Welcome to weekly Bracketology. You can expect a post every weekend about the Field of 68. March Madness is coming soon. Who’s #1, you ask? It absolutely has to be the Arizona Wildcats. You could make a case for Syracuse and maybe Wichita State (probably not, even though they’re really good), but Arizona hasn’t managed to lose yet. Hot on their heels are elite teams like Syracuse, Michigan State, Kansas (who are coming into their own in conference play), and the Florida Gators, who are coming off a blowout of the Volunteers. Who’s in and out of the Big Dance right now? Find out after the jump.
#1: Arizona, Syracuse, Michigan State, Wichita State
Watch out for the Shockers. 21-0 and with wins @Saint Louis, a win at home against Tennessee, and a 20 point victory against Indiana State, they’ve got some solid wins on their resume. Unless they lose, I can’t see moving them out of a 1 seed. They more than proved it by advancing to the Final Four last year.
Michigan State did lose at home against Michigan, but they were also missing 2 essential players. For now, they stay here. Syracuse and ‘Zona aren’t moving anytime soon.
#2: Kansas, Florida, San Diego State, Villanova
Kansas is rising faster than almost any team right now. No Big 12 losses, wins against teams like Iowa State and Oklahoma State help too. Even their losses have been close – playing against teams like Florida and Villanova will only help come tourney time.
The Gators have solid wins against Memphis and Tennessee on their resume, and San Diego State has just one loss (to Arizona) and a win @Kansas (still pretty shocking). Villanova recovered nicely from getting blown out at home against Creighton, with a win in OT against Marquette.
#3: Oklahoma State, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Duke
Kentucky keeps rolling after a somewhat disappointing start, Wisconsin got back on the winning track @Purdue, Oklahoma State won a close one against West Virginia, and UMass will look to rebound against Fordham.
#4: Cincy, UMass, Iowa State, Louisville,
Cincy is a fast riser with their absolutely suffocating defense. ISU plays Kansas on 1/29, and Louisville has a big matchup against Cincy on 1/30. It’s safe to say these projections won’t be the same next weekend.
#5: Michigan, Creighton, Ohio State, Saint Louis
Michigan just won a HUGE game @Michigan State, though they were down two key players. Creighton isn’t going to have a tough game for almost a month until a home game against Villanova. Saint Louis is arguably the best team in the A10.
#6: Pittsburgh, Memphis, UConn, Gonzaga
Gonzaga is ready to roll through conference play. Pittsburgh hasn’t beaten anyone great, but they only have 2 losses. UConn is winning AAC games after a rough start, and Memphis is doing the same. Remember – they beat a very good Oklahoma State team.
#7: Oklahoma, Virginia, Iowa, Texas
Texas has won 5 straight, including victories over Iowa State and Baylor. Oklahoma has also beaten ISU, and they play a huge rivalry game against Oklahoma State 1/27. Virginia got pounded by Tennessee just before the new year, but they played Duke, Wisconsin, and VCU tough. Kansas State really shouldn’t be here, having lost 3 of 5, but one of the wins was against Oklahoma.
#8: UCLA, Xavier, Kansas State, George Washington
UCLA is a solid program. George Washington is the biggest surprise here – they are 16-3 in a good conference.
#9: SMU, VCU, Oregon, Southern Miss
#10: New Mexico, Missouri, Colorado, Providence
#11: UNC, St Mary’s, LA Tech, Dayton
#12: Minnesota/Tennessee, Arkansas/Baylor, Wisconsin Green Bay, Toledo
#13: Harvard, Belmont, Mercer, Stephen F. Austin
#14: Northern Colorado, UC Irvine, Delaware, Georgia State
#15: New Mexico State, Stony Brook, North Dakota State, Manhattan,
#16: American, Robert Morris, Southern/NC-Asheville, Norfolk State/Chattanooga
