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Because there were so few games on the final Monday of the regular season, the top four lines and First Four of this bracket are unchanged from yesterday's version. It's a different story for lines eight through 11, however, as I'll explain after the full projection 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 | Alabama State/Weber State | 16 | Davidson (SoCon) |
| ↑ 8 | SMU | 8 | George Washington |
| 9 | Arizona State | 9 | Oklahoma State |
| Spokane (Thu/Sat) | San Diego (Fri/Sun) | ||
| 5 | Oklahoma | 5 | Texas |
| 12 | Toledo (MAC) | 12 | Gonzaga (WCC) |
| 4 | Cincinnati (AAC) | 4 | Michigan State |
| 13 | North Dakota State (Summit) | 13 | Iona (MAAC) |
| Raleigh (Fri/Sun) | Milwaukee (Thu/Sat) | ||
| 6 | UCLA | 6 | Connecticut |
| ^11 | Minnesota/Providence | ^11 | Arkansas/BYU |
| 3 | Virginia (ACC) | 3 | Creighton |
| 14 | Delaware (CAA) | 14 | Georgia State (Sun Belt) |
| Milwaukee (Thu/Sat) | Raleigh (Fri/Sun) | ||
| 7 | New Mexico (MW) | 7 | Ohio State |
| 10 | Xavier | ↑ 10 | California |
| 2 | Wisconsin | 2 | Duke |
| 15 | UC Irvine (Big West) | 15 | Florida Gulf Coast (A-Sun) |
| (4) EAST New York (Fri/Sun) | (3) MIDWEST Indianapolis (Fri/Sun) |
||
| St. Louis (Fri/Sun) | St. Louis (Fri/Sun) | ||
| 1 | Kansas (Big 12) | 1 | Wichita State (MVC) |
| 16 | Robert Morris (NEC) | 16 | High Point/Utah Valley |
| 8 | Stanford | 8 | Iowa |
| 9 | St. Joseph's | ↓ 9 | Kansas State |
| San Antonio (Fri/Sun) | San Antonio (Fri/Sun) | ||
| 5 | Saint Louis (A 10) | 5 | North Carolina |
| 12 | Green Bay (Horizon) | 12 | Harvard |
| 4 | Louisville | 4 | Iowa State |
| 13 | Louisiana Tech (C-USA) | 13 | Belmont (OVC) |
| Spokane (Thu/Sat) | Orlando (Thu/Sat) | ||
| 6 | Kentucky | 6 | UMass |
| ↓ 11 | Pittsburgh | 11 | Oregon |
| 3 | San Diego State | 3 | Michigan (Big Ten) |
| 14 | Stephen F. Austin (Southland) | ↑ 14 | Boston U. (Patriot) |
| Buffalo (Thu/Sat) | Buffalo (Thu/Sat) | ||
| 7 | Memphis | 7 | VCU |
| 10 | Baylor | 10 | Colorado |
| 2 | Syracuse | 2 | Villanova (Big East) |
| 15 | N.C. Central (MEAC) | ↓ 15 | Vermont (AmEast) |
| FIRST FOUR (Dayton) | |||
| Tuesday: To Orlando | Tuesday: To Milwaukee | ||
| 16 | Alabama State (SWAC) | 11 | Arkansas |
| 16 | Weber State (Big Sky) | ^11 | BYU |
| Wednesday: To St. Louis | Wednesday: To Raleigh |
||
| 16 | High Point (Big South) | 11 | Minnesota |
| 16 | Utah Valley (WAC) | ^11 | Providence |
| BIDS BY CONFERENCE | AVOIDING DAYTON | ARRIVALS | DEPARTURES |
| Big 12: 7 | California | None | None |
| Pac-12: 7 | Xavier | ||
| Big Ten: 6 | Pittsburgh | ||
| A 10: 5 | Oregon | ||
| AAC: 5 | LAST FOUR IN | ||
| ACC: 5 |
Minnesota | ||
| Big East: 4 | Arkansas | ||
| SEC: 3 | BYU | ||
| MW: 2 | Providence | ||
| WCC: 2 | FIRST FOUR OUT | ||
| 1-Bid Conferences: 22 | Tennessee | ||
| Nebraska | |||
| Missouri | |||
| Florida State | |||
| NEXT FOUR OUT | |||
| Dayton | |||
| St. John's | |||
| Georgetown | |||
| Southern Miss. |
Also considered: LSU, N.C. State, Indiana, Marquette, Clemson, Illinois
As you can see, Pitt's loss to an N.C. State team that's still on the outside looking in and Oklahoma State's big home win over Kansas State shook things up. The Cowboys gained some breathing room with a win (even if their seeding doesn't reflect it) and the Wildcats are in roughly the same spot, but the Panthers are now a mere half-dozen teams away from the cut line, with several of their competitors in action over the next few nights. Xavier is also in trouble following a loss to Seton Hall, which included the added blow of an injury to center Matt Stainbrook.
I'll have a full TV preview up at Blogging the Bracket at noon ET. In the mean time, here's a quick rundown of what to expect Tuesday night.
- Among ACC contenders, Syracuse returns home for a winnable game against Georgia Tech; Florida State must avoid a bad late loss at Boston College; and Clemson, which hosts Pitt on Saturday, will look to do the same at home against Miami.
- In the Big 12, Baylor can solidify its place further by earning a split against an Iowa State team that still has aspirations for a high seed.
- All four Big East teams in action Tuesday have high hopes. Creighton must defeat Georgetown to keep pace with Villanova for the conference crown. Meanwhile, Marquette and Providence, who meet in Rhode Island, are in search of wins for their respective selection sheets.
- Michigan can clinch the outright Big Ten title with a win at resurgent Illinois.
- Oregon, which lost to Arizona State by two in Tempe, can edge closer to safety by reversing that result in Eugene.
- SEC champ Florida will look to stay perfect against South Carolina, while the Gamecocks' Saturday victim, Kentucky, must defeat Alabama to stay in the hunt for a spot in the protected seed group.
My next bracketology will come tomorrow, and based on that list of games there should be several more changes. In the meantime, head over to Blogging the Bracket for my daily TV previews and morning recaps, and follow me during each night's action on Twitter @ChrisDobbertean.