Baylor
Oklahoma State
Creighton
Butler
Minnesota
Northwestern
Purdue
Maryland
Oregon
UCLA
Arkansas
South Carolina
Florida
Saint Mary's
Wisconsin
Cincinnati
Bubble (11 teams)
Syracuse
Wake Forest
Kansas State
Seton Hall
Xavier
Providence
Marquette
Michigan State
Illinois State
USC
Vanderbilt
Automatic Bids (32 teams)
Duke
Vermont
Rhode Island
Florida Gulf Coast
Iowa State
Villanova
North Dakota
Winthrop
UC Davis
UNC Wilmington
Middle Tennessee
Northern Kentucky
Princeton
Iona
Kent State
North Carolina Central
Wichita State
Nevada
Mount St. Mary's
Jacksonville State
Arizona
Bucknell
Kentucky
East Tennessee State
New Orleans
Texas Southern
South Dakota State
Troy
Gonzaga
New Mexico State
Michigan
Southern Methodist
Safe At-Large Bids (27 teams)
Virginia Commonwealth
Dayton
Notre Dame
North Carolina
Florida State
Louisville
Virginia Tech
Miami
Virginia
West Virginia
Kansas
Baylor
Oklahoma State
Creighton
Butler
Minnesota
Northwestern
Purdue
Maryland
Oregon
UCLA
Arkansas
South Carolina
Florida
Saint Mary's
Wisconsin
Cincinnati
Bubble (11 teams)
Syracuse
Wake Forest
Kansas State
Seton Hall
Xavier
Providence
Marquette
Michigan State
Illinois State
USC
Vanderbilt
Saturday, March 11, 2017
Teams That Can Still Win a National Championship (Championship Week Day 13)
For the duration of Championship Week, teams will be sorted by conference. Teams that win their conference tournament will be placed in Bold. Teams that don't win their conference tournament, but are expected to be an at-large team will be in Italics. Teams considered safe will be a 9 seed or higher on Bracket Matrix. Teams on the bubble will have (?). The italics and (?) will only be used on teams that have already been eliminated from their conference tournament. Teams eliminated from national title contention will be shown will have their names crossed out for the night that they are eliminated only to show the difference from night to night.
Once the field of 68 teams is announced, the teams that can still win a national title will be sorted by NCAA region and be whittled down from there until on April 3rd when a champion is crowned.
America East
Vermont
Albany
American
Southern Methodist
Cincinnati
UCF
Connecticut
Atlantic 10
Virginia Commonwealth
Rhode Island
Dayton
Richmond
Davidson
ACC
Duke
Notre Dame
North Carolina
Florida State
Louisville
Virginia Tech
Miami
Virginia
Syracuse (?)
Wake Forest (?)
Atlantic Sun
Florida Gulf Coast
Big XII
Iowa State
West Virginia
Kansas
Baylor
Oklahoma State
Kansas State (?)
Big East
Villanova
Creighton
Butler
Seton Hall (?)
Xavier (?)
Providence (?)
Marquette (?)
Big Sky
North Dakota
Weber State
Winthrop
Big Ten
Wisconsin
Michigan
Minnesota
Northwestern
Purdue
Maryland
Michigan State (?)
Big West
UC Davis
UC Irvine
Colonial
UNC Wilmington
Conference USA
Middle Tennessee
Marshall
Horizon
Northern Kentucky
Ivy League
Princeton
Yale
Harvard
Penn
MAAC
Iona
MAC
Kent State
Akron
North Carolina Central
Norfolk State
Missouri Valley
Wichita State
Illinois State (?)
Mountain West
Nevada
Colorado State
Northeast
Mount Saint Mary's
Ohio Valley
Jacksonville State
Pac-12
Arizona
Oregon
UCLA
USC (?)
Bucknell
SEC
Kentucky
Arkansas
South Carolina
Florida
East Tennessee State
Southland
New Orleans
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
SWAC
Texas Southern
Summit League
South Dakota State
Sun Belt
Texas State
Troy
UT Arlington
Georgia State
WAC
New Mexico State
CSU Bakersfield
West Coast
Gonzaga
Saint Mary's
Once the field of 68 teams is announced, the teams that can still win a national title will be sorted by NCAA region and be whittled down from there until on April 3rd when a champion is crowned.
America East
Vermont
American
Southern Methodist
Cincinnati
Atlantic 10
Virginia Commonwealth
Rhode Island
Dayton
ACC
Duke
Notre Dame
North Carolina
Florida State
Louisville
Virginia Tech
Miami
Virginia
Syracuse (?)
Wake Forest (?)
Atlantic Sun
Florida Gulf Coast
Big XII
Iowa State
West Virginia
Kansas
Baylor
Oklahoma State
Kansas State (?)
Villanova
Creighton
Butler
Seton Hall (?)
Xavier (?)
Providence (?)
Marquette (?)
Big Sky
North Dakota
Winthrop
Big Ten
Wisconsin
Michigan
Minnesota
Northwestern
Purdue
Maryland
Michigan State (?)
Big West
UC Davis
Colonial
UNC Wilmington
Conference USA
Middle Tennessee
Horizon
Northern Kentucky
Ivy League
Princeton
Yale
MAAC
Iona
MAC
Kent State
North Carolina Central
Missouri Valley
Wichita State
Illinois State (?)
Mountain West
Nevada
Northeast
Mount Saint Mary's
Ohio Valley
Jacksonville State
Pac-12
Arizona
Oregon
UCLA
USC (?)
Bucknell
SEC
Kentucky
Arkansas
South Carolina
Florida
Vanderbilt (?)
Alabama
East Tennessee State
Southland
New Orleans
SWAC
Texas Southern
Summit League
South Dakota State
Sun Belt
Texas State
Troy
WAC
New Mexico State
West Coast
Gonzaga
Saint Mary's
Teams That Can Still Win a National Championship (Championship Week Day 12)
For the duration of Championship Week, teams will be sorted by conference. Teams that win their conference tournament will be placed in Bold. Teams that don't win their conference tournament, but are expected to be an at-large team will be in Italics. Teams considered safe will be a 9 seed or higher on Bracket Matrix. Teams on the bubble will have (?). The italics and (?) will only be used on teams that have already been eliminated from their conference tournament. Teams eliminated from national title contention will be shown will have their names crossed out for the night that they are eliminated only to show the difference from night to night.
Once the field of 68 teams is announced, the teams that can still win a national title will be sorted by NCAA region and be whittled down from there until on April 3rd when a champion is crowned.
America East
Vermont
Albany
American
Southern Methodist
Cincinnati
UCF
Connecticut
Houston
Memphis
Tulsa
East Carolina
Atlantic 10
Virginia Commonwealth
Rhode Island
Richmond
Davidson
Dayton
Saint Bonaventure
George Mason
George Washington
ACC
Notre Dame
Duke
North Carolina
Florida State
Louisville
Virginia Tech
Miami
Virginia
Syracuse (?)
Wake Forest (?)
Atlantic Sun
Florida Gulf Coast
Big XII
Iowa State
West Virginia
Kansas
Baylor
Oklahoma State
Kansas State (?)
TCU
Big East
Villanova
Creighton
Butler
Seton Hall (?)
Xavier (?)
Providence (?)
Marquette (?)
Big Sky
North Dakota
Weber State
Idaho
Eastern Washington
Winthrop
Big Ten
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Northwestern
Michigan
Purdue
Maryland
Michigan State (?)
Indiana
Big West
UC Davis
UC Irvine
CS Fullerton
Long Beach State
Colonial
UNC Wilmington
Conference USA
Middle Tennessee
Marshall
Louisiana Tech
UTEP
Horizon
Northern Kentucky
Ivy League
Princeton
Harvard
Yale
Penn
MAAC
Iona
MAC
Akron
Kent State
Ohio
Ball State
MEAC
North Carolina Central
Norfolk State
Maryland-Eastern Shore
Howard
Missouri Valley
Wichita State
Illinois State (?)
Mountain West
Nevada
Colorado State
Fresno State
San Diego State
Northeast
Mount Saint Mary's
Ohio Valley
Jacksonville State
Pac-12
Arizona
Oregon
UCLA
USC (?)
California
Bucknell
SEC
Kentucky
Arkansas
Alabama
Vanderbilt
South Carolina
Florida
Georgia
Ole Miss
East Tennessee State
Southland
New Orleans
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Stephen F. Austin
Sam Houston State
SWAC
Texas Southern
Southern
Grambling
Summit League
South Dakota State
Sun Belt
UT Arlington
Georgia State
Texas State
Troy
Coastal Carolina
UL Lafayette
Georgia Southern
Louisiana-Monroe
WAC
CSU Bakersfield
New Mexico State
UMKC
Utah Valley
West Coast
Gonzaga
Saint Mary's
Once the field of 68 teams is announced, the teams that can still win a national title will be sorted by NCAA region and be whittled down from there until on April 3rd when a champion is crowned.
America East
Vermont
Albany
American
Southern Methodist
Cincinnati
UCF
Connecticut
Atlantic 10
Virginia Commonwealth
Rhode Island
Richmond
Davidson
Dayton
ACC
Notre Dame
Duke
North Carolina
Florida State
Louisville
Virginia Tech
Miami
Virginia
Syracuse (?)
Wake Forest (?)
Atlantic Sun
Florida Gulf Coast
Big XII
Iowa State
West Virginia
Kansas
Baylor
Oklahoma State
Kansas State (?)
Villanova
Creighton
Butler
Seton Hall (?)
Xavier (?)
Providence (?)
Marquette (?)
Big Sky
North Dakota
Weber State
Winthrop
Big Ten
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Northwestern
Michigan
Purdue
Maryland
Michigan State (?)
Big West
UC Davis
UC Irvine
Colonial
UNC Wilmington
Conference USA
Middle Tennessee
Marshall
Horizon
Northern Kentucky
Ivy League
Princeton
Harvard
Yale
Penn
MAAC
Iona
MAC
Akron
Kent State
MEAC
North Carolina Central
Norfolk State
Missouri Valley
Wichita State
Illinois State (?)
Mountain West
Nevada
Colorado State
Northeast
Mount Saint Mary's
Ohio Valley
Jacksonville State
Pac-12
Arizona
Oregon
UCLA
USC (?)
Bucknell
SEC
Kentucky
Arkansas
Alabama
Vanderbilt
South Carolina
Florida
East Tennessee State
Southland
New Orleans
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
SWAC
Texas Southern
Summit League
South Dakota State
Sun Belt
UT Arlington
Georgia State
Texas State
Troy
WAC
CSU Bakersfield
New Mexico State
West Coast
Gonzaga
Saint Mary's
Thursday, March 9, 2017
Teams That Can Still Win a National Championship (Championship Week Day 11)
For the duration of Championship Week, teams will be sorted by conference. Teams that win their conference tournament will be placed in Bold. Teams that don't win their conference tournament, but are expected to be an at-large team will be in Italics. Teams considered safe will be a 9 seed or higher on Bracket Matrix. Teams on the bubble will have (?). The italics and (?) will only be used on teams that have already been eliminated from their conference tournament. Teams eliminated from national title contention will be shown will have their names crossed out for the night that they are eliminated only to show the difference from night to night.
Once the field of 68 teams is announced, the teams that can still win a national title will be sorted by NCAA region and be whittled down from there until on April 3rd when a champion is crowned.
America East
Vermont
Albany
American
Southern Methodist
Cincinnati
Houston
UCF
Connecticut
Memphis
Tulsa
East Carolina
Temple
Tulane
South Florida
Atlantic 10
Dayton
Virginia Commonwealth
Rhode Island
Richmond
Saint Bonaventure
George Mason
George Washington
Davidson
La Salle
Fordham
Saint Louis
Massachusetts
ACC
North Carolina
Florida State
Notre Dame
Duke
Louisville
Virginia Tech
Miami
Virginia
Syracuse (?)
Wake Forest (?)
Atlantic Sun
Florida Gulf Coast
Big XII
Iowa State
West Virginia
Kansas State
TCU
Kansas
Baylor
Oklahoma State
Texas
Big East
Villanova
Creighton
Seton Hall
Xavier
Butler
Providence (?)
Marquette (?)
St. John's
Big Sky
North Dakota
Eastern Washington
Weber State
Idaho
Montana
Sacramento State
Portland State
Southern Utah
Big South
Winthrop
Big Ten
Purdue
Wisconsin
Maryland
Minnesota
Michigan State
Northwestern
Michigan
Indiana
Iowa
Illinois
Rutgers
Penn State
Big West
UC Davis
UC Irvine
CS Fullerton
Long Beach State
Hawaii
CSU Northridge
Cal Poly
UC Riverside
Colonial
UNC Wilmington
Conference USA
Middle Tennessee
Louisiana Tech
Marshall
UTEP
Rice
Old Dominion
UAB
UT San Antonio
Horizon
Northern Kentucky
Ivy League
Princeton
Harvard
Yale
Penn
MAAC
Iona
MAC
Akron
Ohio
Kent State
Ball State
Buffalo
Western Michigan
Toledo
Eastern Michigan
MEAC
North Carolina Central
Norfolk State
Maryland-Eastern Shore
Howard
Morgan State
Hampton
Missouri Valley
Wichita State
Illinois State (?)
Mountain West
Nevada
Colorado State
Fresno State
San Diego State
New Mexico
Boise State
Utah State
Air Force
Northeast
Mount Saint Mary's
Ohio Valley
Jacksonville State
Pac-12
Arizona
Oregon
UCLA
California
USC (?)
Utah
Arizona State
Colorado
Patriot
Bucknell
SEC
Kentucky
Florida
Arkansas
South Carolina
Ole Miss
Alabama
Vanderbilt
Georgia
Texas A&M
Tennessee
Mississippi State
Missouri
Southern
East Tennessee State
Southland
New Orleans
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Stephen F. Austin
Sam Houston State
Houston Baptist
Lamar
SWAC
Texas Southern
Southern
Grambling
Summit League
South Dakota State
Sun Belt
UT Arlington
Georgia State
Georgia Southern
Texas State
Coastal Carolina
UL Lafayette
Troy
Louisiana-Monroe
WAC
CSU Bakersfield
New Mexico State
UMKC
Utah Valley
Seattle
UT Rio Grande Valley
Chicago State
West Coast
Gonzaga
Saint Mary's
Once the field of 68 teams is announced, the teams that can still win a national title will be sorted by NCAA region and be whittled down from there until on April 3rd when a champion is crowned.
America East
Vermont
Albany
American
Southern Methodist
Cincinnati
Houston
UCF
Connecticut
Memphis
Tulsa
East Carolina
Atlantic 10
Dayton
Virginia Commonwealth
Rhode Island
Richmond
Saint Bonaventure
George Mason
George Washington
Davidson
ACC
North Carolina
Florida State
Notre Dame
Duke
Louisville
Virginia Tech
Miami
Virginia
Syracuse (?)
Wake Forest (?)
