Tag: Bracketology

Despite loss, the Wildcats remain a three-seed in latest Bracketology

Kentucky remains a three seed in ESPN’s Bracketology after losing to Vanderbilt.

It’s more than love at this point, the three-seed has an iron grip on Kentucky basketball. The Wildcats remain a three-seed in the latest edition of Bracketology, released Tuesday morning to ESPN by NCAA Tournament expert Joe Lunardi.

It’s somewhat shocking that the Wildcats are again a three-seed, as they were projected to drop after a stunning 69-74 loss to Vanderbilt on Saturday. Kentucky was also a three-seed in Friday’s edition of Bracketology.

Related: How Kentucky did in their last game with Tennessee

The positioning more reflects the strength of Kentucky’s schedule, as they’ve already played 11 Quad one games with a 6-5 record (14-5 overall).

The Wildcats did move around the board, as they’re now settled into a slot in the West region. Should Lunardi’s projection hold, they would play fourteen-seed Utah Valley in the opening round.

There could be some rivalry in store as well, with Louisville following Kentucky in the bracket. The Wildcats could potentially play the sixth-seeded Cardinals, who are paired up in their part of the bracket with eleven-seed UC Irvine.

Florida hangs tight in latest USA TODAY Sports bracketology update

Here’s where Florida lands in USA TODAY Sports’ latest bracketology update.

The ball continues to bounce in Florida basketball’s favor as the end of January nears. The Gators have won three straight straight games en route to an 18-2 overall record while ranked fifth in the Associated Press Poll and sixth in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.

The success Todd Golden’s gang experienced has the team on a trajectory for a high seeding in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. Selection Sunday falls on March 16 this year, leaving a little more than a month and a half before the Big Dance begins.

USA TODAY Sports writers Eddie Timanus, Erick Smith and Paul Myerberg revised their tournament outlook in Wednesday’s bracketology update, which saw Florida remain the No. 2 seed in the East Region based in Newark. For the opening-round matchup, Todd Golden’s gang remains lined up with the 15th-seeded Cleveland State Vikings in Providence, Rhode Island.

SEC schools in bracketology

The SEC is once again represented by a bracketology-best 13 schools headlined, by the Auburn Tigers in the South Region for the second-straight update while the Alabama Crimson Tide switched places with the Tennessee Volunteers, taking over the top seed in the West.

That sent the Vols to the No. 2 seed in the Midwest, joining Florida as the two 2-seeds from the league in the bracketology. The Mississippi Bulldogs are right behind them with the No. 3 seed in the East, with the Kentucky Wildcats (Midwest) and Texas A&M Aggies (East) on their heels as No. 4 seeds.

The Missouri Tigers are a No. 5 seed in the South while the Ole Miss Rebels come in with a No. 6 seed in the West. The Vanderbilt Commodores are a No. 9 seed in the East, followed by SEC newcomers, the Oklahoma Sooners (South) and Texas Longhorns (West), who along with the Georgia Bulldogs (Midwest) hold onto No. 10 seeds.

USA TODAY Sports full bracketology

Last four in

Ohio State, San Diego State, North Carolina, Central Florida.

Last four out

Wake Forest, SMU, Arizona State, Brigham Young.

NCAA Tournament bids conference breakdown

Multi-bid leagues: SEC (13), Big Ten (9), Big 12 (8), ACC (5), Big East (4), Mountain West (2), West Coast (2).

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Wisconsin basketball rises in USA TODAY Bracketology update

Wisconsin basketball rises in latest USA TODAY Bracketology

Wisconsin basketball rose to a No. 5 seed in USA TODAY’s NCAA Tournament bracket projection following its win over Nebraska.

The Badgers were on the No. 6-seed line in USA TODAY’s last bracket reveal on Jan. 24. The team’s 83-55 triumph over the Cornhuskers proved significant, as it joined Arizona, Missouri and Louisville on the No. 5-seed line.

Related: Updated Big Ten basketball power rankings (Jan. 27): Wisconsin holds serve

Notably, Wisconsin defeated Arizona 103-88 at the Kohl Center earlier this season. The Wildcats have risen significantly since that date, bolstered by a recent home win over top-ranked Iowa State.

