Tag: Bracketology

Florida falls in CBS Sports bracketology despite UGA tournament win

The Gators lost a seed spot and moved to another region in Jerry Palm’s most recent update.

Todd Golden’s Gators made it past the Georgia Bulldogs on Thursday night in the second round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament, but it was not pretty. After a tug-of-war between the two rival schools, Florida ultimately prevailed, 85-80, but it was far from a pretty affair.

Following the Orange and Blue’s first win in the SEC Tournament, CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm released his latest bracketology update, in which Todd Golden’s team fell a spot to No. 8 while shifting over to the South Region. They are now matched up with the No. 9 Nebraska Cornhuskers, with the top-seeded Houston Cougars and No. 15 Longwood Lancers also meeting up in Memphis, Tennessee.

The Southeastern Conference is also represented by the top team in the West Region, the Tennessee Volunteers, followed by the Kentucky Wildcats (No. 3, South), Alabama Crimson Tide (No. 4, East), Auburn Tigers (No. 5, Midwest), South Carolina Gamecocks (No. 5, West) and Mississippi State Bulldogs (No. 11, West).

The Texas A&M Aggies are among the first four out while Mississippi State is among the first four.

The Gators will face Alabama in the final game of Friday’s third-round SEC Tournament slate with a tipoff time estimated around 9:30 p.m. ET. The game will once again be broadcast on the SEC Network.

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Bracketology: CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm has Clemson in No. 8 vs. 9 matchup in NCAA Tournament

In his Friday morning bracketology update, CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm sees Clemson in a first-round No. 8 vs. 9 matchup against Oklahoma in the NCAA Tournament.

Where will Clemson land in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Selection Sunday?

It’s anyone’s guess after the Tigers suffered an embarrassing 21-point loss to Boston College in the ACC Tournament at Washington’s Capital One Arena earlier this week. One thing is for certain: Clemson didn’t help its seeding chances any, and that shows in the latest NCAA Tournament bracketology predictions.

CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm updated his projections Friday morning and sees Clemson slipping into a No. 8 vs. No. 9 first-round matchup against Oklahoma.

The Sooners are 20-12 this season and finished ninth in a loaded Big 12 conference.

Palm forecasts the potential Tigers-Sooners matchup to be in the Midwest Region of the tournament in Indianapolis. That would be the toughest matchup Clemson could draw because a second-round date with No. 1 overall seed Purdue would await the Tigers in the second round if they managed to get past Oklahoma.

Oklahoma has Quadrant 1 wins over Iowa State, Cincinnati, Kansas State and BYU, plus five wins against Quad 2 teams. The Sooners are currently 44th in the NCAA’s NET rankings. Clemson is 36th in NET rankings.

Palm’s projected No. 1 seeds are Purdue, Houston, UConn, and Tennessee.

Bracketology: Joe Lunardi says Clemson will face this Big Ten school in NCAA Tournament

In Friday’s update, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi sees Clemson slipping from a No. 6 seed to a No. 7 seed and a first-round matchup against Michigan State in a 7 vs. 10 battle.

Clemson’s 21-point blowout loss to Boston College in Wednesday night’s ACC Tournament opener cost the Tigers any chance at improving their seeding for the NCAA Tournament.

The Tigers (21-11 overall) came out lifeless and never even cut the lead down to single digits after trailing 40-28 at halftime.

It was a disappointing end to an ACC season that saw many ups and downs for Clemson, which began the year 11-1 and ranked as high as No. 13 at one point, only to finish just one game over .500 in conference play.

While confidence may seem low, the NCAA Tournament is another beast and Clemson will have a chance to redeem itself beginning next week. To that end, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has updated his bracketology projections with who he sees as the complete list of NCAA Tournament teams and where they will land.

In Friday’s update, Lunardi sees Clemson slipping from a No. 6 seed to a No. 7 seed and a first-round matchup against Michigan State in a 7 vs. 10 battle.

The Spartans (19-13 overall) defeated Minnesota in their Big Ten Tournament opener on Thursday and are set to square off against projected No. 1 overall seed Purdue (28-3) Friday. Purdue won the Big Ten’s regular season championship.

Lunardi forecasts the Tigers-Spartans matchup to be in the South Region of the tournament at Charlotte’s Spectrum Center. If that projection holds, it should give Clemson a significant home court advantage.

Michigan State finished tied for sixth in the Big Ten regular season standings They have Quadrant 1 wins over Baylor, Indiana State and Illinois, plus six wins against Quad 2 teams. Tom Izzo’s Spartans are currently 24th in the NCAA’s NET rankings. Clemson is 36th in NET rankings.