Atlantic Sun
Florida Gulf Coast
Big XII
Iowa State
West Virginia
Kansas State
TCU
Kansas
Baylor
Oklahoma State
Big East
Villanova
Creighton
Seton Hall
Xavier
Butler
Providence (?)
Marquette (?)
Big Sky
North Dakota
Eastern Washington
Weber State
Idaho
Big South
Winthrop
Big Ten
Purdue
Wisconsin
Maryland
Minnesota
Michigan State
Northwestern
Michigan
Indiana
Big West
UC Davis
UC Irvine
CS Fullerton
Long Beach State
Colonial
UNC Wilmington
Conference USA
Middle Tennessee
Louisiana Tech
Marshall
UTEP
Horizon
Northern Kentucky
Ivy League
Princeton
Harvard
Yale
Penn
MAAC
Iona
MAC
Akron
Ohio
Kent State
Ball State
MEAC
North Carolina Central
Norfolk State
Maryland-Eastern Shore
Howard
Missouri Valley
Wichita State
Illinois State (?)
Mountain West
Nevada
Colorado State
Fresno State
San Diego State
Northeast
Mount Saint Mary's
Ohio Valley
Jacksonville State
Pac-12
Arizona
Oregon
UCLA
California
USC (?)
Patriot
Bucknell
SEC
Kentucky
Florida
Arkansas
South Carolina
Ole Miss
Alabama
Vanderbilt
Georgia
Southern
East Tennessee State
Southland
New Orleans
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Stephen F. Austin
Sam Houston State
SWAC
Texas Southern
Southern
Grambling
Summit League
South Dakota State
Sun Belt
UT Arlington
Georgia State
Georgia Southern
Texas State
Coastal Carolina
UL Lafayette
Troy
Louisiana-Monroe
WAC
CSU Bakersfield
New Mexico State
UMKC
Utah Valley
West Coast
Gonzaga
Saint Mary's
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Teams That Can Still Win a National Championship (Championship Week Day 10)
For the duration of Championship Week, teams will be sorted by conference. Teams that win their conference tournament will be placed in Bold. Teams that don't win their conference tournament, but are expected to be an at-large team will be in Italics. Teams considered safe will be a 9 seed or higher on Bracket Matrix. Teams on the bubble will have (?). The italics and (?) will only be used on teams that have already been eliminated from their conference tournament. Teams eliminated from national title contention will be shown will have their names crossed out for the night that they are eliminated only to show the difference from night to night.
Once the field of 68 teams is announced, the teams that can still win a national title will be sorted by NCAA region and be whittled down from there until on April 3rd when a champion is crowned.
America East
Vermont
Albany
American
Southern Methodist
Cincinnati
Houston
UCF
Connecticut
Memphis
Tulsa
Temple
East Carolina
Tulane
South Florida
Atlantic 10
Dayton
Virginia Commonwealth
Rhode Island
Richmond
Saint Bonaventure
George Mason
George Washington
La Salle
Davidson
Fordham
Saint Louis
Massachusetts
Saint Joseph's
Duquesne
ACC
North Carolina
Florida State
Louisville
Notre Dame
Duke
Virginia Tech
Miami
Virginia
Syracuse (?)
Wake Forest (?)
Pittsburgh
Clemson
Atlantic Sun
Florida Gulf Coast
Big XII
Kansas
Iowa State
Baylor
West Virginia
Oklahoma State
Kansas State
TCU
Texas
Texas Tech
Oklahoma
Big East
Villanova
Butler
Creighton
Seton Hall
Providence
Xavier
Marquette
St. John's
Georgetown
DePaul
Big Sky
North Dakota
Eastern Washington
Weber State
Idaho
Montana
Sacramento State
Portland State
Southern Utah
Big South
Winthrop
Big Ten
Purdue
Wisconsin
Maryland
Minnesota
Michigan State
Northwestern
Michigan
Iowa
Illinois
Indiana
Rutgers
Penn State
Ohio State
Nebraska
Big West
UC Davis
UC Irvine
CS Fullerton
Hawaii
Long Beach State
CSU Northridge
Cal Poly
UC Riverside
Colonial
UNC Wilmington
Conference USA
Middle Tennessee
Louisiana Tech
Old Dominion
UTEP
Rice
Marshall
UAB
UT San Antonio
Western Kentucky
Charlotte
Florida Atlantic
Southern Miss
Horizon
Northern Kentucky
Ivy League
Princeton
Harvard
Yale
Penn
MAAC
Iona
MAC
Akron
Ohio
Kent State
Buffalo
Ball State
Western Michigan
Toledo
Eastern Michigan
MEAC
North Carolina Central
Norfolk State
Morgan State
Hampton
Maryland-Eastern Shore
Howard
South Carolina State
Bethune-Cookman
Missouri Valley
Wichita State
Illinois State (?)
Mountain West
Nevada
Colorado State
Boise State
Fresno State
New Mexico
San Diego State
Utah State
Air Force
Wyoming
San Jose State
UNLV
Northeast
Mount Saint Mary's
Ohio Valley
Jacksonville State
Pac-12
Arizona
Oregon
UCLA
California
Utah
USC
Arizona State
Colorado
Stanford
Washington State
Washington
Oregon State
Patriot
Bucknell
Lehigh
SEC
Kentucky
Florida
Arkansas
South Carolina
Ole Miss
Alabama
Vanderbilt
Georgia
Texas A&M
Tennessee
Mississippi State
Missouri
Auburn
LSU
Southern
East Tennessee State
Southland
New Orleans
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Stephen F. Austin
Houston Baptist
Sam Houston State
Lamar
Southeast Louisiana
Central Arkansas
SWAC
Texas Southern
Southern
Grambling
Summit League
South Dakota State
Sun Belt
UT Arlington
Georgia State
Georgia Southern
Texas State
Coastal Carolina
UL Lafayette
Troy
Louisiana-Monroe
Arkansas State
South Alabama
Arkansas-Little Rock
Appalachian State
WAC
CSU Bakersfield
New Mexico State
UMKC
Seattle
Utah Valley
UT Rio Grande Valley
Chicago State
West Coast
Gonzaga
Saint Mary's
Once the field of 68 teams is announced, the teams that can still win a national title will be sorted by NCAA region and be whittled down from there until on April 3rd when a champion is crowned.
America East
Vermont
Albany
American
Southern Methodist
Cincinnati
Houston
UCF
Connecticut
Memphis
Tulsa
Temple
East Carolina
Tulane
South Florida
Atlantic 10
Dayton
Virginia Commonwealth
Rhode Island
Richmond
Saint Bonaventure
George Mason
George Washington
La Salle
Davidson
Fordham
Saint Louis
Massachusetts
ACC
North Carolina
Florida State
Louisville
Notre Dame
Duke
Virginia Tech
Miami
Virginia
Syracuse (?)
Wake Forest (?)
Atlantic Sun
Florida Gulf Coast
Big XII
Kansas
Iowa State
Baylor
West Virginia
Oklahoma State
Kansas State
TCU
Texas
Big East
Villanova
Butler
Creighton
Seton Hall
Providence
Xavier
Marquette
St. John's
Big Sky
North Dakota
Eastern Washington
Weber State
Idaho
Montana
Sacramento State
Portland State
Southern Utah
Big South
Winthrop
Big Ten
Purdue
Wisconsin
Maryland
Minnesota
Michigan State
Northwestern
Michigan
Iowa
Illinois
Indiana
Rutgers
Penn State
Big West
UC Davis
UC Irvine
CS Fullerton
Hawaii
Long Beach State
CSU Northridge
Cal Poly
UC Riverside
Colonial
UNC Wilmington
Conference USA
Middle Tennessee
Louisiana Tech
Old Dominion
UTEP
Rice
Marshall
UAB
UT San Antonio
Horizon
Northern Kentucky
Ivy League
Princeton
Harvard
Yale
Penn
MAAC
Iona
MAC
Akron
Ohio
Kent State
Buffalo
Ball State
Western Michigan
Toledo
Eastern Michigan
MEAC
North Carolina Central
Norfolk State
Morgan State
Hampton
Maryland-Eastern Shore
Howard
Missouri Valley
Wichita State
Illinois State (?)
Mountain West
Nevada
Colorado State
Boise State
Fresno State
New Mexico
San Diego State
Utah State
Air Force
Northeast
Mount Saint Mary's
Ohio Valley
Jacksonville State
Pac-12
Arizona
Oregon
UCLA
California
Utah
USC
Arizona State
Colorado
Patriot
Bucknell
SEC
Kentucky
Florida
Arkansas
South Carolina
Ole Miss
Alabama
Vanderbilt
Georgia
Texas A&M
Tennessee
Mississippi State
Missouri
Southern
East Tennessee State
Southland
New Orleans
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Stephen F. Austin
Houston Baptist
Sam Houston State
Lamar
SWAC
Texas Southern
Southern
Grambling
Summit League
South Dakota State
Sun Belt
UT Arlington
Georgia State
Georgia Southern
Texas State
Coastal Carolina
UL Lafayette
Troy
Louisiana-Monroe
WAC
CSU Bakersfield
New Mexico State
UMKC
Seattle
Utah Valley
UT Rio Grande Valley
Chicago State
West Coast
Gonzaga
Saint Mary's
2017 Championship Week Primer: Ivy League
For the first time in five years of these Championship Week Primers, I will do a preview for an Ivy League Tournament. This is the first time that the Ivy League has had a postseason tournament, in previous years choosing to send their regular season champion to the NCAA Tournament. The Ivy League has had some success in recent years, be it Harvard in 2013 and 2014 or Yale in 2016. All of those teams won in the Round of 64.
Princeton won the Ivy League this year with a perfect 14-0 record. They are projected as a 13 seed at present, which could be upset territory. The Ivy League is naturally a one bid league though, so the Tigers will have to win this tournament to go dancing.
The top four teams will be in this inaugural tournament. It will take place at the Palestra at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia on March 11th and 12th
Semifinals-Saturday, March 11th
#4 Penn vs. #1 Princeton
#3 Yale vs. #2 Harvard
Championship-Sunday, March 12th
It is a short tournament so there is not much to talk about. Princeton has dominated this conference from one end to the other and this formality will only confirm that.
Harvard 55, Princeton 66
Princeton won the Ivy League this year with a perfect 14-0 record. They are projected as a 13 seed at present, which could be upset territory. The Ivy League is naturally a one bid league though, so the Tigers will have to win this tournament to go dancing.
The top four teams will be in this inaugural tournament. It will take place at the Palestra at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia on March 11th and 12th
Semifinals-Saturday, March 11th
#4 Penn vs. #1 Princeton
#3 Yale vs. #2 Harvard
Championship-Sunday, March 12th
It is a short tournament so there is not much to talk about. Princeton has dominated this conference from one end to the other and this formality will only confirm that.
Harvard 55, Princeton 66
2017 Championship Week Primer: American
When the Big East tried to expand falling several of its members bolting for the ACC and the Big 12, the Catholic schools of the conference revolted and formed the new Big East, taking the name with them. The teams cast off by the new Big East formed the American, along with the schools that had were going to join the Big East originally. Despite the founding members of the conference being apart of a high major conference, the American is decidedly a mid major conference now, with only two or three teams projected to make the NCAA Tournament.
Southern Methodist won the conference this year, a season after being banned from postseason play. They are projected to be a 5 seed, along with the conference runner-up Cincinnati. Houston has been getting some looks of late, but they will need to do a lot to get to the NCAA Tournament. The Cougars may just need to win the conference tournament to go dancing.
The tournament will take place from March 9th to 12th at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut. All eleven teams of the conference will participate with the top five seeds getting a bye to the quarterfinals.
First Round-Thursday, March 9th
#9 East Carolina vs. #8 Temple
#10 Tulane vs. #7 Tulsa
#11 South Florida vs. #6 Connecticut
Quarterfinals-Friday, March 10th
#9 East Carolina vs. #1 Southern Methodist
#5 Memphis vs. #4 Central Florida
#10 Tulane vs. #2 Cincinnati
#6 Connecticut vs. #3 Houston
Semifinals-Saturday, March 11th
#4 Central Florida vs. #1 Southern Methodist
#6 Connecticut vs. #2 Cincinnati
Championship-Sunday, March 12th
The two teams split the season series, but Southern Methodist has been the more dominant team in the American, winning 13 in a row going into this tournament. Cincinnati won't have to worry about being left out when the bracket is announced shortly after this game ends, but Southern Methodist is the one that will have the automatic bid.
Cincinnati 64, Southern Methodist 70
Southern Methodist won the conference this year, a season after being banned from postseason play. They are projected to be a 5 seed, along with the conference runner-up Cincinnati. Houston has been getting some looks of late, but they will need to do a lot to get to the NCAA Tournament. The Cougars may just need to win the conference tournament to go dancing.
The tournament will take place from March 9th to 12th at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut. All eleven teams of the conference will participate with the top five seeds getting a bye to the quarterfinals.
First Round-Thursday, March 9th
#9 East Carolina vs. #8 Temple
#10 Tulane vs. #7 Tulsa
#11 South Florida vs. #6 Connecticut
Quarterfinals-Friday, March 10th
#9 East Carolina vs. #1 Southern Methodist
#5 Memphis vs. #4 Central Florida
#10 Tulane vs. #2 Cincinnati
#6 Connecticut vs. #3 Houston
Semifinals-Saturday, March 11th
#4 Central Florida vs. #1 Southern Methodist
#6 Connecticut vs. #2 Cincinnati
Championship-Sunday, March 12th
The two teams split the season series, but Southern Methodist has been the more dominant team in the American, winning 13 in a row going into this tournament. Cincinnati won't have to worry about being left out when the bracket is announced shortly after this game ends, but Southern Methodist is the one that will have the automatic bid.
Cincinnati 64, Southern Methodist 70
2017 Championship Week Primer: WAC
If there was to be a conference that lost out on realignment, it was the WAC. Many of the teams left for other conferences and the WAC replaced them with what remained from the collapse of the now defunct Great West Conference. There are now only eight teams left in the WAC, but it does have one advantage over the Great West; its tournament champion gets to go to the NCAA Tournament.
Cal State Bakersfield won the conference by a game over New Mexico State. The Roadrunners have been trending on the 14 and 15 line, moving up recently as lower seeded teams advanced to the NCAA Tournament in other conference championships. Bakersfield won the tournament last year as well.
As Grand Canyon is completing its transition to Division I, they will not be eligible for the postseason just yet. The other seven teams will participate in the conference tournament with Bakersfield getting a bye to the semifinals.
Quarterfinals-Thursday, March 9th
#5 Seattle vs. #4 Utah Valley
#7 Chicago State vs. #2 New Mexico State
#6 UT Rio Grande Valley vs. #3 UMKC
Semifinals-Friday, March 10th
#5 Seattle vs. #1 Cal State Bakersfield
#3 UMKC vs. #2 New Mexico State
Championship-Saturday, March 11th
New Mexico State and Bakersfield split the season series, with both teams winning at home. New Mexico State struggled down the stretch somewhat, losing three of four games at one point, including a 19 point loss at Bakersfield. The Roadrunners on the other hand, romped down the stretch, only dropping a game at the end of the season when the conference championship had already been wrapped up. I believe they will beat the Aggies again and go to the NCAA Tournament again.
