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While there were some rather important bubble results on Sunday, one projected top seed all but secured its position during tournament play. Wichita State completed a 34-0 run through the regular season and Missouri Valley Championship to pretty much assure itself of top billing in the Midwest region. The Shockers are again joined by the other three No. 1's from Sunday's projection -- Florida (South), Arizona (West) and Villanova (East).
NCAA power rankings
This week: Florida and Wichita State each put up goose eggs, Villanova soars and a team wearing orange sneaks into the Savory Sixteen as the hottest team (with 11 losses) in America.
Duke joins the two line, replacing Virginia, which was stunned at Maryland. However, Syracuse, who got Jerami Grant back for Sunday's win over Florida State, is knocking on the door. If the Orange and Blue Devils meet on Saturday in the ACC semifinals in Greensboro, the winner will have the inside track for a No. 2 seed. Plus, if the Orange win, they may still get consideration for a spot on the top line, if the Selection Committee takes Grant's back injury into account. If the sophomore forward continues to up numbers similar to his stat line from his return -- 16 points and eight rebounds in 35 minutes, Jim Boeheim's team will be in great position to move up.
I'll have more on the bubble picture after this morning's bracket and rundown.
| (1) SOUTH Memphis (Thu/Sat) | (2) WEST Anaheim (Thu/Sat) |
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Orlando (Thu/Sat) | San Diego (Fri/Sun) | ||
| 1 | Florida (SEC) | 1 | Arizona (Pac-12) |
| 16 | Wofford/Weber State | 16 | Wright State (Horizon) |
| 8 | Oregon | 8 88 | Iowa |
| 9 | Oklahoma State | 9 | Kansas State |
| San Diego (Fri/Sun) | San Antonio (Fri/Sun) | ||
| 55 5 | Michigan State | 5 | Saint Louis (A 10) |
| ↓^12 | St. Joseph's | 122 | North Dakota State (Summit) |
| 4 | Cincinnati (AAC) | 4 | Iowa State |
| ↑ 13 | Stephen F. Austin (Southland) | 13 | Delaware (CAA) |
| Spokane (Thu/Sat) | Buffalo (Thu/Sat) | ||
| 6 | Texas | ↓ 666 | UMass |
| 11 | BYU | ↑ 11 | Stanford |
| 3 | San Diego State (MW) | 3 | Syracuse |
| *14 | MERCER (A-Sun) | 14 | Boston U. (Patriot) |
| Raleigh (Fri/Sun) | Milwaukee (Thu/Sat) | ||
| 7 | VCU | 7 | Memphis |
| ↑ 10 | Nebraska | 10 | Colorado |
| ↑ 2 | Duke | 2 | Michigan (Big Ten) |
| 15 | Robert Morris (NEC) | ↑ 15 | Utah Valley (WAC) |
| (4) EAST New York (Fri/Sun) | (3) MIDWEST Indianapolis (Fri/Sun) |
||
| Buffalo (Thu/Sat) | St. Louis (Fri/Sun) | ||
| 1 | Villanova (Big East) | 1 | WICHITA STATE (MVC) |
| *16 | Stony Brook (AmEast) | 16 | COASTAL CAROLINA/Texas Sthn. |
| 8 | New Mexico | 8 | Baylor |
| 9 | SMU | ↑ 9 | Gonzaga (WCC) |
| Spokane (Thu/Sat) | San Antonio (Fri/Sun) | ||
| ↑ 5 | Ohio State | 5 | Oklahoma |
| 12 | Louisiana Tech (C-USA) | 12 | HARVARD (Ivy) |
| 4 | North Carolina | 4 | Creighton |
| 13 | Iona (MAAC) | 13 | Western Michigan (MAC) |
| Orlando (Thu/Sat) | Raleigh (Fri/Sun) | ||
| 6 | Kentucky | 6 | UCLA |
| ^11 | Dayton/Tennessee | 11 | Arkansas/Xavier |
| 3 | Louisville | ↓ 3 | Virginia (ACC) |
| *14 | EASTERN KENTUCKY (OVC) | 14 | Georgia State (Sun Belt) |
| St. Louis (Fri/Sun) | Milwaukee (Thu/Sat) | ||
| 7 | George Washington | 7 | Connecticut |
| 10 | Arizona State | 10 | Pittsburgh |
| 2 | Kansas (Big 12) | 2 | Wisconsin |
| 15 | N.C. Central (MEAC) | 15 | UC Irvine (Big West) |
| FIRST FOUR (Dayton) | |||
| Tuesday: To Orlando | Tuesday: To Orlando | ||
