It was a relatively quiet day in the bracket Thursday, with most favorites winning. Friday will probably not be so quiet.
Michigan State dropped back to the top of the "last four in" the field of 68 after losing at Michigan 69-50. The Spartans, a No. 11 seed, will get another crack Sunday at the Wolverines, a No. 1 seed.
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Also on Thursday, Oklahoma dropped down one line in the bracket, falling from a No. 6 seed to a No. 7 seed, after losing to Texas 69-65.
Villanova got the bad news it likely expected on Thursday. Guard Collin Gillespie is out for the season after tearing a ligament in his knee. The Wildcats will only have one regular-season game and the Big East Tournament to show what they can do without Gillespie. Particularly poor performances could impact their seed a little more than just those performances would indicate.
Most of the bottom of the bracket is in action Friday. The teams seeded Nos. 44-50 in the bracket are all playing.
Many of those teams are playing their first games in their conference tournaments in the Atlantic 10 and Missouri Valley conferences, which seem to own that part of the bracket. You can get more on their resumes at Friday's Bubble Watch.
The Southern and Sun Belt conference tournaments begin as well.
It is also the final day of the regular season for the MAC and MAAC. The MAC had two games canceled Friday over COVID concerns. Ohio is having a problem lately and will not play at Bowling Green. The Miami (Ohio) vs. Akron game has been canceled as well. The MAC tournament is scheduled to begin Thursday with just the top eight teams..
Bracketology top seeds
Check out Palm's latest bracket, full field of 68 and all the teams on the bubble on the Bracketology hub.