New Mexico State 55, Cal State Bakersfield 69
2017 Championship Week Primer: Big West
Typically, the Big West churns out lower seeded teams for the NCAA Tournament that will not win a game in the NCAA Tournament. Last year was an exception to that rule though, when Hawaii defeated #4 California in the Round of 64 to get the first Big West tournament win in the Round of 64 since 2004. This year's chances, however, don't look nearly as promising.
UC Irvine won the conference this year by a game over UC Davis. For most of the season, the Anteaters were projected as a 16 seed, but as other conference tournaments went to underseeded teams, UC Irvine has inched up to the 15 line. It doesn't change their overall quality, its just an indication that they are viewed in a better light than upset minded teams like South Dakota State
The top eight teams in the conference will participate in the tournament. It will be held from March 9th to 11th at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The teams that make it to the semifinals will be reseeded so that the highest remaining seed plays the lowest remaining seed.
Quarterfinals-Thursday, March 9th
#8 UC Riverside vs. #1 UC Irvine
#5 Hawaii vs. #4 Long Beach State
#7 Cal Poly vs. #2 UC Davis
#6 Cal State Northridge vs. #3 Cal State Fullerton
Semifinals-Friday, March 10th
#4 Long Beach State vs. #1 UC Irvine
#3 Cal State Fullerton vs. #2 UC Davis
Championship-Saturday, March 11th
In two meetings this year, the two teams beat each other on their own home court, with Fullerton winning a close one and Irvine blowing out the Titans by 20. I think that this one will be closer, but that the Anteaters will still be able to go the NCAA Tournament for the 2nd time in 3 years.
Cal State Fullerton 70, UC Irvine 78
2017 Championship Week Primer: Sun Belt
The Sun Belt lost a lot of talented teams during the realignments of a few years ago. They made up some of that ground by picking up teams from lesser conferences and have stabilized at 12 teams. As for the NCAA Tournament, the Sun Belt landed Arkansas-Little Rock in the Big Dance last year who promptly upstaged #5 Purdue in the Round of 64. The year before that, Georgia Southern downed #3 Baylor in the Round of 64.
This year's champion UT-Arlington is projected at a 12 seed as well, though as mentioned in other primers, they would have to win the conference tournament to make the tournament in the first place. No other teams are going to get to go to the NCAA Tournament; whoever wins this tournament goes dancing.
All twelve teams will take part in the tournament. The top four teams received a bye to the quarterfinals. The tournament will take place at the Lakefront Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana on March 8th, and March 10th-12th.
First Round-Wednesday, March 8th
#9 South Alabama vs. #8 Coastal Carolina
#12 Louisiana-Monroe vs. #5 Arkansas State
#10 Little Rock vs. #7 Louisiana-Lafayette
#11 Appalachian State vs. #6 Troy
Quarterfinals-Friday, March 10th
#8 Coastal Carolina vs. #1 UT-Arlington
#5 Arkansas State vs. #4 Texas State
#7 Louisiana-Lafayette vs. #2 Georgia State
#6 Troy vs. #3 Georgia Southern
Semifinals-Saturday, March 11th
#5 Arkansas State vs. #1 UT-Arlington
#6 Troy vs. #2 Georgia State
Championship-Sunday, March 12th
In the only matchup this year that Arlington and Georgia State played, the top seeded Mavericks won by a point at Georgia State. It stands to reason that they can do it again on a neutral court and earn a trip to the Big Dance where they will try to keep the Sun Belt's winning streak going.
Georgia State 72, UT Arlington 78
This year's champion UT-Arlington is projected at a 12 seed as well, though as mentioned in other primers, they would have to win the conference tournament to make the tournament in the first place. No other teams are going to get to go to the NCAA Tournament; whoever wins this tournament goes dancing.
All twelve teams will take part in the tournament. The top four teams received a bye to the quarterfinals. The tournament will take place at the Lakefront Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana on March 8th, and March 10th-12th.
First Round-Wednesday, March 8th
#9 South Alabama vs. #8 Coastal Carolina
#12 Louisiana-Monroe vs. #5 Arkansas State
#10 Little Rock vs. #7 Louisiana-Lafayette
#11 Appalachian State vs. #6 Troy
Quarterfinals-Friday, March 10th
#8 Coastal Carolina vs. #1 UT-Arlington
#5 Arkansas State vs. #4 Texas State
#7 Louisiana-Lafayette vs. #2 Georgia State
#6 Troy vs. #3 Georgia Southern
Semifinals-Saturday, March 11th
#5 Arkansas State vs. #1 UT-Arlington
#6 Troy vs. #2 Georgia State
Championship-Sunday, March 12th
In the only matchup this year that Arlington and Georgia State played, the top seeded Mavericks won by a point at Georgia State. It stands to reason that they can do it again on a neutral court and earn a trip to the Big Dance where they will try to keep the Sun Belt's winning streak going.
Georgia State 72, UT Arlington 78
2017 Championship Week Primer: SEC
For the most part over the past eight years, Kentucky has been the class of the SEC, with Florida sharing or taking the crown at points during that stretch. The Gators almost did again this year when Kentucky went on a swoon at the end of January, losing 3 of 4 games. But when it came down the stretch, the Wildcats were the ones that came out on top, finishing two games ahead of Florida.
Those two teams are going to the NCAA Tournament, with the Wildcats going in right now as a 2 seed and Florida as a 3 seed. Elsewhere, South Carolina as an 8 seed and Arkansas as a 9 seed look t be in the tournament as well. The only bubble team in the SEC is Vanderbilt, who is on the razor's edge on the bubble as a 12 seed. Vanderbilt needs to do some work in the SEC Tournament to feel good about their chances.
The SEC has 14 teams and all of them will take place in the tournament. The top four seeds got a double bye to the quarterfinals while the fifth through tenth seeds only got a single bye. The tournament will take place from March 8th to March 12th at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.
First Round-Wednesday, March 8th
#13 Louisiana State vs. #12 Mississippi State
#14 Missouri vs. #11 Auburn
Second Round-Thursday, March 9th
#9 Tennessee vs. #8 Georgia
#12 Mississippi State vs. #5 Alabama
#10 Texas A&M vs. #7 Vanderbilt
#11 Auburn vs. #6 Ole Miss
Quarterfinals-Friday, March 10th
#8 Georgia vs. #1 Kentucky
#5 Alabama vs. #4 South Carolina
#7 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Florida
#6 Ole Miss vs. #3 Arkansas
Semifinals-Saturday, March 11th
#5 Alabama vs. #1 Kentucky
#3 Arkansas vs. #2 Florida
Championship-Sunday, March 12th
It seems only fitting that these two teams have a rubber match to determine the SEC champion and who will get to cut down the nets less than an hour before the NCAA Tournament bracket is revealed. Kentucky has become one of the most dangerous teams in the country and have not lost in a long time. They might even be able to poach a top seed in the NCAA Tournament if North Carolina stumbles or the committee decides they like Kentucky's resume more than Gonzaga's. It starts in Nashville though and the Wildcats will come away victorious.
Florida 66, Kentucky 76
Those two teams are going to the NCAA Tournament, with the Wildcats going in right now as a 2 seed and Florida as a 3 seed. Elsewhere, South Carolina as an 8 seed and Arkansas as a 9 seed look t be in the tournament as well. The only bubble team in the SEC is Vanderbilt, who is on the razor's edge on the bubble as a 12 seed. Vanderbilt needs to do some work in the SEC Tournament to feel good about their chances.
The SEC has 14 teams and all of them will take place in the tournament. The top four seeds got a double bye to the quarterfinals while the fifth through tenth seeds only got a single bye. The tournament will take place from March 8th to March 12th at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.
First Round-Wednesday, March 8th
#13 Louisiana State vs. #12 Mississippi State
#14 Missouri vs. #11 Auburn
Second Round-Thursday, March 9th
#9 Tennessee vs. #8 Georgia
#12 Mississippi State vs. #5 Alabama
#10 Texas A&M vs. #7 Vanderbilt
#11 Auburn vs. #6 Ole Miss
Quarterfinals-Friday, March 10th
#8 Georgia vs. #1 Kentucky
#5 Alabama vs. #4 South Carolina
#7 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Florida
#6 Ole Miss vs. #3 Arkansas
Semifinals-Saturday, March 11th
#5 Alabama vs. #1 Kentucky
#3 Arkansas vs. #2 Florida
Championship-Sunday, March 12th
It seems only fitting that these two teams have a rubber match to determine the SEC champion and who will get to cut down the nets less than an hour before the NCAA Tournament bracket is revealed. Kentucky has become one of the most dangerous teams in the country and have not lost in a long time. They might even be able to poach a top seed in the NCAA Tournament if North Carolina stumbles or the committee decides they like Kentucky's resume more than Gonzaga's. It starts in Nashville though and the Wildcats will come away victorious.
Florida 66, Kentucky 76
Teams That Can Still Win a National Championship (Championship Week Day 9)
For the duration of Championship Week, teams will be sorted by conference. Teams that win their conference tournament will be placed in Bold. Teams that don't win their conference tournament, but are expected to be an at-large team will be in Italics. Teams considered safe will be a 9 seed or higher on Bracket Matrix. Teams on the bubble will have (?). The italics and (?) will only be used on teams that have already been eliminated from their conference tournament. Teams eliminated from national title contention will be shown will have their names crossed out for the night that they are eliminated only to show the difference from night to night.
Once the field of 68 teams is announced, the teams that can still win a national title will be sorted by NCAA region and be whittled down from there until on April 3rd when a champion is crowned.
America East
Vermont
Albany
American
Southern Methodist
Cincinnati
Houston
UCF
Connecticut
Memphis
Tulsa
Temple
East Carolina
Tulane
South Florida
Atlantic 10
Dayton
Virginia Commonwealth
Rhode Island
Richmond
Saint Bonaventure
George Mason
George Washington
La Salle
Davidson
Fordham
Saint Louis
Massachusetts
Saint Joseph's
Duquesne
ACC
North Carolina
Florida State
Louisville
Notre Dame
Duke
Virginia Tech
Miami
Virginia
Syracuse
Wake Forest
Pittsburgh
Clemson
Georgia Tech
North Carolina State
Boston College
Atlantic Sun
Florida Gulf Coast
Big XII
Kansas
Iowa State
Baylor
West Virginia
Oklahoma State
Kansas State
TCU
Texas Tech
Texas
Oklahoma
Big East
Villanova
Butler
Creighton
Seton Hall
Providence
Xavier
Marquette
St. John's
Georgetown
DePaul
Big Sky
North Dakota
Eastern Washington
Weber State
Idaho
Montana
Sacramento State
Portland State
Southern Utah
Montana State
Northern Arizona
Idaho State
Big South
Winthrop
Big Ten
Purdue
Wisconsin
Maryland
Minnesota
Michigan State
Northwestern
Michigan
Iowa
Illinois
Indiana
Ohio State
Penn State
Nebraska
Rutgers
Big West
UC Davis
UC Irvine
CS Fullerton
Hawaii
Long Beach State
CSU Northridge
Cal Poly
UC Riverside
Colonial
UNC Wilmington
Conference USA
Middle Tennessee
Louisiana Tech
Old Dominion
UTEP
Rice
Marshall
UAB
Western Kentucky
UT San Antonio
Charlotte
Florida Atlantic
Southern Miss
Horizon
Northern Kentucky
Milwaukee
Ivy League
Princeton
Harvard
Yale
Penn
MAAC
Iona
MAC
Akron
Ohio
Kent State
Buffalo
Ball State
Western Michigan
Toledo
Eastern Michigan
MEAC
North Carolina Central
Norfolk State
Morgan State
Hampton
Maryland-Eastern Shore
South Carolina State
Bethune-Cookman
Howard
Delaware State
Florida A&M
Missouri Valley
Wichita State
Illinois State (?)
Mountain West
Nevada
Colorado State
Boise State
Fresno State
New Mexico
San Diego State
Wyoming
San Jose State
Utah State
Air Force
UNLV
Northeast
Mount Saint Mary's
Saint Francis (PA)
Ohio Valley
Jacksonville State
Pac-12
Arizona
Oregon
UCLA
California
Utah
USC
Arizona State
Colorado
Stanford
Washington State
Washington
Oregon State
Patriot
Bucknell
Lehigh
SEC
Kentucky
Florida
Arkansas
South Carolina
Ole Miss
Alabama
Vanderbilt
Georgia
Texas A&M
Tennessee
Auburn
Mississippi State
Missouri
LSU
Southern
East Tennessee State
Southland
New Orleans
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Stephen F. Austin
Houston Baptist
Sam Houston State
Lamar
Southeast Louisiana
Central Arkansas
SWAC
Texas Southern
Southern
Grambling
Jackson State
Prairie View A&M
Alabama State
Mississippi Valley State
Summit League
South Dakota State
Omaha
Sun Belt
UT Arlington
Arkansas State
Georgia State
Georgia Southern
Texas State
Coastal Carolina
UL Lafayette
Troy
South Alabama
Arkansas-Little Rock
Appalachian State
Louisiana-Monroe
WAC
CSU Bakersfield
New Mexico State
UMKC
Seattle
Utah Valley
UT Rio Grande Valley
Chicago State
West Coast
Gonzaga
Saint Mary's
Once the field of 68 teams is announced, the teams that can still win a national title will be sorted by NCAA region and be whittled down from there until on April 3rd when a champion is crowned.
America East
Vermont
Albany
American
Southern Methodist
Cincinnati
Houston
UCF
Connecticut
Memphis
Tulsa
Temple
East Carolina
Tulane
South Florida
Atlantic 10
Dayton
Virginia Commonwealth
Rhode Island
Richmond
Saint Bonaventure
George Mason
George Washington
La Salle
Davidson
Fordham
Saint Louis
Massachusetts
Saint Joseph's
Duquesne
ACC
North Carolina
Florida State
Louisville
Notre Dame
Duke
Virginia Tech
Miami
Virginia
Syracuse
Wake Forest
Pittsburgh
Clemson
Atlantic Sun
Florida Gulf Coast
Big XII
Kansas
Iowa State
Baylor
West Virginia
Oklahoma State
Kansas State
TCU
Texas Tech
Texas
Oklahoma
Big East
Villanova
Butler
Creighton
Seton Hall
Providence
Xavier
Marquette
St. John's
Georgetown
DePaul
Big Sky
North Dakota
Eastern Washington
Weber State
Idaho
Montana
Sacramento State
Portland State
Southern Utah
Big South
Winthrop
Big Ten
Purdue
Wisconsin
Maryland
Minnesota
Michigan State
Northwestern
Michigan
Iowa
Illinois
Indiana
Ohio State
Penn State
Nebraska
Rutgers
Big West
UC Davis
UC Irvine
CS Fullerton
Hawaii
Long Beach State
CSU Northridge
Cal Poly
UC Riverside
Colonial
UNC Wilmington
Conference USA
Middle Tennessee
Louisiana Tech
Old Dominion
UTEP
Rice
Marshall
UAB
Western Kentucky
UT San Antonio
Charlotte
Florida Atlantic
Southern Miss
Horizon
Northern Kentucky
Ivy League
Princeton
Harvard
Yale
Penn
MAAC
Iona
MAC
Akron
Ohio
Kent State
Buffalo
Ball State
Western Michigan
Toledo
Eastern Michigan
MEAC
North Carolina Central
Norfolk State
Morgan State
Hampton
Maryland-Eastern Shore
South Carolina State
Bethune-Cookman
Howard
Missouri Valley
Wichita State
Illinois State (?)