| 16 | Weber State (Big Sky) | ^11 | Dayton |
| *16 | Wofford (SoCon) | ^11 | Tennessee |
| Wednesday: To St. Louis | Wednesday: To Raleigh |
||
| 16 | COASTAL CAROLINA (Big South) | 11 | Arkansas |
| 16 | Texas Southern (SWAC) | 11 | Xavier |
| BIDS BY CONFERENCE | AVOIDING DAYTON | ARRIVALS | DEPARTURES |
| Big 12: 7 | Pittsburgh | Mercer | Davidson |
| A 10: 6 | Stanford | Stony Brook | Florida Gulf Coast |
| Big Ten: 6 | St. Joseph's | Wofford | Vermont |
| Pac-12: 6 | BYU | ||
| AAC: 5 | LAST FOUR IN | ||
| ACC: 5 |
Arkansas | ||
| SEC: 4 | Xavier | ||
| Big East: 3 | Dayton | ||
| MW: 2 | Tennessee | ||
| WCC: 2 | FIRST FOUR OUT | ||
| 1-Bid Conferences: 22 | California | ||
| Minnesota | |||
| St. John's | |||
| Georgetown | |||
| NEXT FOUR OUT | |||
| Green Bay | |||
| Southern Mississippi | |||
| Missouri | |||
| Florida State |
Also considered: Toledo, Georgia, Clemson, West Virginia, N.C. State, Utah, LSU, Marquette, Indiana, Richmond
Florida State was not the only bubble team to pick up a loss on Sunday. St. Joseph's surprisingly lost at home to 15-15 La Salle, a team the Hawks defeated by 11 on the road back in February. The Hawks will now likely have to defeat Dayton for the third time this season to earn a bid, provided the Flyers make it out of their preliminary round game on Thursday.
March Madness begins
• March 10 bracketology • The conference championship cheat sheet • Onions! Who's dancing so far • Oregon exposes Arizona's offense • Andrew Wiggins' drool-worthy 41 points
On the flip side, Nebraska is just about safe following Sunday night's home win over Wisconsin. The Cornhuskers now have an 8-8 record against the RPI Top 100 and four Top 50 wins. Friday's Big Ten quarterfinal opponent is crucial for Tim Miles' team, however. If Ohio State defeats Purdue, the Huskers should be OK win or lose, but if the Boilermakers upset the Buckeyes to reach the round of eight, a loss could be damaging.
Minnesota, victorious over Penn State, and N.C. State, who handled Boston College, also helped themselves out, though neither moved into the field as a result of their wins. Making matters worse for the Golden Gophers, they must play the Nittany Lions again in the first round in Indianapolis on Thursday.
Wichita State wasn't the only team to join the field on Sunday. Mercer denied Florida Gulf Coast a second consecutive bid out of the Atlantic Sun, while Coastal Carolina claimed the Big South crown on its home floor. Tonight, three more squads will book a ticket, as Iona and Manhattan clash in the Metro Atlantic; surprising Western Carolina will look to end an 18-year drought in the SoCon against Wofford; and Delaware will attempt to defeat William & Mary to claim a double championship in the Colonial.
However, fans of bubble teams will want to pay special attention to the WCC semifinals in Las Vegas, as both Gonzaga and BYU are in action. The Bulldogs, who needed overtime to defeat Santa Clara on Saturday night, face old foe St. Mary's, while BYU takes on a pesky San Francisco team. A BYU loss would probably be the most helpful for its bubble rivals, as Gonzaga will still likely earn a bid with a loss based on reputation alone, even with just one Top 50 win to their credit.
On Tuesday morning, I'll again update bracketology to reflect Monday night's victors. In the meantime, you can visit Blogging the Bracket, which features daily TV previews and morning recaps from a bracket perspective. You can also follow me during each night's action on Twitter @ChrisDobbertean.