Wisconsin also currently sits No. 17 in the AP Poll, No. 17 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, No. 15 in KenPom, No. 22 in ESPN’s BPI and No. 18 in the NCAA NET Ranking. Those top positions follow the team’s streak of seven wins in its last eight games, five of which coming against Big Ten opponents.

The Badgers are the fifth-highest-seeded Big Ten team in USA TODAY’s updated bracket, trailing just No. 2-seed Michigan State, No. 3-seed Purdue, No. 4-seeds Illinois and Oregon.

Wisconsin returns to the court on Wednesday night against Maryland (No. 9 seed). It is looking to improve on its road record of 2-3 to date, going up against a Maryland team that has lost just once at home.

The Badgers are threatening a significant rise in NCAA Tournament seeding if they can continue their current form. A win over Maryland is a necessary first step in that regard.

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North Carolina faces big bubble game for NCAA Tournament

Here is where the UNC basketball program stands in the latest ESPN Bracketology.

The next two or three weeks will be crucial for the North Carolina Tar Heels’ 2025 NCAA Tournament chances. After a loss at Wake Forest and a close win over Boston College, UNC is still on the bubble and they have a very important game on Tuesday.

With a big week ahead, North Carolina is on the road Tuesday night at Pitt before taking on the No. 2 team in the country Duke on Saturday.

For Tuesday’s game, UNC enters the matchup against Pitt still on the bubble as ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has made an update to his Bracketology. Lunardi has UNC as one of the last four in the field along with Ohio State, Texas and UCF.

Lunardi has UCF as the last team in, meaning UNC is team No. 67 in his bracket.

So here’s where it gets interesting. Lunardi also has Pitt on the bubble and as one of the last four byes. A win for UNC on Tuesday would give them a Quad 1 win and would help them jump Pitt in the mock bracket. If UNC could somehow stun Duke on Saturday, it would help their chances even more.

The bottom line for UNC is that they need to win games no matter who the opponent is. The ACC is considered to be in a down year, so any bad losses would absolutely ruin their chances.

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Experts’ latest NCAA Tournament projections: Is Alabama basketball still a No. 1 seed?

The experts’ latest outlook for Alabama’s NCAA resume.

The Alabama Crimson Tide slipped one spot in this week’s USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll, falling to No. 4 after a close 80-73 win over an LSU Tigers team near the bottom of the SEC standings.

Alabama’s hairy win over LSU wasn’t anything to knock them from the list of projected No. 1 seeds for the NCAA Tournament, according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi. In Lunardi’s latest bracketology outlook for March Madness released Tuesday, the Crimson Tide (17-3 overall, 6-1 SEC) held on to the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region and the No. 4 overall seed.

The Auburn Tigers were the projected No. 1 overall seed, with the Duke Blue Devils and Iowa State Cyclones joining Alabama and Auburn as No. 1 seeds. If the tournament began today, Lunardi forecasts a first-round game between Alabama and Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) champion William & Marry at Rupp Arena in Lexington.

In something of a twist, Lunardi now projects a record 13 SEC teams to make the NCAA Tournament — two more than last week. The Texas Longhorns and Vanderbilt Commodores were new additions to ESPN’s list of projected conference teams to make the NCAA Tournament.

RELATED: SEC Power Rankings: Conference outlook after Top 10 showdown

Alabama also held on to the No. 1 seed in Jerry Palm’s latest bracketology over at CBS Sports. The veteran prognosticator puts Alabama in line to face the Bryant Bulldogs as champions of the America East conference in a first-round game. Palm caps the number of SEC teams to reach the tournament at 12.

Over at USA TODAY Sports, Alabama moved up to a No. 1 seed, replacing the Tennessee Volunteers in the latest projections from the three-man panel of Eddie Timanus, Erick Smith and Paul Myerberg. The trio see Nate Oats’ team facing projected MAAC champion Marist in a first-round game.

Alabama (17-3 overall) takes on No. 13 Mississippi State (16-4, 4-3) Wednesday at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on SEC Network.