Mountain West
Nevada
Colorado State
Boise State
Fresno State
New Mexico
San Diego State
Wyoming
San Jose State
Utah State
Air Force
UNLV
Northeast
Mount Saint Mary's
Ohio Valley
Jacksonville State
Pac-12
Arizona
Oregon
UCLA
California
Utah
USC
Arizona State
Colorado
Stanford
Washington State
Washington
Oregon State
Patriot
Bucknell
Lehigh
SEC
Kentucky
Florida
Arkansas
South Carolina
Ole Miss
Alabama
Vanderbilt
Georgia
Texas A&M
Tennessee
Auburn
Mississippi State
Missouri
LSU
Southern
East Tennessee State
Southland
New Orleans
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Stephen F. Austin
Houston Baptist
Sam Houston State
Lamar
Southeast Louisiana
Central Arkansas
SWAC
Texas Southern
Southern
Grambling
Summit League
South Dakota State
Sun Belt
UT Arlington
Arkansas State
Georgia State
Georgia Southern
Texas State
Coastal Carolina
UL Lafayette
Troy
South Alabama
Arkansas-Little Rock
Appalachian State
Louisiana-Monroe
WAC
CSU Bakersfield
New Mexico State
UMKC
Seattle
Utah Valley
UT Rio Grande Valley
Chicago State
West Coast
Gonzaga
Saint Mary's
2017 Championship Week Primer: Big Ten
Compared to recent years, the Big Ten definitely had a downswing in performance this year. This showed up in a painful way on February 11th when the NCAA Committee released an early preview of the bracket's top 16 teams and the Big Ten was a glaring omission from it. The closest team at that time, Wisconsin, has since had a meltdown by losing five of their last seven games of the season. The conference champion, Purdue is the only team left that could possibly get a top four seed and they currently are on the four line in bracket projections.
Besides Purdue, the other teams projected to get an at large bid are Minnesota (6 seed), Maryland (6 seed), Wisconsin (despite their collapse they are on the 7 line), and Michigan (9 seed). Of special note, the last major conference team to not make the NCAA Tournament, the oft-maligned Northwestern Wildcats are at long, long last projected to make the Big Dance, currently as a 9 seed.
The Big Ten's bubble teams include Michigan State, currently in the field as a 10 seed, and then Illinois and more recently Iowa. Both the Illini and the Hawkeyes are out of the projected field at present so they will have some work to do.
All 14 teams of the conference made the tournament. The top four seeds got a double bye to the quarterfinals and the fifth through tenth seeds got a single bye. The tournament will take place at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C.
First Round-Wednesday, March 8th
#13 Penn State vs. #12 Nebraska
#14 Rutgers vs. #11 Ohio State
Second Round-Thursday, March 9th
#9 Illinois vs. #8 Michigan
#12 Nebraska vs. #5 Michigan State
#10 Indiana vs. #7 Iowa
#11 Ohio State vs. #6 Northwestern
Quarterfinals-Friday, March 10th
#8 Michigan vs. #1 Purdue
#5 Michigan State vs. #4 Minnesota
#7 Iowa vs. #2 Wisconsin
#6 Northwestern vs. #3 Maryland
Semifinals-Saturday, March 11th
#8 Michigan vs. #5 Michigan State
#3 Maryland vs. #2 Wisconsin
Championship-Sunday, March 12th
If Michigan was in any danger of missing the tournament and there is to be some mild concern even if a team is projected as a single digit seed with five days to Selection Sunday, they will have already erased them by making the title game run. Wisconsin will have cured what ails them by making a run as well, getting them on even footing for the tournament. As for the automatic bid, Wisconsin will have played one less game by this point and being less tired will help as the Badgers win the Big Ten Tournament.
Michigan 60, Wisconsin 68
Besides Purdue, the other teams projected to get an at large bid are Minnesota (6 seed), Maryland (6 seed), Wisconsin (despite their collapse they are on the 7 line), and Michigan (9 seed). Of special note, the last major conference team to not make the NCAA Tournament, the oft-maligned Northwestern Wildcats are at long, long last projected to make the Big Dance, currently as a 9 seed.
The Big Ten's bubble teams include Michigan State, currently in the field as a 10 seed, and then Illinois and more recently Iowa. Both the Illini and the Hawkeyes are out of the projected field at present so they will have some work to do.
All 14 teams of the conference made the tournament. The top four seeds got a double bye to the quarterfinals and the fifth through tenth seeds got a single bye. The tournament will take place at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C.
First Round-Wednesday, March 8th
#13 Penn State vs. #12 Nebraska
#14 Rutgers vs. #11 Ohio State
Second Round-Thursday, March 9th
#9 Illinois vs. #8 Michigan
#12 Nebraska vs. #5 Michigan State
#10 Indiana vs. #7 Iowa
#11 Ohio State vs. #6 Northwestern
Quarterfinals-Friday, March 10th
#8 Michigan vs. #1 Purdue
#5 Michigan State vs. #4 Minnesota
#7 Iowa vs. #2 Wisconsin
#6 Northwestern vs. #3 Maryland
Semifinals-Saturday, March 11th
#8 Michigan vs. #5 Michigan State
#3 Maryland vs. #2 Wisconsin
Championship-Sunday, March 12th
If Michigan was in any danger of missing the tournament and there is to be some mild concern even if a team is projected as a single digit seed with five days to Selection Sunday, they will have already erased them by making the title game run. Wisconsin will have cured what ails them by making a run as well, getting them on even footing for the tournament. As for the automatic bid, Wisconsin will have played one less game by this point and being less tired will help as the Badgers win the Big Ten Tournament.
Michigan 60, Wisconsin 68
2017 Championship Week Primer: Atlantic 10
It has been a long time since the Atlantic 10 was actually ten teams. For at least the last decade, the Atlantic 10 has had at least 14 teams, maxing out as high as 16 teams. This year, the conference is back to 14 teams, which still makes the conference name a misnomer.
The Atlantic 10 has fluctuated back and forth with respect to relative strength of the conference. This year is a down year, with two teams going to the NCAA Tournament for sure, conference champion Dayton (7 seed) and Virginia Commonwealth (9 seed). Rhode Island has been in consideration as well, currently ranking among the First Four Teams out. They'll need to do some work in the conference tournament and get some help from elsewhere to get on the good side of the cutline.
All 14 teams made the Atlantic 10 tournament. The top four seeds got a double bye to the quarterfinals, while the fifth through tenth seeds got a single bye. The Tournament will take place at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
First Round-Wednesday, March 8th
#13 St. Joseph's vs. #12 Massachusetts
#14 Duquesne vs. #11 Saint Louis
Second Round-Thursday, March 9th
#9 Davidson vs. #8 La Salle
#12 Massachusetts vs. #5 Saint Bonaventure
#10 Fordham vs. #7 George Mason
#11 Saint Louis vs. #6 George Washington
Quarterfinals-Friday, March 10th
#9 Davidson vs. #1 Dayton
#5 Saint Bonaventure vs. #4 Rhode Island
#7 George Mason vs. #2 Virginia Commonwealth
#6 George Washington vs. #3 Richmond
Semifinals-Saturday, March 11th
#5 Saint Bonaventure vs. #1 Dayton
#3 Richmond vs. #2 Virginia Commonwealth
Championship-Sunday, March 12th
Dayton was able to win the Atlantic 10 championship in the last week of the regular season with a win over VCU. With both of these teams going to the NCAA Tournament, this game is for seeding and bragging rights. I believe that the Rams will take this one, winning in a close game as the other two games they have played this year have gone.
Virginia Commonwealth 70, Dayton 68
Tuesday, March 7, 2017
2017 Championship Week Primer: Southland
The Southland conference has been dominated by Stephen F. Austin for the past few years. The Lumberjacks were so good that their success carried over the NCAA Tournament, where they upstaged #5 VCU in 2014, #3 West Virginia in 2016 and had it not been for a tip in shot by #6 Notre Dame, would have made the Sweet Sixteen last year as well.
Stephen F. Austin's coach Brad Underwood left for Oklahoma State this year, however, and the Lumberjacks fell from the top perch. New Orleans won the conference this year by a game over a three way tie between the Lumberjacks, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, and Houston Baptist. New Orleans is projected as a solid 16 seed, probably to a First Four game as well should they win this tournament.
The top eight teams made the tournament out of a conference of 14 teams. The top two seeds received a double bye to the semifinals and the third and fourth seed received a bye to the quarterfinals. The tournament will take place in the Merrell Center in Katy, Texas.
First Round-Wednesday, March 8th
#8 Central Arkansas vs. #5 Sam Houston State
#7 Southeastern Louisiana vs. #6 Lamar
Quarterfinals-Thursday, March 9th
#5 Sam Houston State vs. #4 Houston Baptist
#6 Lamar vs. #3 Stephen F. Austin
Semifinals-Friday, March 10th
#4 Houston Baptist vs. #1 New Orleans
#3 Stephen F. Austin vs. #2 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Championship-Saturday, March 11th
Stephen F. Austin has won this conference tournament for three years ago coming into this game. Brad Underwood may be gone, but the players still have experience winning games in succession to make the NCAA Tournament. I don't know if the Lumberjacks will be able to spring another upset, but they will still make the field.
Houston Baptist 59, Stephen F. Austin 64
2017 Championship Week Primer: Pac-12
The Pac-12 has three legitimate Final Four contenders in Oregon, Arizona, and UCLA. Those three teams might also be the only three teams that make the NCAA Tournament from this conference. Such stratification is rare in conferences for the most part, but the Wildcats, Ducks, and Bruins are miles ahead of the rest of the conference. Between the three of those teams, they had seven conference losses, with five of these losses coming from each other.
These teams are facing an interesting situation with NCAA Tournament seeding. Gonzaga looks to be the top seed in the West region at present and the committee won't stick all three of these teams and Gonzaga in the same region. Somebody is going to have to do some travelling and the Pac-12 Tournament provides a good opportunity to avoid that for one of these teams. Right now, Oregon has been getting the nod as the lone 2 seed of this group. Arizona and UCLA are trending on the 3 line at this point.
Elsewhere, only USC and California are looking at potential at large bids. USC started the season 14-0 and then went 9-8 down the stretch, including a four game swoon in the last three weeks of the season. The Trojans had been comfortably in the tournament before that, but now they are on the 11 line, which is dangerous territory for a bubble team. California is only showing up in a handful of bracket projections right now and will need a miracle run in this tournament and maybe need the automatic bid just to be safe.
All 12 teams in the conference will take place in the tournament with the top four seeds getting a bye to the quarterfinals. The tournament will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada.
First Round-Wednesday, March 8th
#9 Stanford vs. #8 Arizona State
#12 Oregon State vs. #5 California
#10 Washington State vs. #7 Colorado
#11 Washington vs. #6 USC
Quarterfinals-Thursday, March 9th
#8 Arizona State vs. #1 Oregon
#5 California vs. #4 Utah
#7 Colorado vs. #2 Arizona
#6 USC vs. #3 UCLA
Semifinals-Friday, March 10th
#4 Utah vs. #1 Oregon
#3 UCLA vs. #2 Arizona
Championship-Saturday, March 11th
Oregon and UCLA split the season series in two thrilling games that were decided by a combined 5 ponits. Oregon will have the easier path to the final as UCLA will have had to go through Arizona to get to this game. I expect this to be wear down the Bruins and allow Oregon to nail down a trip to the West Regional as probably the 2 seed, possibly the 1 again.
UCLA 78, Oregon 85
These teams are facing an interesting situation with NCAA Tournament seeding. Gonzaga looks to be the top seed in the West region at present and the committee won't stick all three of these teams and Gonzaga in the same region. Somebody is going to have to do some travelling and the Pac-12 Tournament provides a good opportunity to avoid that for one of these teams. Right now, Oregon has been getting the nod as the lone 2 seed of this group. Arizona and UCLA are trending on the 3 line at this point.
Elsewhere, only USC and California are looking at potential at large bids. USC started the season 14-0 and then went 9-8 down the stretch, including a four game swoon in the last three weeks of the season. The Trojans had been comfortably in the tournament before that, but now they are on the 11 line, which is dangerous territory for a bubble team. California is only showing up in a handful of bracket projections right now and will need a miracle run in this tournament and maybe need the automatic bid just to be safe.
All 12 teams in the conference will take place in the tournament with the top four seeds getting a bye to the quarterfinals. The tournament will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada.
First Round-Wednesday, March 8th
#9 Stanford vs. #8 Arizona State
#12 Oregon State vs. #5 California
#10 Washington State vs. #7 Colorado
#11 Washington vs. #6 USC
Quarterfinals-Thursday, March 9th
#8 Arizona State vs. #1 Oregon
#5 California vs. #4 Utah
#7 Colorado vs. #2 Arizona
#6 USC vs. #3 UCLA
Semifinals-Friday, March 10th
#4 Utah vs. #1 Oregon
#3 UCLA vs. #2 Arizona
Championship-Saturday, March 11th
Oregon and UCLA split the season series in two thrilling games that were decided by a combined 5 ponits. Oregon will have the easier path to the final as UCLA will have had to go through Arizona to get to this game. I expect this to be wear down the Bruins and allow Oregon to nail down a trip to the West Regional as probably the 2 seed, possibly the 1 again.
UCLA 78, Oregon 85
2017 Championship Week Primer: Mountain West
2013 was a long time ago. The Mountain West was dominant that year, sending five teams to the NCAA Tournament. This is a very strong number for a mid major conference, but that was four years ago now. The Mountain West has fallen on hard times, with only one team, Nevada, even close to at large consideration. More likely than not, the winner of this tournament will be the only team to represent the Mountain West in the NCAA Tournament.
Nevada won the conference this year by a game over Colorado State. They are projected to be a 12 seed at present, which is nowhere near safe territory. The Wolfpack will almost certainly need to win the Mountain West tournament to make the NCAA Tournament, especially in this year that is proving to be unfriendly to mid major teams.
