dantheman4250

Last year I did a live NCAA Tournament blog and this year I will be doing it again. I expect all of you guys to participate! It was a huge success last year and I can't wait to start it back up. Right now my right wrist is bothering me and it's delaying my NCAA Tournament preview. Hopefully I will get it out shortly.

For the live blog please send your questions to my email . Please put your name and location along with the question/comment.

MY FINAL BRACKET IS NOW OUT!

I will release the seed lines here, but for the bracket you need to click here!

The Seeds (The Bracket )
1s: Connecticut, Louisville, North Carolina, Pittsburgh
2s: Memphis, Duke, Oklahoma, Michigan State
3s: Villanova, Kansas, Wake Forest, Missouri
4s: Florida State, Gonzaga, Washington, Syracuse
5s: UCLA, Xavier, Illinois, Purdue
6s: Arizona State, Tennessee, Marquette, West Virginia
7s: Clemson, Utah, LSU, Ohio State
8s: Butler, Oklahoma State, Texas, BYU
9s: Boston College, Texas A&M, California, Siena
10s: San Diego State, Utah State, Dayton, Wisconsin
11s: Mississippi State, Maryland, USC, Michigan
12s: Temple, Minnesota, VCU, Northern Iowa
13s: Western Kentucky, Cleveland State, North Dakota State, American
14s: Stephen F. Austin, East Tennessee State, Cornell, Buffalo
15s: Binghampton, Radford, Robert Morris, Portland State
16s: Chattanooga, Morehead State, Morgan State, CSU Northridge, Alabama State

Both Utah State & Memphis won their conference tournaments so both are in the NCAA Tournament field. The point in posting this is not to down Memphis or to raise up Utah State, but it is to create conversation. Let's break it down:

Memphis:
Record: 30-3
Projected Seed: 2
Longest Winning Streak: 25
Wins vs. Tournament Teams in that Span: 2
Wins over Tournament Teams Overall: Gonzaga, Tennessee, Chattanooga

Utah State:
Record: 29-4
Projected Seed: 10
Longest Winning Streak: 19
Wins vs. Tournament Teams in that Span: 1
Wins over Tournament Teams Overall: Utah

Now once again I am not arguing that Memphis' resume isn't better because it is. My point is both play in weaker conferences where neither were really challenged all year long. Why do we reward Memphis, a team with three wins over NCAA Tournament bound teams, and not reward Utah State with a higher seed? Perception matters folks.

My FINAL bracketology is coming soon!

Latest Bracketology: http://onlinesportsfanatic.com/2009
/03/15/march-15th-bracketology-10-a
m-ct/

1) I keep going back and forth between Washington and Villanova for the final three seed on the line. Why? Because a 4 seed for Villanova creates a bracketing nightmare for the Selection Committee. Three Big East #1 seeds (Louisville, Connecticut, Pittsburgh) and two Big East four seeds (Syracuse, Villanova) leaves a Sweet 16 matchup between Big East teams, something that is tried to be avoided. So therefore in my latest bracket I have moved Washington down to the 4 line. In turn that helped Washington by allowing them to play in the West region where they will be closer to home for their entire Final Four run.

2) I have St. Mary's, Creighton, Minnesota, Penn State and Arizona on the board for two spots. I know Lunardi doesn't have it narrowed down this far but I do. I don't see how San Diego State can be left out of the field.

3) There is going to be a huge surprise somewhere today. Last year Oregon shocked the world by getting in the field. I don't think Notre Dame has a Fighting Irish chance to get into the field but they could be the HUGE shocker this year. That's just a hunch because Notre Dame doesn't deserve a bid. That shalacking of Louisville is looking a lot better right now though. The other team to keep in mind is Kentucky. It's been a long time since a committee said Kentucky's body of work wasn't good enough.

4) Siena and Utah State's seedings are going to be very interesting. Expect them to be a lot of people's Cinderellas when the brackets come out and are filled out.

5) Does the committee really give St. Mary's a lot of credit for blowing out Eastern Washington? I personally think that what St. Mary's did should be illegal because they just picked up a game at the end of the season as if they are a high school team. Schedules should be set in stone. Anyways now that that rant is over how much credit does St. Mary's get? They should get none. Forget the health of Mills against EWU. We could get better competition by watching him practice against his own teammates. If St. Mary's gets in I have a feeling that Eastern Washington game saved the Gaels (which is wrong). St. Marys is a good team and is NCAA Tournament quality but I don't want to see them get in because they blew out Eastern Washington. That's not fair.

Selection Sunday is almost here (the actual selection process is about 24 hours away) and it's time to look at some of the major questions going through this bracketologist's mind. My new bracketology will be out soon! My final bracket should be out by 2 o' clock tomorrow afternoon!

1) Who will get the #1 seeds?