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Kentucky remains three-seed in Friday’s Bracketology update

Kentucky is back to a three-seed in the updated ESPN Bracketology.

Kentucky basketball still can’t escape the three-seed.

The Wildcats remain a third-seed in the latest edition of Bracketology from ESPN’s NCAA Tournament expert Joe Lunardi, which was released this past Friday.

The Wildcats are currently slotted into that position in the South region, and would play fourteen-seed Northern Colorado in the opening round should Lunardi’s projection hold.

A local rivalry could be in store as well, as Kentucky could potentially play Louisville in the following round. The Cardinals are a six-seed paired with New Mexico, with the winner slated to play the Wildcats in the next round.

Related: Five takeaways from Kentucky’s loss to Vanderbilt

The Wildcats likely didn’t fall because they hadn’t played a game between January 21-24 — which is what Friday’s edition considered in addition to each team’s body of work throughout the year. Kentucky fell from a two to a three-seed in the prior January 21 edition of Bracketology after a 97-102 loss to one-seed Alabama on January 18.

Friday’s edition did not consider Saturday’s 74-69 loss to Vanderbilt, who are now into the bracket as a ten-seed after that matchup. However, tomorrow’s new edition will likely feature a Wildcat drop because of the loss.

That new edition releases tomorrow morning. The Wildcats will also play again tomorrow night, as they’re set to take on two-seeded Tennessee Volunteers in Knoxville at 7 p.m.

Where Wisconsin basketball lands in first USA TODAY bracketology of 2024-25 season

Where Wisconsin lands in first USA TODAY Bracketology of 2024-25 season

Wisconsin basketball is in a strong position to make the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season and fifth time in six opportunities.

The team sits at 15-4 (5-3 Big Ten) overall, led by an 11-0 record against Quad 2, 3 and 4 opponents. It currently sits No. 21 in KenPom, No. 24 in the ESPN BPI and No. 22 in the NCAA NET Rankings. Those marks all suggest even better results to come.

Related: Updated game-by-game predictions for Wisconsin basketball after UCLA loss

The Badgers’ resume includes wins over Arizona (KenPom No. 17), Pittsburgh (No. 33) and Ohio State (No. 29). Their losses have come against Michigan (No. 12), Illinois (No. 11), Marquette (No. 13) and UCLA (No. 30).

A continuation of the team’s current pace, mixed in with another few signature wins, could result in a top-five seed in March’s NCAA Tournament bracket. Wisconsin is just outside that range, according to USA TODAY’s first bracketology of the 2024-25 season.

The Badgers are a No. 6 seed in the Midwest region. They are opposed by No. 11 seed UC Irvine (Big West Conference).

Nine Big Ten teams make the projected field. That is the second most of any conference, behind the SEC’s 13. The top Big Ten teams are Michigan State (No. 2 seed), Oregon (No. 3 seed), Purdue (No. 4 seed), Illinois (No. 4 seed), Michigan (No. 5 seed) and Wisconsin (No. 6 seed).

The Badgers have plenty of resume-building opportunities left on their schedule. The team has Quad 1 games remaining against Maryland (Jan. 29), Northwestern (Feb. 1), Iowa (Feb. 8), Purdue (Feb. 15), Illinois (Feb. 18), Oregon (Feb. 22) and Michigan State (March 2). Those contests will prove critical to the team’s quest for its first top-three seed since 2022.

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Where Alabama lands in USA TODAY Sports’ first NCAA Tournament projections of 2024-25

Here’s where Alabama is projected in USA TODAY’s first bracketology of the season.

USA TODAY Sports unveiled its first edition of bracketology for the 2024-25 college basketball season Friday, with two SEC teams garnering No. 1 seeds and the rest of the conference’s fingerprints all over the full, projected 68-team NCAA Tournament bracket.

It should come as no surprise that Auburn is the projected No. 1 overall seed for the NCAA Tournament. Bruce Pearl’s team is 17-1 overall and are unbeaten in conference play as star forward Johni Broome continues to work his way back from an ankle injury.

Tennessee was the other projected No. 1 seed from the SEC after beating Mississippi State 68-56 on Tuesday. Duke and Iowa State round out the No. 1 seeds as projected by USA TODAYS Sports.