All 11 teams will participate in this tournament with the top five teams getting a bye to the quarterfinals. The tournament will take place from March 8th to March 11th at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
First Round-Wednesday, March 8th
#9 San Jose State vs. #8 Utah State
#10 Air Force vs. #7 Wyoming
#11 UNLV vs. #6 San Diego State
Quarterfinals-Thursday, March 9th
#8 Utah State vs. #1 Nevada
#5 New Mexico vs. #4 Fresno State
#7 Wyoming vs. #2 Colorado State
#6 San Diego State vs. #3 Boise State
Semifinals-Friday, March 10th
#4 Fresno State vs. #1 Nevada
#7 Wyoming vs. #6 San Diego State
Championship-Saturday, March 11th
If the Mountain West had had a stronger year, this championship game would mean that one of these teams would be stealing a bid. That is not going to be the case here as a semifinal loss will destroy whatever chance Nevada had of getting an at large bid. Between these two teams, I expect Fresno to win, as they have momentum going into the tournament winning five in a row. This momentum will carry them to the NCAA Tournament.
San Diego State 54, Fresno State 59
Nevada won the conference this year by a game over Colorado State. They are projected to be a 12 seed at present, which is nowhere near safe territory. The Wolfpack will almost certainly need to win the Mountain West tournament to make the NCAA Tournament, especially in this year that is proving to be unfriendly to mid major teams.
All 11 teams will participate in this tournament with the top five teams getting a bye to the quarterfinals. The tournament will take place from March 8th to March 11th at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
First Round-Wednesday, March 8th
#9 San Jose State vs. #8 Utah State
#10 Air Force vs. #7 Wyoming
#11 UNLV vs. #6 San Diego State
Quarterfinals-Thursday, March 9th
#8 Utah State vs. #1 Nevada
#5 New Mexico vs. #4 Fresno State
#7 Wyoming vs. #2 Colorado State
#6 San Diego State vs. #3 Boise State
Semifinals-Friday, March 10th
#4 Fresno State vs. #1 Nevada
#7 Wyoming vs. #6 San Diego State
Championship-Saturday, March 11th
If the Mountain West had had a stronger year, this championship game would mean that one of these teams would be stealing a bid. That is not going to be the case here as a semifinal loss will destroy whatever chance Nevada had of getting an at large bid. Between these two teams, I expect Fresno to win, as they have momentum going into the tournament winning five in a row. This momentum will carry them to the NCAA Tournament.
San Diego State 54, Fresno State 59
2017 Championship Week Primer: Conference USA
Conference USA could've been devastated by realignment when most of their top teams were poached by the Big East American Conference, leaving the conference scrambling to fill its ranks. It filled them and then some, with the conference ballooning to fourteen teams. One of the new teams staged one of the biggest upsets in tournament history last year when Middle Tennessee beat national title contender Michigan State in the Round of 64.
Middle Tennessee won the conference again this year handily, finishing three games above Louisiana Tech and only lost one game in conference play at UTEP. They are projected to be an 11 seed, which raises enough questions as to whether the Blue Raiders could get an at large bid. It is likely in this year where the committee seems to favor teams with strong SOS that Middle Tennessee will need the automatic bid to make the NCAA Tournament.
The top 12 teams of the 14 team conference made the Conference USA tournament. The top four teams will get a bye to the quarterfinals. The entire tournament will take place from March 8th to March 11th at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama.
First Round-Wednesday, March 8th
#9 UTSA vs. #8 Western Kentucky
#12 Southern Miss vs. #5 Rice
#10 Charlotte vs. #7 UAB
#11 Florida Atlantic vs. #6 Marshall
Quarterfinals-Thursday, March 9th
#8 Western Kentucky vs. #1 Middle Tennessee
#5 Rice vs. #4 UTEP
#7 UAB vs. #2 Louisiana Tech
#6 Marshall vs. #3 Old Dominion
Semifinals-Friday, March 10th
#5 Rice vs. #1 Middle Tennessee
#6 Marshall vs. #2 Louisiana Tech
Championship-Saturday, March 11th
Middle Tennessee is the best team in the conference and should win the tournament to advance to the NCAA Tournament. They will be a tough out again in the NCAA Tournament, though this team it'll be expected because of what the Blue Raiders did last year and the better seed they'll have this year.
Marshall 73, Middle Tennessee 80
Middle Tennessee won the conference again this year handily, finishing three games above Louisiana Tech and only lost one game in conference play at UTEP. They are projected to be an 11 seed, which raises enough questions as to whether the Blue Raiders could get an at large bid. It is likely in this year where the committee seems to favor teams with strong SOS that Middle Tennessee will need the automatic bid to make the NCAA Tournament.
The top 12 teams of the 14 team conference made the Conference USA tournament. The top four teams will get a bye to the quarterfinals. The entire tournament will take place from March 8th to March 11th at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama.
First Round-Wednesday, March 8th
#9 UTSA vs. #8 Western Kentucky
#12 Southern Miss vs. #5 Rice
#10 Charlotte vs. #7 UAB
#11 Florida Atlantic vs. #6 Marshall
Quarterfinals-Thursday, March 9th
#8 Western Kentucky vs. #1 Middle Tennessee
#5 Rice vs. #4 UTEP
#7 UAB vs. #2 Louisiana Tech
#6 Marshall vs. #3 Old Dominion
Semifinals-Friday, March 10th
#5 Rice vs. #1 Middle Tennessee
#6 Marshall vs. #2 Louisiana Tech
Championship-Saturday, March 11th
Middle Tennessee is the best team in the conference and should win the tournament to advance to the NCAA Tournament. They will be a tough out again in the NCAA Tournament, though this team it'll be expected because of what the Blue Raiders did last year and the better seed they'll have this year.
Marshall 73, Middle Tennessee 80
2017 Championship Week Primer: Big East
Last year, Villanova spent most of the season being projected on the top line before suffering a swoon late in the regular season to fall down to the 2 line. Most people wrote off the Wildcats because of that, until...
At that point in the game where Villanova made the championship winning shot, the momentum had been with North Carolina as they had just made a strong comeback to tie the game with 4 seconds remaining. In my experience, more often than not, the team that stages that kind of comeback usually wins in overtime. The Wildcats headed off overtime with a last second shot that will go down in NCAA history.
Villanova won the Big East for the fourth year in a row. The next closest team was Butler a sizable three games behind the Wildcats. There was a four way tie for third between Creighton, Seton Hall, Providence, and Marquette. The last team without a losing record is Xavier, who has ravaged by injuries and collapsed down to the bubble's edge.
Villanova, along with Kansas, is as solid as a 1 seed as one can get. Elsewhere, Butler is on the 4 line currently, Creighton is a 7 seed, and then everyone else that could get into the tournament is on the bubble. Marquette, Seton Hall, and Providence are 10 seeds right now, hardly safe territory with six days to Selection Sunday, and Xavier is in more dangerous territory on the 11 line. Any of these teams can be shown the exit if they fall out of the Big East Tournament early and especially if other bubble teams make a run.
The Big East Tournament will feature all ten teams of the conference with the top six seeds getting a bye to the quarterfinals. The tournament will take place from March 8th to March 11th at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
First Round-Wednesday, March 8th
#9 Georgetown vs. #8 St. John's
#10 DePaul vs. #7 Xavier
Quarterfinals-Thursday, March 9th
#9 Georgetown vs. #1 Villanova
#5 Seton Hall vs. #4 Marquette
#7 Xavier vs. #2 Butler
#6 Creighton vs. #3 Providence
Semifinals-Friday, March 10th
#5 Seton Hall vs. #1 Villanova
#3 Providence vs. #2 Butler
Championship-Saturday, March 11th
Butler was able to beat Villanova twice this season by eight points each, giving the Wildcats two of their three losses on the year. You don't usually see the better overall team get lose to the same team twice, especially since Butler finished only 10-6 in the league against non-Villanova opponents. Butler can certainly win again, but sometimes the third time's the charm and that is what I expect here.
Butler 65, Villanova 73
Villanova won the Big East for the fourth year in a row. The next closest team was Butler a sizable three games behind the Wildcats. There was a four way tie for third between Creighton, Seton Hall, Providence, and Marquette. The last team without a losing record is Xavier, who has ravaged by injuries and collapsed down to the bubble's edge.
Villanova, along with Kansas, is as solid as a 1 seed as one can get. Elsewhere, Butler is on the 4 line currently, Creighton is a 7 seed, and then everyone else that could get into the tournament is on the bubble. Marquette, Seton Hall, and Providence are 10 seeds right now, hardly safe territory with six days to Selection Sunday, and Xavier is in more dangerous territory on the 11 line. Any of these teams can be shown the exit if they fall out of the Big East Tournament early and especially if other bubble teams make a run.
The Big East Tournament will feature all ten teams of the conference with the top six seeds getting a bye to the quarterfinals. The tournament will take place from March 8th to March 11th at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
First Round-Wednesday, March 8th
#9 Georgetown vs. #8 St. John's
#10 DePaul vs. #7 Xavier
Quarterfinals-Thursday, March 9th
#9 Georgetown vs. #1 Villanova
#5 Seton Hall vs. #4 Marquette
#7 Xavier vs. #2 Butler
#6 Creighton vs. #3 Providence
Semifinals-Friday, March 10th
#5 Seton Hall vs. #1 Villanova
#3 Providence vs. #2 Butler
Championship-Saturday, March 11th
Butler was able to beat Villanova twice this season by eight points each, giving the Wildcats two of their three losses on the year. You don't usually see the better overall team get lose to the same team twice, especially since Butler finished only 10-6 in the league against non-Villanova opponents. Butler can certainly win again, but sometimes the third time's the charm and that is what I expect here.
Butler 65, Villanova 73
Monday, March 6, 2017
Teams That Can Still Win a National Championship (Championship Week Day 8)
For the duration of Championship Week, teams will be sorted by conference. Teams that win their conference tournament will be placed in Bold. Teams that don't win their conference tournament, but are expected to be an at-large team will be in Italics. Teams considered safe will be a 9 seed or higher on Bracket Matrix. Teams on the bubble will have (?). The italics and (?) will only be used on teams that have already been eliminated from their conference tournament. Teams eliminated from national title contention will be shown will have their names crossed out for the night that they are eliminated only to show the difference from night to night.
Once the field of 68 teams is announced, the teams that can still win a national title will be sorted by NCAA region and be whittled down from there until on April 3rd when a champion is crowned.
America East
Vermont
Albany
Stony Brook
New Hampshire
American
Southern Methodist
Cincinnati
Houston
UCF
Connecticut
Memphis
Tulsa
Temple
East Carolina
Tulane
South Florida
Atlantic 10
Dayton
Virginia Commonwealth
Rhode Island
Richmond
Saint Bonaventure
George Mason
George Washington
La Salle
Davidson
Fordham
Saint Louis
Massachusetts
Saint Joseph's
Duquesne
ACC
North Carolina
Florida State
Louisville
Notre Dame
Duke
Virginia Tech
Miami
Virginia
Syracuse
Wake Forest
Georgia Tech
Pittsburgh
Clemson
North Carolina State
Boston College
Atlantic Sun
Florida Gulf Coast
Big XII
Kansas
Iowa State
Baylor
West Virginia
Oklahoma State
Kansas State
TCU
Texas Tech
Texas
Oklahoma
Big East
Villanova
Butler
Creighton
Seton Hall
Providence
Xavier
Marquette
St. John's
Georgetown
DePaul
Big Sky
North Dakota
Eastern Washington
Weber State
Idaho
Montana State
Montana
Sacramento State
Portland State
Northern Arizona
Idaho State
Southern Utah
Big South
Winthrop
Big Ten
Purdue
Wisconsin
Maryland
Minnesota
Michigan State
Northwestern
Michigan
Iowa
Illinois
Indiana
Ohio State
Penn State
Nebraska
Rutgers
Big West
UC Davis
UC Irvine
CS Fullerton
Hawaii
Long Beach State
CSU Northridge
Cal Poly
UC Riverside
Colonial
UNC Wilmington
Charleston
Conference USA
Middle Tennessee
Louisiana Tech
Old Dominion
UTEP
Rice
Marshall
UAB
Western Kentucky
UT San Antonio
Charlotte
Florida Atlantic
Southern Miss
Horizon
Northern Kentucky
Milwaukee
UIC
Youngstown State
Ivy League
Princeton
Harvard
Yale
Penn
MAAC
Iona
Siena
MAC
Akron
Ohio
Kent State
Buffalo
Ball State
Western Michigan
Toledo
Eastern Michigan
Northern Illinois
Bowling Green
Central Michigan
Miami (OH)
MEAC
North Carolina Central
Norfolk State
Morgan State
Hampton
Maryland-Eastern Shore
South Carolina State
Delaware State
Bethune-Cookman
Howard
Florida A&M
North Carolina A&T
Coppin State
Missouri Valley
Wichita State
Illinois State (?)
Mountain West
Nevada
Colorado State
Boise State
Fresno State
New Mexico
San Diego State
Wyoming
San Jose State
Utah State
Air Force
UNLV
Northeast
Mount Saint Mary's
Saint Francis (PA)
Ohio Valley
Jacksonville State
Pac-12
Arizona
Oregon
UCLA
California
Utah
USC
Arizona State
Colorado
Stanford
Washington State
Washington
Oregon State
Patriot
Bucknell
Lehigh
SEC
Kentucky
Florida
Arkansas
South Carolina
Ole Miss
Alabama
Vanderbilt
Georgia
Texas A&M
Tennessee
Auburn
Mississippi State
Missouri
LSU
Southern
East Tennessee State
UNC Greensboro
New Orleans
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Stephen F. Austin
Houston Baptist
Sam Houston State
Lamar
Southeast Louisiana
Central Arkansas
SWAC
Texas Southern
Southern
Grambling
Jackson State
Prairie View A&M
Alabama State
Mississippi Valley State
Summit League
Omaha
South Dakota State
South Dakota
IUPUI
Sun Belt
UT Arlington
Arkansas State
Georgia State
Georgia Southern
Texas State
Coastal Carolina
UL Lafayette
Troy
South Alabama
Arkansas-Little Rock
Appalachian State
Louisiana-Monroe
WAC
CSU Bakersfield
New Mexico State
UMKC
Seattle
Utah Valley
UT Rio Grande Valley
Chicago State
West Coast
Gonzaga
Saint Mary's
BYU
Santa Clara
Once the field of 68 teams is announced, the teams that can still win a national title will be sorted by NCAA region and be whittled down from there until on April 3rd when a champion is crowned.