In Friday’s updated projections, Lunardi awards the most NCAA Tournament bids to the Big 12 with nine, followed by the SEC with eight. His projected No. 1 seeds are Purdue, Houston, UConn, and North Carolina.

The Tar Heels won the ACC regular season championship and are two wins away from winning the ACC Tournament entering Friday.

Joe Lunardi shares one last top-16 update before Duke’s ACC Tournament run begins

ESPN expert Joe Lunardi revealed his top 16 overall seeds before the ACC Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday morning. See where Duke sits before the conference bracket.

Selection Sunday is just a few days away, but teams still have their conference tournaments to move up (or down) in the national picture.

Duke’s ACC Tournament run begins on Thursday evening with a game against NC State. Ahead of the Blue Devils’ first postseason game, however, ESPN expert Joe Lunardi shared his updated top 16 overall seeds.

Duke finished as the 11th overall team in the longtime bracket expert’s rankings. Lunardi slotted the Blue Devils in as the No. 3 seed in the South region behind Houston and Creighton.

Head coach Jon Scheyer and his team would likely need to at least make the championship game to contend for a No. 2 seed, as the Blue Devils are behind Iowa State and Kentucky on the 3-seed line.

North Carolina, the only other ACC team in the top 16, came in as Lunardi’s fifth overall seed and the No. 2 in the East region. He wrote above his rankings that UNC remains in play for a top seed depending on the ACC Tournament.

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Kentucky a three seed in ESPN’s newest Bracketology

Kentucky is up to a top three seed in ESPN’s latest Bracketology

The Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team’s recent winning streak has propelled them up the top 25 rankings. This week, they’re back inside the top ten in both polls. They also made an advancement in the newest Bracketology from ESPN’s Joe Lunardi.

Kentucky has been mostly been seeded as a four or five seed in the recent projections, but have been moved up to a three seed in Lunardi’s latest prediction. He has them in the East Region.

In round one, Kentucky would face in-state foe Morehead State, and potentially Clemson in round two. It would get interesting from there. A rematch with North Carolina would loom in the Sweet Sixteen, and a very tough battle with Connecticut in the Elite Eight.

In this projection, the East Region is a difficult one. Not only do the Tarheels and Huskies stand in the way, but Kansas is the four seed, and South Carolina is at the five spot.

The Wildcats are talented enough to win the NCAA Tournament, but a good seed helps. They’re moving up, and if they can make a run in the SEC Tournament, they could still go even higher.

Where does Joe Lunardi have Duke in his bracket before the ACC Tournament?

With the postseason almost set to begin and less than a week between now and Selection Sunday, where will Duke end up?

With Duke’s regular season officially over and the ACC Tournament set to begin on Tuesday, there aren’t many chances remaining for NCAA Tournament seeding to improve.

With the clock almost on Selection Sunday, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi revealed his latest bracket projections on Tuesday. The longtime bracket expert had the Blue Devils as his 11th overall seed and the No. 3 seed in the South region.

Duke shared their region of the bracket with Houston, the No. 1 team in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll but Lunardi’s third overall seed, and Creighton.

Purdue, Connecticut, and Tennessee took the other three No. 1 seeds, with the Boilermakers serving as Lunardi’s top overall seed in the tournament.

North Carolina, fresh off beating the Blue Devils to claim the ACC regular-season title for themselves, barely missed out on the top line. The Tar Heels were Lunardi’s fifth overall seed and the No. 2 in the East region.

Florida falls a seed, changes regions in ESPN’s bracketology update

Florida is lined up to face the Michigan State Spartans in the tournament opener, per Lunardi’s bracketology.

March Madness has finally arrived now that the college basketball regular-season schedule has concluded. While the spotlight is on the NCAA Tournament that starts later this month, there are still the conference tournaments to be played ahead of the annual Big Dance.

For the first time in three seasons, it looks like the Florida Gators will be playing meaningful postseason games this spring as they wrapped up the 2023-24 campaign in the thick of the tournament guest list. While they did lose their final game to the lowly Vanderbilt Commodores, things are still looking good heading into postseason play.

In Joe Lunardi’s latest bracketology update for ESPN, Todd Golden’s fell a spot to the No. 7 seed and moved from the West to the Midwest Region. There, the Gators are matched up with the No. 10 Michigan State Spartans to start things off, while the No. 2 Marquette Golden Eagles and No. 15 Quinnipiac Bobcats also join them in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Looking at the rest of the SEC, the Tennessee Volunteers are the top seed in the West, followed by the No. 3 Kentucky Wildcats (East), No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide (South), No. 4 Auburn Tigers (Midwest), No. 5 South Carolina Gamecocks (East) and No. 11 Mississippi State Bulldogs (West) are among those projected to be in the tournament.