As for Alabama, the Crimson Tide (16-3 overall, 5-1 SEC) are the “strongest” No. 2 seed and the likeliest to move up to a top seed. Florida joined Alabama as a projected No. 2 seed, with Kentucky as a No. 3 seed and Texas A&M and Mississippi State as No. 4 seeds.

Ole Miss, Missouri, Oklahoma, Vanderbilt and Texas also made USA TODAY Sports’ first projected field of 68, giving the SEC a total of 11 NCAA Tournament teams. Texas is the lowest-ranked seed and would be play in the First Four in Dayton, Ohio, in these projections.

The three-member panel of Paul Myerberg, Erick Smith and Eddie Timanus have Alabama facing William & Mary in a No. 2 vs. No. 15 first-round game in the Midwest Regional in Raleigh, N.C. The Tribe are currently tied with Towson atop the CAA (Coastal Athletic Association) standings at 6-1 in conference play.

Alabama defeated Vanderbilt 103-87 earlier this week and returns to Coleman Coliseum Saturday night to take on LSU. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m. CT. The game can be seen on SEC Network.

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Where are the Duke Blue Devils in USA TODAY Sports’ updated bracket projection?

USA TODAY Sports released its updated men’s basketball bracket on Friday, and the Blue Devils naturally grabbed a No. 1 seed.

With a full week of January left on the calendar, it’s hard to find consensus among national basketball analysts about the hypothetical bracket this early. After Duke’s 12th straight win over Boston College last Saturday, however, there’s one thing everyone in the sport agrees on: the Blue Devils are a No. 1 seed.

[autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] and his teammates drew the top spot in the East region in USA TODAY Sports’ updated Bracketology on Friday. Duke, one of four ACC teams included in the hypothetical field, would play the winner of Colgate and Howard’s First Four game in the opening round before taking on either Gonzaga or the Georgia Bulldogs.

The Auburn Tigers, Iowa State Cyclones, and Tennessee Volunteers nabbed the other three No. 1 spots.

The Blue Devils, despite their 16-2 record and dominant margins of victory, drew a pretty tough region. The Florida Gators, Oregon Ducks, and Texas A&M Aggies, with a combined 48-9 record between them, completed the East’s top four seeds in what would be a challenging path to the Final Four.

There’s good news to be found in the bracket, however. The North Carolina Tar Heels, with a 12-8 record so far this season, did not make the field. Paul Myerberg, Eddie Timanus, and Erick Smith listed them as the third team out.

Where Florida lands in USA TODAY Sports’ first bracketology of 2025

USA TODAY Sports’ bracketology agrees with most of the others on where Florida should be seeded in the NCAA Tournament.

USA TODAY Sports writers Paul Myerberg, Eddie Timanus and Erick Smith published the first edition of their men’s college basketball bracketology outlook on Friday.

The Florida Gators have put together an impressive campaign so far during the 2024-25 season, amassing a 17-2 overall record that includes a 4-2 mark against fellow Southeastern Conference schools. Their success so far has them ranked among the top 10 in the major polls and rankings while also seeded near the top of the NCAA Tournament outlooks.

In USA TODAY Sports’ first stab at predicting the field of 68 teams that will compete this March, the Orange and Blue are seeded second in the East Region based in Newark. For the opening round, Todd Golden’s gang is lined up with the 15th-seeded Cleveland State Vikings in Providence, Rhode Island.

The SEC is represented by 13 schools — the most of any conference — headlined by the Auburn Tigers (South) and Tennessee Volunteers (West) who occupy two of the four No. 1 seeds. Florida and the Alabama Crimson Tide (Midwest) are the two No. 2 seeds from the league in the bracketology.

USA TODAY Sports full bracketology

Last four in

Central Florida, Texas, San Diego State, Virginia Commonwealth

Last four out

Wake Forest, Cincinnati, North Carolina, SMU

NCAA Tournament bids conference breakdown

Multi-bid leagues: SEC (13), Big Ten (9), Big 12 (8), Big East (4), ACC (4), Atlantic 10 (2), Mountain West (2), West Coast (2).

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