America East
Vermont
Albany
American
Southern Methodist
Cincinnati
Houston
UCF
Connecticut
Memphis
Tulsa
Temple
East Carolina
Tulane
South Florida
Atlantic 10
Dayton
Virginia Commonwealth
Rhode Island
Richmond
Saint Bonaventure
George Mason
George Washington
La Salle
Davidson
Fordham
Saint Louis
Massachusetts
Saint Joseph's
Duquesne
ACC
North Carolina
Florida State
Louisville
Notre Dame
Duke
Virginia Tech
Miami
Virginia
Syracuse
Wake Forest
Georgia Tech
Pittsburgh
Clemson
North Carolina State
Boston College
Atlantic Sun
Florida Gulf Coast
Big XII
Kansas
Iowa State
Baylor
West Virginia
Oklahoma State
Kansas State
TCU
Texas Tech
Texas
Oklahoma
Big East
Villanova
Butler
Creighton
Seton Hall
Providence
Xavier
Marquette
St. John's
Georgetown
DePaul
Big Sky
North Dakota
Eastern Washington
Weber State
Idaho
Montana State
Montana
Sacramento State
Portland State
Northern Arizona
Idaho State
Southern Utah
Big South
Winthrop
Big Ten
Purdue
Wisconsin
Maryland
Minnesota
Michigan State
Northwestern
Michigan
Iowa
Illinois
Indiana
Ohio State
Penn State
Nebraska
Rutgers
Big West
UC Davis
UC Irvine
CS Fullerton
Hawaii
Long Beach State
CSU Northridge
Cal Poly
UC Riverside
Colonial
UNC Wilmington
Conference USA
Middle Tennessee
Louisiana Tech
Old Dominion
UTEP
Rice
Marshall
UAB
Western Kentucky
UT San Antonio
Charlotte
Florida Atlantic
Southern Miss
Horizon
Northern Kentucky
Milwaukee
Ivy League
Princeton
Harvard
Yale
Penn
MAAC
Iona
MAC
Akron
Ohio
Kent State
Buffalo
Ball State
Western Michigan
Toledo
Eastern Michigan
MEAC
North Carolina Central
Norfolk State
Morgan State
Hampton
Maryland-Eastern Shore
South Carolina State
Delaware State
Bethune-Cookman
Howard
Florida A&M
Missouri Valley
Wichita State
Illinois State (?)
Mountain West
Nevada
Colorado State
Boise State
Fresno State
New Mexico
San Diego State
Wyoming
San Jose State
Utah State
Air Force
UNLV
Northeast
Mount Saint Mary's
Saint Francis (PA)
Ohio Valley
Jacksonville State
Pac-12
Arizona
Oregon
UCLA
California
Utah
USC
Arizona State
Colorado
Stanford
Washington State
Washington
Oregon State
Patriot
Bucknell
Lehigh
SEC
Kentucky
Florida
Arkansas
South Carolina
Ole Miss
Alabama
Vanderbilt
Georgia
Texas A&M
Tennessee
Auburn
Mississippi State
Missouri
LSU
Southern
East Tennessee State
New Orleans
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Stephen F. Austin
Houston Baptist
Sam Houston State
Lamar
Southeast Louisiana
Central Arkansas
SWAC
Texas Southern
Southern
Grambling
Jackson State
Prairie View A&M
Alabama State
Mississippi Valley State
Summit League
Omaha
South Dakota State
Sun Belt
UT Arlington
Arkansas State
Georgia State
Georgia Southern
Texas State
Coastal Carolina
UL Lafayette
Troy
South Alabama
Arkansas-Little Rock
Appalachian State
Louisiana-Monroe
WAC
CSU Bakersfield
New Mexico State
UMKC
Seattle
Utah Valley
UT Rio Grande Valley
Chicago State
West Coast
Gonzaga
Saint Mary's
2017 Championship Week Primer: Big 12
The Big 12 has been rated as one of the top three conferences since at least 2005. In 2015 and 2016, the Big 12 ranked as the best conference in the country. And yet, this year, as in the 12 years before it, the result in the regular season was the same. The Kansas Jayhawks won an NCAA-record tying 13th straight conference title, a feat only matched by John Wooden's UCLA teams from 1967-1979. The Jayhawks finished four games ahead of the rest of the conference, which is one of the widest separations that Kansas has had from the rest of the conference.
Kansas is projected as a top seed, mostly as the top overall seed in the tournament. Kansas and Villanova are the two teams most secure on the top line at present and it would take an extreme situation, which would include a quarterfinal loss to Oklahoma or TCU and a run by a number of other teams in other tournaments, for the Jayhawks to fall off of the top line.
All told, at present, the Big 12 is projected to have five tournament teams. As many as 8 were under consideration at one point, but Texas Tech, TCU, and Kansas State all wilted down the stretch. Baylor is currently on the 2 line, West Virginia is at the 4 line, Iowa State is looking at a 6 seed, and lastly Oklahoma State is on the 7 line. Kansas State is mostly among the first four teams out of the tournament, which means they could play their way into the NCAA Tournament with a run in Kansas City.
All ten teams will take place in the tournament and the top six teams received a bye to the quarterfinals. The tournament will take place at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
First Round-Wednesday, March 8th
#9 Oklahoma vs. #8 TCU
#10 Texas vs. #7 Texas Tech
Quarterfinals-Thursday, March 9th
#9 Oklahoma vs. #1 Kansas
#5 Oklahoma State vs. #4 Iowa State
#7 Texas Tech vs. #2 West Virginia
#6 Kansas State vs. #3 Baylor
Semifinals-Friday, March 10th
#5 Oklahoma State vs. #1 Kansas
#3 Baylor vs. #2 West Virginia
Championship-Saturday, March 11th
In truth, West Virginia controlled Kansas for most of two games this year, though they split the season series. Kansas had a meltdown late against the Mountaineers in Morgantown, leading to a lopsided West Virginia win. West Virginia seemingly pulled a similar feat in Lawrence, leading the Jayhawks by 14 with 2:45 left when Kansas staged a miraculous comeback to force overtime and eventually win.
West Virginia plays a manic defense that can wear teams down, but playing that kind of style can wear a team down in back to back games like in conference tournaments. This contributed to a 81-71 loss to Kansas in the Big 12 championship game last year. This year I expect the same result, though I would not be surprised if West Virginia were able to win this game. I think it is really a tossup, but Kansas' experience at closing out games this year providing the difference.
West Virginia 65, Kansas 67
Kansas is projected as a top seed, mostly as the top overall seed in the tournament. Kansas and Villanova are the two teams most secure on the top line at present and it would take an extreme situation, which would include a quarterfinal loss to Oklahoma or TCU and a run by a number of other teams in other tournaments, for the Jayhawks to fall off of the top line.
All told, at present, the Big 12 is projected to have five tournament teams. As many as 8 were under consideration at one point, but Texas Tech, TCU, and Kansas State all wilted down the stretch. Baylor is currently on the 2 line, West Virginia is at the 4 line, Iowa State is looking at a 6 seed, and lastly Oklahoma State is on the 7 line. Kansas State is mostly among the first four teams out of the tournament, which means they could play their way into the NCAA Tournament with a run in Kansas City.
All ten teams will take place in the tournament and the top six teams received a bye to the quarterfinals. The tournament will take place at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
First Round-Wednesday, March 8th
#9 Oklahoma vs. #8 TCU
#10 Texas vs. #7 Texas Tech
Quarterfinals-Thursday, March 9th
#9 Oklahoma vs. #1 Kansas
#5 Oklahoma State vs. #4 Iowa State
#7 Texas Tech vs. #2 West Virginia
#6 Kansas State vs. #3 Baylor
Semifinals-Friday, March 10th
#5 Oklahoma State vs. #1 Kansas
#3 Baylor vs. #2 West Virginia
Championship-Saturday, March 11th
In truth, West Virginia controlled Kansas for most of two games this year, though they split the season series. Kansas had a meltdown late against the Mountaineers in Morgantown, leading to a lopsided West Virginia win. West Virginia seemingly pulled a similar feat in Lawrence, leading the Jayhawks by 14 with 2:45 left when Kansas staged a miraculous comeback to force overtime and eventually win.
West Virginia plays a manic defense that can wear teams down, but playing that kind of style can wear a team down in back to back games like in conference tournaments. This contributed to a 81-71 loss to Kansas in the Big 12 championship game last year. This year I expect the same result, though I would not be surprised if West Virginia were able to win this game. I think it is really a tossup, but Kansas' experience at closing out games this year providing the difference.
West Virginia 65, Kansas 67
2017 Championship Week Primer: ACC
In a year where strong mid majors are being passed over for at large consideration, conferences like the ACC stand to benefit from it. For a while, the ACC was projected to have 11 teams in the NCAA Tournament, until it became obvious that a team that finished 6-12 in conference play with 14 losses overall doesn't deserve at large consideration *cough, Clemson*. That being said, ten teams are still projected to be in the field at present, though we'll discuss that more in a minute.
The conference was won by North Carolina for the second year in a row, winning it by two games over Florida State, Louisville, and Notre Dame. The Tar Heels are currently projected as the third #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, behind Villanova and Kansas. North Carolina has six losses, however, and if they stumble early and other teams like Kentucky, Oregon, or Baylor make a run, they could fall off of the top line.
North Carolina was able to keep above the log jam that pervades the top half of the conference. Florida State, Louisville, and Notre Dame finished 12-6 and got a double bye in the ACC Tournament. Duke and Virginia finished 11-7, and Virginia Tech, Miami, and Syracuse all finished 10-8. All of these teams appear in most bracket projections, along with Wake Forest who finished 9-9.
As for the seeding projections, Louisville is looking at a 2 seed, Florida State is at 3 seed, Duke is on the 4 line. Virginia and Notre Dame are both looking at 5 seeds, a seed line notorious for being upset by 12 seeds. Miami and Virginia Tech round out the safe seeds, both of which are located on the 8 line. Then things get a bit trickier, with Wake Forest and Syracuse both thoroughly on the bubble as 11 seeds. Losing early could doom either of those teams to the NIT, while make picking up multiple wins here could go a long way to securing an at large bid.
The ACC Tournament will feature all 15 teams from the conference. The teams seeded fifth through ninth will get a single bye to the second round and the top four seeds got a double bye to the quarterfinals. The tournament will take place at the Barclays Center from March 7th to March 11th .
First Round-Tuesday, March 7th
#13 North Carolina State vs. #12 Clemson
#15 Boston College vs. #10 Wake Forest
#14 Pittsburgh vs. #11 Georgia Tech
Second Round-Wednesday, March 8th
#9 Miami vs. #8 Syracuse
#12 Clemson vs. #5 Duke
#10 Wake Forest vs. #7 Virginia Tech
#11 Georgia Tech vs. #6 Virginia
Quarterfinals-Thursday, March 9th
#9 Miami vs. #1 North Carolina
#5 Duke vs. #4 Louisville
#10 Wake Forest vs. #2 Florida State
#6 Virginia vs. #3 Notre Dame
Semifinals-Friday, March 10th
#4 Louisville vs. #1 North Carolina
#6 Virginia vs. #2 Florida State
Championship-Saturday, March 11th
In their only matchup this season, North Carolina handed Florida State a double digit loss in a game in mid-January. That was naturally a long time ago, but it isn't hard to expect a similar result. North Carolina fell in the National Championship game last year on a Kris Jenkins three with no time left, but this year, but the Tar Heels are as strong as they were last year and could make a title run. They'll have two tournament championships this year at least, one in Maui and the second in New York City.
Florida State 74, North Carolina 80
The conference was won by North Carolina for the second year in a row, winning it by two games over Florida State, Louisville, and Notre Dame. The Tar Heels are currently projected as the third #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, behind Villanova and Kansas. North Carolina has six losses, however, and if they stumble early and other teams like Kentucky, Oregon, or Baylor make a run, they could fall off of the top line.
North Carolina was able to keep above the log jam that pervades the top half of the conference. Florida State, Louisville, and Notre Dame finished 12-6 and got a double bye in the ACC Tournament. Duke and Virginia finished 11-7, and Virginia Tech, Miami, and Syracuse all finished 10-8. All of these teams appear in most bracket projections, along with Wake Forest who finished 9-9.
As for the seeding projections, Louisville is looking at a 2 seed, Florida State is at 3 seed, Duke is on the 4 line. Virginia and Notre Dame are both looking at 5 seeds, a seed line notorious for being upset by 12 seeds. Miami and Virginia Tech round out the safe seeds, both of which are located on the 8 line. Then things get a bit trickier, with Wake Forest and Syracuse both thoroughly on the bubble as 11 seeds. Losing early could doom either of those teams to the NIT, while make picking up multiple wins here could go a long way to securing an at large bid.
The ACC Tournament will feature all 15 teams from the conference. The teams seeded fifth through ninth will get a single bye to the second round and the top four seeds got a double bye to the quarterfinals. The tournament will take place at the Barclays Center from March 7th to March 11th .
First Round-Tuesday, March 7th
#13 North Carolina State vs. #12 Clemson
#15 Boston College vs. #10 Wake Forest
#14 Pittsburgh vs. #11 Georgia Tech
Second Round-Wednesday, March 8th
#9 Miami vs. #8 Syracuse
#12 Clemson vs. #5 Duke
#10 Wake Forest vs. #7 Virginia Tech
#11 Georgia Tech vs. #6 Virginia
Quarterfinals-Thursday, March 9th
#9 Miami vs. #1 North Carolina
#5 Duke vs. #4 Louisville
#10 Wake Forest vs. #2 Florida State
#6 Virginia vs. #3 Notre Dame
Semifinals-Friday, March 10th
#4 Louisville vs. #1 North Carolina
#6 Virginia vs. #2 Florida State
Championship-Saturday, March 11th
In their only matchup this season, North Carolina handed Florida State a double digit loss in a game in mid-January. That was naturally a long time ago, but it isn't hard to expect a similar result. North Carolina fell in the National Championship game last year on a Kris Jenkins three with no time left, but this year, but the Tar Heels are as strong as they were last year and could make a title run. They'll have two tournament championships this year at least, one in Maui and the second in New York City.
Florida State 74, North Carolina 80
2017 Championship Week Primer: SWAC
There is not a more glaring example than the SWAC of the weakness of the APR system the NCAA uses to track academic progress. Every single year, one or more SWAC teams are banned from postseason play due to poor APR. 2014 was the low point of this ongoing crisis when four of the ten teams from the conference were banned from postseason play. The NCAA gave the SWAC a special exemption to allow all ten teams to play otherwise it would have been a six team conference tournament, which would have been a financial nightmare for a conference. As it is, the SWAC cannot afford to have three rounds of the tournament at a neutral venue, opting to play the quarterfinals at campus sites.
This year, the banned team is Alcorn State, who was also the only banned team last year as well. Since the 2014 fiasco, teams that have been banned from postseason play due to APR violations have been allowed to participate in the SWAC tournament anyway with the understanding that if the banned team won, then the runner-up would go to the NCAA Tournament. As Alcorn State finished second in the conference, this may actually come up.
Texas Southern won the conference this year by three games over Alcorn State. They have been trending as a 15 or a 16 seed, with the 15 seeds coming more as other tournaments like the Horizon were rocked by upsets.
The top eight teams made the conference tournament. The first round, as mentioned, will be on campus sites on Tuesday, March 7th while the semifinals and finals will be at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas on March 10 and 11th.
Quarterfinals-Tuesday, March 7th
#8 Alabama State vs. #1 Texas Southern
#5 Grambling State vs. #4 Prairie View A&M
#7 Mississippi Valley State vs. #2 Alcorn State
#6 Jackson State vs. #3 Southern
Semifinals-Friday, March 10th
#4 Prairie View A&M vs. #1 Texas Southern
#7 Mississippi Valley State vs. #6 Jackson State
Championship-Saturday, March 11th
Texas Southern and Jackson State split the season series, with both teams winning at home. The loss at Jackson State remains the Tigers' only loss since January 23rd. It would seem more than anything that was just an off night, especially since Texas Southern romped over Jackson State by 23 earlier the season. Texas Southern will make its third NCAA Tournament appearance of the last four years.