Mississippi State is also among the last four byes while the Texas A&M Aggies are one of the first four out.

Florida is a No. 6 seed in the SEC Tournament, giving it a first-round bye and matching the Gators up with the winner of Game 2 on Thursday, March 14, inside Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Tipoff is slated for a late 9:30 p.m. ET start on the SEC Network.

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Gators slip a seed in USA TODAY Sports bracketology ahead of postseason

The Gators lost a little ground in USAT’s bracketology but they are still very firmly on the Big Dance invitation list.

The college basketball regular season has officially come to a close and what a campaign it was for the Florida Gators. After a sluggish start, Todd Golden’s gang went perfect in December before hitting another roadblock at the start of the Southeastern Conference schedule.

Then midway through January, the Orange and Blue found another gear, winning 10 of its last 14 to wrap up the regular season; the one blemish was the final loss last weekend.

Following Saturday’s defeat at the Vanderbilt Commodores, USA TODAY Sports’s bracketology update dropped Florida down a spot to a No. 7 seed, moving from the East Region to the West. There, the Gators are matched up with the No. 10 Nebraska Cornhuskers to start things off, while the No. 2 North Carolina Tar Heels and No. 15 Sam Houston State Bearkats also join them in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The Southeastern Conference is represented by the West Region’s top-seeded Tennessee Volunteers, along with the Kentucky Wildcats (No. 3, Midwest), Alabama Crimson Tide (No. 4, Midwest), Auburn Tigers (No. 4, Eat), South Carolina Gamecocks (No. 5, South) and Mississippi State Bulldogs (No. 11 West).

Mississippi State is also one of the last four in while the Texas A&M Aggies are among the next four out.

Florida is a No. 6 seed in the SEC Tournament, giving it a first-round bye and matching the Gators up with the winner of Game 2 on Thursday, March 14, inside Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Tipoff is slated for a late 9:30 p.m. ET start on the SEC Network.

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Gators a No. 7 seed in CBS Sports bracketology at regular-season end

Florida gained a spot in Jerry Palm’s bracketology after beating ‘Bama but also losing at Vandy.

The final week of the regular season for Florida basketball was a rollercoaster ride, stretching from the highs of the win over the Alabama Crimson Tide at home and the lows from the road loss at the Vanderbilt Commodores. Nonetheless, the Gators wrapped up a successful season that has them heading to the Big Dance for the first time since 2021.

Following the final week of action, CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm released his latest bracketology update, in which Todd Golden’s team rose a spot to No. 7 while shifting over to the Midwest Region. They are now matched up with the No. 10 Nebraska Cornhuskers in the opening round, with the No. 2 Baylor Bears and No. 14 Sam Houston Bearkats in Memphis, Tennessee.

The Southeastern Conference is also represented by the top team in the West Region, the Tennessee Volunteers, followed by Alabama (No. 4, East), the Kentucky Wildcats (No. 4, Midwest), Auburn Tigers (No. 5, South), South Carolina Gamecocks (No. 5, West) and Mississippi State Bulldogs (No. 10, East). The Texas A&M Aggies are among the first four out. 

Florida is a No. 6 seed in the Southeastern Conference Tournament, giving it a first-round bye and matching the Gators up with the winner of Game 2 on Thursday, March 14, inside Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Tipoff is slated for a late 9:30 p.m. ET start on the SEC Network.

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Alabama slides to a four-seed in latest Bracketology projection

Alabama exits the regular season as a projected four-seed in latest USA TODAY Bracketology projection.

Alabama basketball finished the 2023-2024 regular season on a high note with an impressive comeback win over Arkansas at home. Now, the team enters the SEC Conference Tournament with few opportunities to improve its resumé for seeding in the NCAA Tournament.

The latest USA TODAY Sports Bracketology projection was done by Paul Myerberg, Erick Smith, and Eddie Timanus. In it, Alabama is a projected four-seed in the South Region.

According to the mock bracket, the Tide would face No. 13 Appalachian State in the Round of 64.

In the South Region, the No. 1 seed would be Houston, No. 2 North Carolina and No. 3 Creighton. Without a doubt, one of the most difficult of the four regions.

Alabama will play again this Friday, March 15 in Nashville in the quarterfinals of the 2024 SEC Conference Tournament.

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