Tag: ESPN bracketology

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi tabs Iowa basketball’s Big Ten tourney date vs. Ohio State as must-win

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi tabbed Iowa’s Big Ten Tournament date vs. Ohio State as an “out without this win” game.

It’s probably not a major shock to hear that Iowa basketball’s date versus Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament is being deemed as a must-win for the Hawkeyes.

That’s precisely the case according to ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi. Lunardi included Iowa’s Thursday date against Ohio State as one of his “out without this win” games.

The Hawkeyes join programs such as Wake Forest, New Mexico, Villanova, Utah, St. John’s, Pittsburgh, Memphis, Texas A&M, Colorado and South Florida in Lunardi’s “out without this win” games.

Meanwhile, Ohio State is in Lunardi’s “win here, then win again” category. The Buckeyes join Virginia Tech, Providence, Syracuse, Kansas State, Oregon and UNLV in that distinction.

Lunardi placed Oklahoma, TCU, Mississippi State and Virginia among his “win and in” teams for conference tournament week. The Sooners and Horned Frogs play one another in an 8-vs.-9 matchup in the Big 12 Tournament.

Iowa is currently among Lunardi’s “first four out” in his most recent edition of bracketology.

Iowa (18-13, 10-10 Big Ten) missed a golden opportunity for another Quad 1 win in its final regular season date against Illinois (23-8, 14-6 Big Ten). A win over the Illini probably would have sealed the Hawkeyes’ fate as an NCAA Tournament team.

With a win, Iowa would have picked up a fourth Quad 1 victory on the season and enhanced its net ranking. Iowa also would have been the No. 5 seed in the Big Ten Tournament.

Instead, Illinois jumped all over Iowa early, building a 21-point lead midway through the first half and then hanging on and pulling back away in the second half for a 73-61 win over the Hawkeyes.

Junior forward Payton Sandfort knocked down five 3-pointers in the second half to try to give Iowa a chance, but his 23 points weren’t enough to bring the Hawkeyes all the way back.

As a result, the Hawkeyes are the No. 7 seed in the 2024 Big Ten Tournament and they will face No. 10 seed Ohio State (19-12, 9-11 Big Ten).

Iowa topped Ohio State 79-77 in the two teams’ lone meeting this season back on Feb. 2. Senior guard Tony Perkins led the way for the Hawkeyes with 20 points.

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USC women’s basketball is a No. 1 seed in new ESPN NCAA Tournament bracketology (March 11)

Boom. USC is now a No. 1 seed in ESPN’s latest projections after winning the Pac-12 Tournament.

The USC women’s basketball team has moved to the top line in the sport. The Women of Troy are now a projected No. 1 seed for the 2024 Women’s NCAA Tournament in ESPN’s latest edition of NCAA Tournament bracketology. ESPN bracketologist Charlie Creme has adjusted his bracket to reflect USC’s wins over both UCLA and Stanford en route to the Pac-12 Tournament championship in Las Vegas.

USC has moved up to the No. 1 line, displacing UCLA, which was a projected No. 1 seed on Friday but has been moved down to a No. 2 seed. The Iowa Hawkeyes are also a No. 1 seed, displacing the Ohio State Buckeyes, who were in the No. 1 slot entering the weekend. Ohio State, which lost to both USC and UCLA during the regular season, would seemingly be eliminated from consideration for a No. 1 seed. UCLA is still in the hunt but would likely need Texas to lose in the Big 12 Tournament to have a chance. Texas and Iowa might be battling for the final No. 1 seed on the board. It could also be that USC and Iowa are both safe for No. 1 seeds, and that Texas is trying to earn a spot as the highest-rated No. 2 seed on the board.

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Texas A&M Basketball rises in Joe Lunardi’s newest bracketology update

Texas A&M has finally risen in Joe Lunardi’s bracketology update after reeling off three consecutive wins to end the regular season

Texas A&M (18-13, 9-9 SEC) ended the regular season on the highest of notes, winning three consecutive SEC games, culminating with a blowout victory on the road vs. Ole Miss to the tune of 86-60.

Last week’s slew of performances was a far cry from where this team was late last month, losing five straight games while looking dreadfully below average. Still, changes to the lineup, including elevating guard Manny Obaseki as a key contributor off the bench, have provided a significant spark, as the junior scored 54 points during the Aggie’s win streak.