Jackson State 55, Texas Southern 66
This year, the banned team is Alcorn State, who was also the only banned team last year as well. Since the 2014 fiasco, teams that have been banned from postseason play due to APR violations have been allowed to participate in the SWAC tournament anyway with the understanding that if the banned team won, then the runner-up would go to the NCAA Tournament. As Alcorn State finished second in the conference, this may actually come up.
Texas Southern won the conference this year by three games over Alcorn State. They have been trending as a 15 or a 16 seed, with the 15 seeds coming more as other tournaments like the Horizon were rocked by upsets.
The top eight teams made the conference tournament. The first round, as mentioned, will be on campus sites on Tuesday, March 7th while the semifinals and finals will be at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas on March 10 and 11th.
Quarterfinals-Tuesday, March 7th
#8 Alabama State vs. #1 Texas Southern
#5 Grambling State vs. #4 Prairie View A&M
#7 Mississippi Valley State vs. #2 Alcorn State
#6 Jackson State vs. #3 Southern
Semifinals-Friday, March 10th
#4 Prairie View A&M vs. #1 Texas Southern
#7 Mississippi Valley State vs. #6 Jackson State
Championship-Saturday, March 11th
Texas Southern and Jackson State split the season series, with both teams winning at home. The loss at Jackson State remains the Tigers' only loss since January 23rd. It would seem more than anything that was just an off night, especially since Texas Southern romped over Jackson State by 23 earlier the season. Texas Southern will make its third NCAA Tournament appearance of the last four years.
Jackson State 55, Texas Southern 66
2017 Championship Week Primer: Big Sky
The Big Sky normally puts out low seeded teams that more than often exit the Tournament in the first round. There hasn't been a Big Sky team advance past the Round of 64 in at least the last ten years and the highest that any team from the conference has been seeded was a #13 by Montana in 2013.
North Dakota won the conference by a game over Eastern Washington. Five teams finished within three games of North Dakota as well, indicating that it could be a tightly fought tournament. The Fighting Hawks are projected to be a 16 seed at present, which means no matter who wins the tournament, the winner will be a 16 seed.
There are 12 teams in the conference, but Northern Colorado will not participate in the tournament as part of a self imposed ban due to ongoing investigations into program infractions. The top 5 seeds received a bye to the quarterfinals. The tournament will take place from March 7th to 11th at the Reno Events Center in Reno, Nevada.
First Round-Tuesday, March 7th
#9 Northern Arizona vs. #8 Portland State
#10 Idaho State vs. #7 Sacramento State
#11 Southern Utah vs. #6 Montana State
Quarterfinals-Thursday, March 9th
#9 Northern Arizona vs. #1 North Dakota
#5 Montana vs. #4 Idaho
#7 Sacramento State vs. #2 Eastern Washington
#6 Montana State vs. #3 Weber State
Semifinals-Friday, March 10th
#5 Montana vs. #1 North Dakota
#3 Weber State vs. #2 Eastern Washington
Championship-Saturday, March 11th
In two games this year, North Dakota beat Weber State twice, once by six at home and the other by nine at Weber State. There isn't any serious reason to believe that the Fighting Hawks wouldn't be able to win a third and advance to the NCAA Tournament.
Weber State 63, North Dakota 70
North Dakota won the conference by a game over Eastern Washington. Five teams finished within three games of North Dakota as well, indicating that it could be a tightly fought tournament. The Fighting Hawks are projected to be a 16 seed at present, which means no matter who wins the tournament, the winner will be a 16 seed.
There are 12 teams in the conference, but Northern Colorado will not participate in the tournament as part of a self imposed ban due to ongoing investigations into program infractions. The top 5 seeds received a bye to the quarterfinals. The tournament will take place from March 7th to 11th at the Reno Events Center in Reno, Nevada.
First Round-Tuesday, March 7th
#9 Northern Arizona vs. #8 Portland State
#10 Idaho State vs. #7 Sacramento State
#11 Southern Utah vs. #6 Montana State
Quarterfinals-Thursday, March 9th
#9 Northern Arizona vs. #1 North Dakota
#5 Montana vs. #4 Idaho
#7 Sacramento State vs. #2 Eastern Washington
#6 Montana State vs. #3 Weber State
Semifinals-Friday, March 10th
#5 Montana vs. #1 North Dakota
#3 Weber State vs. #2 Eastern Washington
Championship-Saturday, March 11th
In two games this year, North Dakota beat Weber State twice, once by six at home and the other by nine at Weber State. There isn't any serious reason to believe that the Fighting Hawks wouldn't be able to win a third and advance to the NCAA Tournament.
Weber State 63, North Dakota 70
Sunday, March 5, 2017
Team That Can Still Win a National Championship (Championship Week Day 7)
For the duration of Championship Week, teams will be sorted by conference. Teams that win their conference tournament will be placed in Bold. Teams that don't win their conference tournament, but are expected to be an at-large team will be in Italics. Teams considered safe will be a 9 seed or higher on Bracket Matrix. Teams on the bubble will have (?). The italics and (?) will only be used on teams that have already been eliminated from their conference tournament. Teams eliminated from national title contention will be shown will have their names crossed out for the night that they are eliminated only to show the difference from night to night.
Once the field of 68 teams is announced, the teams that can still win a national title will be sorted by NCAA region and be whittled down from there until on April 3rd when a champion is crowned.
America East
Vermont
Stony Brook
Albany
New Hampshire
American
Southern Methodist
Cincinnati
Houston
UCF
Connecticut
Memphis
Tulsa
Temple
East Carolina
Tulane
South Florida
Atlantic 10
Dayton
Virginia Commonwealth
Rhode Island
Richmond
Saint Bonaventure
George Mason
George Washington
La Salle
Davidson
Fordham
Saint Louis
Massachusetts
Saint Joseph's
Duquesne
ACC
North Carolina
Florida State
Louisville
Notre Dame
Duke
Virginia Tech
Miami
Virginia
Syracuse
Wake Forest
Georgia Tech
Pittsburgh
Clemson
North Carolina State
Boston College
Atlantic Sun
Florida Gulf Coast
North Florida
Big XII
Kansas
Iowa State
Baylor
West Virginia
Oklahoma State
Kansas State
TCU
Texas Tech
Texas
Oklahoma
Big East
Villanova
Butler
Creighton
Seton Hall
Providence
Xavier
Marquette
St. John's
Georgetown
DePaul
Big Sky
North Dakota
Eastern Washington
Weber State
Idaho
Montana State
Montana
Sacramento State
Portland State
Northern Arizona
Idaho State
Southern Utah
Big South
Winthrop
Campbell
Big Ten
Purdue
Wisconsin
Maryland
Minnesota
Michigan State
Northwestern
Michigan
Iowa
Illinois
Indiana
Ohio State
Penn State
Nebraska
Rutgers
Big West
UC Davis
UC Irvine
CS Fullerton
Hawaii
Long Beach State
CSU Northridge
Cal Poly
UC Riverside
Colonial
UNC Wilmington
Charleston
Towson
Elon
Conference USA
Middle Tennessee
Louisiana Tech
Old Dominion
UTEP
Rice
Marshall
UAB
Western Kentucky
UT San Antonio
Charlotte
Florida Atlantic
Southern Miss
Horizon
Northern Kentucky
UIC
Youngstown State
Milwaukee
Green Bay
Wright State
Ivy League
Princeton
Harvard
Yale
Penn
MAAC
Iona
Siena
Monmouth
Saint Peter's
MAC
Akron
Ohio
Kent State
Buffalo
Ball State
Western Michigan
Toledo
Northern Illinois
Bowling Green
Central Michigan
Eastern Michigan
Miami (OH)
MEAC
North Carolina Central
Norfolk State
Morgan State
Hampton
Maryland-Eastern Shore
South Carolina State
Coppin State
Delaware State
Bethune-Cookman
Howard
Florida A&M
North Carolina A&T
Missouri Valley
Wichita State
Illinois State (?)
Mountain West
Nevada
Colorado State
Boise State
Fresno State
New Mexico
San Diego State
Wyoming
San Jose State
Utah State
Air Force
UNLV
Northeast
Mount Saint Mary's
Saint Francis (PA)
Ohio Valley
Jacksonville State
Pac-12
Arizona
Oregon
UCLA
California
Utah
USC
Arizona State
Colorado
Stanford
Washington State
Washington
Oregon State
Patriot
Bucknell
Lehigh
Boston University
Navy
SEC
Kentucky
Florida
Arkansas
South Carolina
Ole Miss
Alabama
Vanderbilt
Georgia
Texas A&M
Tennessee
Auburn
Mississippi State
Missouri
LSU
Southern
UNC Greensboro
East Tennessee State
Wofford
Samford
Southland
New Orleans
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Stephen F. Austin
Houston Baptist
Sam Houston State
Lamar
Southeast Louisiana
Central Arkansas
SWAC
Texas Southern
Alcorn State
Southern
Grambling
Jackson State
Prairie View A&M
Alabama State
Mississippi Valley State
Summit League
South Dakota
Omaha
South Dakota State
IUPUI
Denver
Fort Wayne
Sun Belt
UT Arlington
Arkansas State
Georgia State
Georgia Southern
Texas State
Coastal Carolina
UL Lafayette
Troy
South Alabama
Arkansas-Little Rock
Appalachian State
Louisiana-Monroe
WAC
CSU Bakersfield
New Mexico State
UMKC
Seattle
Utah Valley
UT Rio Grande Valley
Chicago State
West Coast
Gonzaga
Saint Mary's
BYU
Santa Clara
Once the field of 68 teams is announced, the teams that can still win a national title will be sorted by NCAA region and be whittled down from there until on April 3rd when a champion is crowned.
America East
Vermont
Stony Brook
Albany
New Hampshire
American
Southern Methodist
Cincinnati
Houston
UCF
Connecticut
Memphis
Tulsa
Temple
East Carolina
Tulane
South Florida
Atlantic 10
Dayton
Virginia Commonwealth
Rhode Island
Richmond
Saint Bonaventure
George Mason
George Washington
La Salle
Davidson
Fordham
Saint Louis
Massachusetts
Saint Joseph's
Duquesne
ACC
North Carolina
Florida State
Louisville
Notre Dame
Duke
Virginia Tech
Miami
Virginia
Syracuse
Wake Forest
Georgia Tech
Pittsburgh
Clemson
North Carolina State
Boston College
Atlantic Sun
Florida Gulf Coast
Big XII
Kansas
Iowa State
Baylor
West Virginia
Oklahoma State
Kansas State
TCU
Texas Tech
Texas
Oklahoma
Big East
Villanova
Butler
Creighton
Seton Hall
Providence
Xavier
Marquette
St. John's
Georgetown
DePaul
Big Sky
North Dakota
Eastern Washington
Weber State
Idaho
Montana State
Montana
Sacramento State
Portland State
Northern Arizona
Idaho State
Southern Utah
Big South
Winthrop
Big Ten
Purdue
Wisconsin
Maryland
Minnesota
Michigan State
Northwestern
Michigan
Iowa
Illinois
Indiana
Ohio State
Penn State
Nebraska
Rutgers
Big West
UC Davis
UC Irvine
CS Fullerton
Hawaii
Long Beach State
CSU Northridge
Cal Poly
UC Riverside
Colonial
UNC Wilmington
Charleston
Conference USA
Middle Tennessee
Louisiana Tech
Old Dominion
UTEP
Rice
Marshall
UAB
Western Kentucky
UT San Antonio
Charlotte
Florida Atlantic
Southern Miss
Horizon
Northern Kentucky
UIC
Youngstown State
Milwaukee
Ivy League
Princeton
Harvard
Yale
Penn
MAAC
Iona
Siena
MAC
Akron
Ohio
Kent State
Buffalo
Ball State
Western Michigan
Toledo
Northern Illinois
Bowling Green
Central Michigan
Eastern Michigan
Miami (OH)
MEAC
North Carolina Central
Norfolk State
Morgan State
Hampton
Maryland-Eastern Shore
South Carolina State
Coppin State
Delaware State
Bethune-Cookman
Howard
Florida A&M
North Carolina A&T
Missouri Valley
Wichita State
Illinois State (?)
Mountain West
Nevada
Colorado State
Boise State
Fresno State
New Mexico
San Diego State
Wyoming
San Jose State
Utah State
Air Force
UNLV
Northeast
Mount Saint Mary's
Saint Francis (PA)
Ohio Valley
Jacksonville State
Pac-12
Arizona
Oregon
UCLA
California
Utah
USC
Arizona State
Colorado
Stanford
Washington State
Washington
Oregon State
Patriot
Bucknell
Lehigh
SEC
Kentucky
Florida
Arkansas
South Carolina
Ole Miss
Alabama
Vanderbilt
Georgia
Texas A&M
Tennessee
Auburn
Mississippi State
Missouri
LSU
Southern
UNC Greensboro
East Tennessee State
Southland
New Orleans
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Stephen F. Austin
Houston Baptist
Sam Houston State
Lamar
Southeast Louisiana
Central Arkansas
SWAC
Texas Southern
Alcorn State
Southern
Grambling
Jackson State
Prairie View A&M
Alabama State
Mississippi Valley State
Summit League
South Dakota
Omaha
South Dakota State
IUPUI
Sun Belt
UT Arlington
Arkansas State
Georgia State
Georgia Southern
Texas State
Coastal Carolina
UL Lafayette
Troy
South Alabama
Arkansas-Little Rock
Appalachian State
Louisiana-Monroe
WAC
CSU Bakersfield
New Mexico State
UMKC
Seattle
Utah Valley
UT Rio Grande Valley
Chicago State
West Coast
Gonzaga
Saint Mary's
BYU
Santa Clara
2017 Championship Week Primer: MAC
The Mid-American Conference has not had a team win in the NCAA Tournament since #13 seed Ohio made a spirited run to the Sweet 16 and took top seed North Carolina to overtime in that Midwest Regional Semifinal. Since then, the MAC has gone 0-4 in the NCAA Tournament, losing in the Round of 64 every time.
Akron won the MAC by three games, though they struggled down the stretch losing three of their last five games, including two at home. Akron is projected to be a 13 seed at the moment, this assuming that the Zips can win the MAC Tournament.
All 12 teams will take part in the tournament and the top four teams received a bye to the quarterfinals. The first round will take place on campus sites on March 6th and the rest of the tournament will take place at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio from March 9th to 11th.
First Round-Monday, March 6th
#9 Northern Illinois at #8 Eastern Michigan
#12 Miami (OH) at #5 Western Michigan
#10 Bowling Green at #7 Toledo
#11 Central Michigan at #6 Kent State
Quarterfinals-Thursday, March 9th
#8 Eastern Michigan vs. #1 Akron
#5 Western Michigan vs. #4 Ball State
#7 Toledo vs. #2 Ohio
#6 Kent State vs. #3 Buffalo
Semifinals-Friday, March 10th
#5 Western Michigan vs. #1 Akron
#7 Toledo vs. #6 Kent State
Championship-Saturday, March 11th
Akron may have struggled down the stretch, but that is not an indication that they will struggle here. They are still the best team in the conference and with upsets rocking this tournament, the Zips should get to the NCAA Tournament.
Kent State 55, Akron 60
Akron won the MAC by three games, though they struggled down the stretch losing three of their last five games, including two at home. Akron is projected to be a 13 seed at the moment, this assuming that the Zips can win the MAC Tournament.
All 12 teams will take part in the tournament and the top four teams received a bye to the quarterfinals. The first round will take place on campus sites on March 6th and the rest of the tournament will take place at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio from March 9th to 11th.
First Round-Monday, March 6th
#9 Northern Illinois at #8 Eastern Michigan
#12 Miami (OH) at #5 Western Michigan
#10 Bowling Green at #7 Toledo
#11 Central Michigan at #6 Kent State
Quarterfinals-Thursday, March 9th
#8 Eastern Michigan vs. #1 Akron
#5 Western Michigan vs. #4 Ball State
#7 Toledo vs. #2 Ohio
#6 Kent State vs. #3 Buffalo
Semifinals-Friday, March 10th
#5 Western Michigan vs. #1 Akron
#7 Toledo vs. #6 Kent State
Championship-Saturday, March 11th
Akron may have struggled down the stretch, but that is not an indication that they will struggle here. They are still the best team in the conference and with upsets rocking this tournament, the Zips should get to the NCAA Tournament.
Kent State 55, Akron 60
2017 Championship Week Primer: MEAC
While the MEAC usually gets sent home early in the NCAA Tournament, teams from this conference have a couple of memorable upsets to their name. One was #15 Hampton over #2 Iowa State in 2001 and the other #15 Norfolk State over #2 Missouri in 2012. Memorable though they may be, they are also few and far between for the MEAC.
This conference was won by North Carolina Central, who is currently projected as a 16 seed for the most part. This may go up though if teams projected to win their conference continue to flame out in their respective tournaments (See: Belmont, OVC; Oakland, Valparaiso, Horizon) There is not much separation between the Eagles and the rest of the conference in the standings, so expect a tightly fought tournament.
12 teams from the MEAC will participate in the tournament. Savannah State was ineligible for the postseason due to APR sanctions. The MEAC Tournament will take place from March 6th to 11th at the Norfolk Scope in Norfolk, Virginia.
First Round-Monday, March 6th/Tuesday, March 7th
#9 Bethune-Cookman vs. #8 Delaware State
#12 North Carolina A&T vs. #5 Maryland-Eastern Shore
#10 Florida A&M vs. #7 South Carolina State
#11 Howard vs. #6 Coppin State
Quarterfinals-Wednesday, March 8th/Thursday, March 9th
#8 Delaware State vs. #1 North Carolina Central
#5 Maryland-Eastern Shore vs. #4 Hampton
#7 South Carolina State vs. #2 Norfolk State
#6 Coppin State vs. #3 Morgan State
Semifinals-Friday, March 10th
#8 Delaware State vs. #5 Maryland-Eastern Shore
#3 Morgan State vs. #2 Norfolk State
Championship-Saturday, March 11th
A few years ago, the MEAC Tournament was turned upside down when the top four seeds all lost in the quarterfinals. I expect a more mild version of that this year, with Delaware State making a title game run. Norfolk State, however, has been around the top of the conference for a long time now and that experience will carry them to the NCAA Tournament.
Delaware State 65, Norfolk State 72
This conference was won by North Carolina Central, who is currently projected as a 16 seed for the most part. This may go up though if teams projected to win their conference continue to flame out in their respective tournaments (See: Belmont, OVC; Oakland, Valparaiso, Horizon) There is not much separation between the Eagles and the rest of the conference in the standings, so expect a tightly fought tournament.
12 teams from the MEAC will participate in the tournament. Savannah State was ineligible for the postseason due to APR sanctions. The MEAC Tournament will take place from March 6th to 11th at the Norfolk Scope in Norfolk, Virginia.
First Round-Monday, March 6th/Tuesday, March 7th
#9 Bethune-Cookman vs. #8 Delaware State
#12 North Carolina A&T vs. #5 Maryland-Eastern Shore
#10 Florida A&M vs. #7 South Carolina State
#11 Howard vs. #6 Coppin State
Quarterfinals-Wednesday, March 8th/Thursday, March 9th
#8 Delaware State vs. #1 North Carolina Central
#5 Maryland-Eastern Shore vs. #4 Hampton
#7 South Carolina State vs. #2 Norfolk State
#6 Coppin State vs. #3 Morgan State
Semifinals-Friday, March 10th
#8 Delaware State vs. #5 Maryland-Eastern Shore
#3 Morgan State vs. #2 Norfolk State
Championship-Saturday, March 11th
A few years ago, the MEAC Tournament was turned upside down when the top four seeds all lost in the quarterfinals. I expect a more mild version of that this year, with Delaware State making a title game run. Norfolk State, however, has been around the top of the conference for a long time now and that experience will carry them to the NCAA Tournament.
Delaware State 65, Norfolk State 72
Saturday, March 4, 2017
Teams That Can Still Win a National Championship (Championship Week Day 6)
For the duration of Championship Week, teams will be sorted by conference. Teams that win their conference tournament will be placed in Bold. Teams that don't win their conference tournament, but are expected to be an at-large team will be in Italics. Teams considered safe will be a 9 seed or higher on Bracket Matrix. Teams on the bubble will have (?). The italics and (?) will only be used on teams that have already been eliminated from their conference tournament. Teams eliminated from national title contention will be shown will have their names crossed out for the night that they are eliminated only to show the difference from night to night.
Once the field of 68 teams is announced, the teams that can still win a national title will be sorted by NCAA region and be whittled down from there until on April 3rd when a champion is crowned.
America East
Vermont
Stony Brook
Albany
New Hampshire
American
Southern Methodist
Cincinnati
Houston
UCF
Connecticut
Memphis
Tulsa
Temple
East Carolina
Tulane
South Florida
Atlantic 10
Dayton
Virginia Commonwealth
Rhode Island
Richmond
Saint Bonaventure
George Mason
George Washington
La Salle
Davidson
Fordham
Saint Louis
Massachusetts
Saint Joseph's
Duquesne
ACC
North Carolina
Florida State
Louisville
Notre Dame
Duke
Virginia Tech
Miami
Virginia
Syracuse
Wake Forest
Georgia Tech
Pittsburgh
Clemson
North Carolina State
Boston College
Atlantic Sun
Florida Gulf Coast
North Florida
Big XII
Kansas
Iowa State
Baylor
West Virginia
Oklahoma State
Kansas State
TCU
Texas Tech
Texas
Oklahoma
Big East
Villanova
Butler
Creighton
Seton Hall
Providence
Xavier
Marquette
St. John's
Georgetown
DePaul
Big Sky
North Dakota
Eastern Washington
Weber State
Idaho
Montana State
Montana
Sacramento State
Portland State
Northern Arizona
Idaho State
Southern Utah
Big South
Winthrop
Campbell
Big Ten
Purdue
Wisconsin
Maryland
Minnesota
Michigan State
Northwestern
Michigan
Iowa
Illinois
Indiana
Ohio State
Penn State
Nebraska
Rutgers
Big West
UC Davis
UC Irvine
CS Fullerton
Hawaii
Long Beach State
CSU Northridge
Cal Poly
UC Riverside
UC Santa Barbara
Colonial
UNC Wilmington
Charleston
Towson
Elon
William and Mary
Northeastern
James Madison
Delaware
Conference USA
Middle Tennessee
Louisiana Tech
Old Dominion
UTEP
Rice
Marshall
UAB
Western Kentucky
UT San Antonio
Charlotte
Florida Atlantic
Southern Miss
Horizon
Northern Kentucky
Green Bay
Wright State
UIC
Youngstown State
Milwaukee
Oakland
Valparaiso
Ivy League
Princeton
Harvard
Yale
Penn
Columbia
Brown
Dartmouth
MAAC
Monmouth
Saint Peter's
Iona
Siena
Fairfield
Niagara
MAC
Akron
Ohio
Kent State
Buffalo
Ball State
Western Michigan
Toledo
Northern Illinois
Bowling Green
Central Michigan
Eastern Michigan
Miami (OH)
MEAC
North Carolina Central
Norfolk State
Morgan State
Hampton
Maryland-Eastern Shore
South Carolina State
Coppin State
Delaware State
Bethune-Cookman
Howard
Florida A&M
North Carolina A&T
Missouri Valley
Wichita State
Illinois State
Southern Illinois
Missouri State
Mountain West
Nevada
Colorado State
Boise State
Fresno State
New Mexico
San Diego State
Wyoming
San Jose State
Utah State
Air Force
UNLV
Northeast
Mount Saint Mary's
Saint Francis (PA)
Wagner
Robert Morris
Ohio Valley
Jacksonville State
UT Martin
Pac-12
Arizona
Oregon
UCLA
California
Utah
USC
Arizona State
Colorado
Stanford
Washington State
Washington
Oregon State
Patriot
Bucknell
Lehigh
Boston University
Navy
SEC
Kentucky
Florida
Arkansas
South Carolina
Ole Miss
Alabama
Vanderbilt
Georgia
Texas A&M
Tennessee
Auburn
Mississippi State
Missouri
LSU
Southern
UNC Greensboro
East Tennessee State
Wofford
Samford
The Citadel
Furman
Mercer
Chattanooga
Southland
New Orleans
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Stephen F. Austin
Houston Baptist
Sam Houston State
Lamar
Southeast Louisiana
Central Arkansas
Nicholls State
Northwestern State
SWAC
Texas Southern
Alcorn State
Southern
Grambling
Jackson State
Prairie View A&M
Alabama State
Mississippi Valley State
Summit League
South Dakota
Omaha
South Dakota State
Denver
Fort Wayne
IUPUI
Western Illinois
North Dakota State
Sun Belt
UT Arlington
Arkansas State
Georgia State
Georgia Southern
Texas State
Coastal Carolina
UL Lafayette
Troy
South Alabama
Arkansas-Little Rock
Appalachian State
Louisiana-Monroe
WAC
CSU Bakersfield
New Mexico State
UMKC
Seattle
Utah Valley
UT Rio Grande Valley
Chicago State
West Coast
Gonzaga
Saint Mary's
BYU
Santa Clara
Portland
San Francisco
Loyola Marymount
San Diego
Pacific
Once the field of 68 teams is announced, the teams that can still win a national title will be sorted by NCAA region and be whittled down from there until on April 3rd when a champion is crowned.
America East
Vermont
Stony Brook
Albany
New Hampshire
American
Southern Methodist
Cincinnati
Houston
UCF
Connecticut
Memphis
Tulsa
Temple
East Carolina
Tulane
South Florida
Atlantic 10
Dayton
Virginia Commonwealth
Rhode Island
Richmond
Saint Bonaventure
George Mason
George Washington
La Salle
Davidson
Fordham
Saint Louis
Massachusetts
Saint Joseph's
Duquesne
ACC
North Carolina
Florida State
Louisville
Notre Dame
Duke
Virginia Tech
Miami
Virginia
Syracuse
Wake Forest
Georgia Tech
Pittsburgh
Clemson
North Carolina State
Boston College
Atlantic Sun
Florida Gulf Coast
North Florida
Big XII
Kansas
Iowa State
Baylor
West Virginia
Oklahoma State
Kansas State
TCU
Texas Tech
Texas
Oklahoma
Big East
Villanova
Butler
Creighton
Seton Hall
Providence
Xavier
Marquette
St. John's
Georgetown
DePaul
Big Sky
North Dakota
Eastern Washington
Weber State
Idaho
Montana State
Montana
Sacramento State
Portland State
Northern Arizona
Idaho State
Southern Utah
Big South
Winthrop
Campbell
Big Ten
Purdue
Wisconsin
Maryland
Minnesota
Michigan State
Northwestern
Michigan
Iowa
Illinois
Indiana
Ohio State
Penn State
Nebraska
Rutgers
Big West
UC Davis
UC Irvine
CS Fullerton
Hawaii
Long Beach State
CSU Northridge
Cal Poly
UC Riverside
Colonial
UNC Wilmington
Charleston
Towson
Elon
Conference USA
Middle Tennessee
Louisiana Tech
Old Dominion
UTEP
Rice
Marshall
UAB
Western Kentucky
UT San Antonio
Charlotte
Florida Atlantic
Southern Miss
Horizon
Northern Kentucky
Green Bay
Wright State
UIC
Youngstown State
Milwaukee
Ivy League
Princeton
Harvard
Yale
Penn
MAAC
Monmouth
Saint Peter's
Iona
Siena
MAC
Akron
Ohio
Kent State
Buffalo
Ball State
Western Michigan
Toledo
Northern Illinois
Bowling Green
Central Michigan
Eastern Michigan
Miami (OH)
MEAC
North Carolina Central
Norfolk State
Morgan State
Hampton
Maryland-Eastern Shore
South Carolina State
Coppin State
Delaware State
Bethune-Cookman
Howard
Florida A&M
North Carolina A&T
Missouri Valley
Wichita State
Illinois State
Mountain West
Nevada
Colorado State
Boise State
Fresno State
New Mexico
San Diego State
Wyoming
San Jose State
Utah State
Air Force
UNLV
Northeast
Mount Saint Mary's
Saint Francis (PA)
Ohio Valley
Jacksonville State
Pac-12
Arizona
Oregon
UCLA
California
Utah
USC
Arizona State
Colorado
Stanford
Washington State
Washington
Oregon State
Patriot
Bucknell
Lehigh
Boston University
Navy
SEC
Kentucky
Florida
Arkansas
South Carolina
Ole Miss
Alabama
Vanderbilt
Georgia
Texas A&M
Tennessee
Auburn
Mississippi State
Missouri
LSU
Southern
UNC Greensboro
East Tennessee State
Wofford
Samford
Southland
New Orleans
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Stephen F. Austin
Houston Baptist
Sam Houston State
Lamar
Southeast Louisiana
Central Arkansas
SWAC
Texas Southern
Alcorn State
Southern
Grambling
Jackson State
Prairie View A&M
Alabama State
Mississippi Valley State
Summit League
South Dakota
Omaha
South Dakota State
Denver
Fort Wayne
IUPUI
Sun Belt
UT Arlington
Arkansas State
Georgia State
Georgia Southern
Texas State
Coastal Carolina
UL Lafayette
Troy
South Alabama
Arkansas-Little Rock
Appalachian State
Louisiana-Monroe
WAC
CSU Bakersfield
New Mexico State
UMKC
Seattle
Utah Valley
UT Rio Grande Valley
Chicago State
West Coast
Gonzaga
Saint Mary's
BYU
Santa Clara
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