With the NCAA Tournament committee set to make their selections next Sunday afternoon, the upcoming SEC Tournament is Texas A&M’s last shot at earning a bid, as ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi has now given the program a massive boost within his newest bracket update, as the Aggies have risen from the “next team out” section to the “first four out” category ahead of this weeks tournament.

For those who haven’t been paying attention, this is big news before the Aggies tip off in a rematch with Ole Miss on Thursday night, as another win against the Rebels should be enough to garner a bid. However, if A&M succeeds, they will face red-hot Kentucky in the SEC Quarterfinals, and a potential upset over the Wildcats would more than guarantee a spot among the 68 teams.

No. 7-seed Texas A&M will play the 10-seed Ole Miss Rebels in the SEC tournament on Thursday, March 17, at 6 p.m. CT. The game will air on SEC Network.

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ESPN Bracketology: Latest update headed into March

The latest from Mr. Lunardi.

It was a good week for Ohio State basketball have won back-to-back games and three of their four games since interim head coach Jake Diebler took over.

The Buckeyes ended a 17 game road losing streak on Sunday as Dale Bonner’s game winning three pointer gave Ohio State a 60-57 victory over Michigan State.

On Thursday night, Ohio State got a big home victory as Jamison Battle’s 32 points led the Buckeyes to a 78-69 win over Nebraska.

Ohio State will likely still need a deep run in the Big Ten tournament to claim a spot in the big dance but it’s good to see the Buckeyes playing good basketball down the stretch.

Who is projected to make the field of 68 from the Big Ten?  Here are the six teams ESPN’s Joe Lunardi projects to get in the big dance in his latest Bracketology update.

ESPN Bracketology: Latest update after upset-filled week in Big Ten

The latest look at Joe Lunardi’s NCAA projections with Big Ten teams. #B1G

It was a week full of upsets in the Big Ten. Purdue, Illinois and Wisconsin, who have been at the top of the Big Ten standings for much of the season, all dropped games.

The most notable upset came on Sunday when Ohio State beat Purdue in its first game since firing head coach Chris Holtmann.

Penn State also pulled off an upset on its home floor Wednesday night, erasing a seven-point Illinois lead with less than a minute left to take home a 90-89 victory.

See how did these upsets affect NCAA tournament projections in Joe Lunardi’s latest bracketology update?  Lunardi is one of the best NCAA tournament bracket experts in the business, and he updated his predictions for who would make the field of 68 on Friday morning.

Texas A&M Basketball is treading water in newest bracketology update

Ahead of facing the No. 5 Tennessee on the road, Texas A&M has continued to fall in Joe Lunardi’s newest bracketology update.

Texas A&M’s (15-11, 6-7 SEC) free fall has reached epic proportions just two weeks after defeating the highly ranked Tennessee Volunteers inside a packed Reed Arena, seemingly cementing their place in the NCAA Tournament.

Barring a collapse with eight games remaining on the schedule, ESPN’s “bracketologist” Joe Lunardi had the Aggies squarely slated at a 7-seed heading into their road matchup against Vanderbilt. Still, their once hopeful trip to Nashville was just the start of what has become a complete disaster.

After falling to the Commodores on a last-second shot, losing 100-75 against Alabama on the road was no surprise, but what shocked every Aggie on Tuesday night was the lack of urgency coupled with one of the poorest shooting performances on the year in the Aggies’ underwhelming 78-71 loss to Arkansas.

According to Lunardi, Texas A&M has now gone from squarely in the field to drop all the way down to the “last team in,” and if this squad still wants a shot at taking part in any postseason festivities outside of the N.I.T, finishing 4-1, or at worst, 3-2 (winning every home game), is only way forward.

From a NET rankings perspective, A&M’s impressive six Quad 1 wins are the only reason they’re still in the tournament conversation. At the same time, their four Quad 3 losses will be heavily taken into account by the selection committee.

Texas A&M will hit the road to face No. 5 Tennessee on Saturday, Feb. 24 at 7:00 p.m. CT. The game will air on ESPN.

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USC women’s basketball is a No. 2 seed in latest ESPN NCAA Tournament bracketology

It is widely agreed that #USC is currently a No. 2 seed for the 2024 Women’s NCAA Tournament.

The USC women’s basketball team is enjoying a terrific season. The Trojans significantly improved their standing in the national picture by beating Oregon State on Sunday. The Trojans completed a season sweep of the two-game series against the Beavers. The win has the Trojans as a projected No. 2 seed in ESPN’s latest NCAA Tournament bracketology. The Trojans are a consensus No. 2 seed in bracket projections right now, vaulting up from a No. 3 seed last week.

Obviously, if a team is a projected No. 2 seed in late February, it has a chance to become a No. 1 seed. That isn’t necessarily likely for the Trojans, but it’s certainly a possibility. USC just has to move up one more seed line, and the Trojans could be at the top of the bracket.

USC is in excellent position to host NCAA Tournament games at the Galen Center for the first time in school history. As long as USC gets a top-four seed, the Trojans will host opening-round games in late March (March 22 and 24 or 23 and 25).

See below for more information on NCAA Tournament ESPN bracketology, from bracketologist Charlie Creme. Get a look at the projected No. 1 seeds, No. 2 seeds, and No. 3 seeds USC is battling for prime position in the 2024 Women’s NCAA Tournament bracket:

ESPN Bracketology Update: Six Big Ten teams remain in latest update

Where do Big Ten teams land in the latest Joe Lunardi bracketology?

After another underwhelming season from Ohio State basketball, it was announced that the Buckeyes would be moving on from head coach Chris Holtmann.

The decision comes as no surprise to Buckeye fans as Ohio State currently sits in 13th place in the Big Ten with a 4-10 conference record and 14-11 record overall.

For the second straight year, Ohio State will need to go on a big run in March to secure a March madness bid.

That will be a very tall task, especially considering how well Purdue has played this season.  The Boilermakers currently hold a 2.5 game lead in the Big Ten standings as they are the second ranked team in college basketball with a 23-2 record.

Purdue is the top overall seed in Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology prediction on ESPN. Lunardi is known as one of the best NCAA Tournament bracket experts in the business and he updated his predictions for who would make the field of 68 on Morning morning.

Here’s where the Big Ten teams stack up in his latest update.

Bracketology Update: Oregon’s hopes at March Madness are on life support

After a hot start to the Pac-12 season, the Oregon Ducks have gone ice cold, dropping them out of NCAA tournament contention.

After a loss last Saturday to Washington State, the Oregon Ducks have fallen out of ESPN’s Bracketology, and they’ve almost fallen out of NCAA Tournament contention altogether. After starting the conference season 5-0, the Ducks are now 8-5 and fourth in the Pac-12 standings.

For a while, Oregon was sitting on the bubble of March Madness. Just a few key wins away from making the tournament. But they couldn’t win the must-wins, and now they’ve fallen off the NCAA tournament bubble. With only seven games left on their schedule, Oregon’s hopes for an at-large bid are nearly gone altogether.

The Ducks’ problems began around the time N’Faly Dante was returning from injury. During his absence, Oregon employed small ball strategies which played to their strengths. But since his return, the Ducks’ offense has become one-dimensional, with players constantly throwing the ball to Dante in the post, hoping he’ll make a play. Dante is not the issue. He’s one of the best producers on the team, but the rest team him can’t seem to work out how to play with him.

On Saturday, the Ducks will head up the road to Corvallis to play the Oregon State. The Beavers sit near the bottom of the Pac-12 standings, but they were able to beat Arizona early this year. A win would help boost the Ducks’ seed in the Pac-12 tournament, which is likely the only route Oregon can still take to March Madness.

Social media reacts to lack of respect for ACC teams in Bracketology

Social media reacts to the disrespect the ACC is getting in Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology release.

These days the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) has been in a whirlwind of different conversations as they look to establish what once was.

Truthfully the ACC never got its respect in collegiate sports like football but has always been a frontrunner in basketball. Well, that’s slowly changing and ESPN’s Joe Lunardi is exposing that, calling out the lack of ACC teams and their ranking in recent March Madnesses.

Lunardi’s recent men’s basketball bracketology that predicts teams’ placement for the NCAA tournament features four ACC schools, the lowest it would be since 2014. Those four teams are UNC, Duke, Virginia, and Clemson. Among the first four out is Wake Forest, who has been a team to be wrecking with yet has failed to pick up a Quad 1 win (0-4).

The ACC attack wasn’t taken kindly by social media. Instead, it flipped to those like Lunardi who create such a list and the impact it serves. The firey responses were quite a treat, echoing the disrespect ACC teams have faced.

Let’s take a look at how social media reacted to the ACC being on the verge of a low of teams in March Madness.