North Carolina
Pros: RPI #3, Wins over Michigan State, Florida State, Duke (twice), #20 SOS, Acc reg. season champs
Cons: Losses to Boston College & Maryland (best I could come up with)

Pittsburgh
Pros: RPI #1, SOS #7, Wins over Connecticut (twice), Florida State, Syracuse, West Virginia
Cons: Lost two of last five games (WVU, Providence)

Connecticut
Pros: RPI #6, Wins over West Virginia, Villanova, Louisville, Syracuse
Cons: Lost last two games and three of last five (SYR, PITT, PITT)

Louisville
Pros: #7 RPI, Big East regular season champions, In Big East tournament championship, 9 straight W's
Cons: Losses to Western Kentucky, Minnesota, UNLV

Memphis
Pros: #8 RPI, 30 Wins, 24 straight wins, Conf USA reg. season & tournament champions
Cons: Plays in Conference USA, Best wins are Gonzaga & Tennessee

Duke
Pros: #2 RPI, #2 SOS, Wins over Wake Forest, Florida State (twice), Xavier
Cons: Has not won against UNC, Losses to Boston College & Michigan

Michigan State
Pros: #4 RPI, #6 SOS, Big Ten regular season champs
Cons: Lost in Big Ten semifinals, Lost to UNC, Penn State, Maryland

2) How many teams will the SEC get?

The disaster scenario has happened for the SEC. Not only did South Carolina and Florida lose on Friday but Auburn also lost to Tennessee on Saturday. LSU has gone from a potential top 5 seed to a questionable top 6 seed after losing to Mississippi State. Both Tennessee & LSU are in, but if Tennessee knocks off Mississippi State then the SEC could be left with only TWO bids barring a Selection Sunday miracle.

3) Who gets the final two seed?

I think it's pretty fair to claim that North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Connecticut, Louisville, Memphis, Duke, and Michigan State are going to be on the top two seed lines (or top line) tomorrow. The question is whether the committee gives Kansas or Oklahoma the final two seed. I have OU as my final two seed at this point, but a lot of bracketologists (Lunardi included) disagree with me. The Jayhawks have lost two of three but did knock off Oklahoma in their only regular season meeting. The key will be how much the committee weighs in Blake Griffin missing the game.

4) St. Mary's or Penn State?

I hate to just eliminate a lot of bubble teams but this appears to be the major question most of us bracketologists are asking at this second. I have Penn State in while most bracketologists have St. Mary's in. How much of a factor will the committee rule that Patty Mills injury played in St. Mary's losses?

St. Marys:
Pros: 18-2 with Patty Mills in the lineup
Cons: Best win is Utah State, Lost four games without Mills, Wasn't competitive against Gonzaga in WCC Final

Penn State:
Pros: Wins over Michigan State, Illinois (twice), Purdue, Michigan
Cons: Lost to Iowa, Wasn't impressive in final loss in Big Ten Semifinals to Purdue

5) Florida State & Syracuse, what does hot play get you?

Right now I have both teams as four seeds in my latest bracket (not released yet), but it's a tough line to draw. Both have great computer numbers and although hot play is important you don't want to over reward a team. Both teams are playing in championship games, I think both end up as four seeds when it's all said and done.

6) How do you sort out the Big Ten mess?

I've already touched a little bit on Penn State above (question #4), but how do you sort this mess out? I was actually listening to the Michigan State-Ohio State game when I realized that this is a weird year in college basketball. I don't want to take anything away from the Big Ten but by beating up on each other the conference is probably going to get eight teams into the field. Check this out.

RPIs:
Michigan State 4
Illinois 18
Purdue 30
Ohio State 35
Minnesota 40
Michigan 42
Wisconsin 44
Penn State 68

I don't want to be the bearer of bad news but do not be surprised if there's a Big Ten surprise on Selection Sunday. I don't see how any of the top seven can be left out due to the weakness of the bubble, but outside of the top three teams there is major mediocrity going on.

7) Utah State, what happens if they lose?

There has NEVER been a team left out of the NCAA Tournament with 27 wins or more. Utah State has 28 but most of them are against Subpar competition. If the Aggies lose tonight are they still in? I think so, mainly just due to the unwritten rule based on win total.

8) Statement: Siena's seed could be a major surprise

Just know this one. Siena has the nation's #19 RPI and has the MAAC regular season championship & tournament championship under its belt, as well as a pretty nice run in the NCAA Tournament from last season. Now the question is how well the Saints will be seeded tomorrow. For those wondering if they would've gotten into the field with a loss in the MAAC Championship the answer is yes. The lowest RPI ever left out of the NCAA Tournament was Missouri State. Do not be surprised if Siena jumps all the way up to the 8 seed line tomorrow.

9) Auburn's winning streak before their loss today will mean what?

I still think it means NIT. Auburn flew under the radar all season long, didn't do anything extraordinary and didn't play a team better than Virginia out of conference. Expect Auburn to be one of the ten SEC teams sitting at home, barring an unforseen decision by the comitteee.

10) Sunday's Surprise will be?

By this I am referring to the fact that there is ALWAYS something we don't see coming that happens when the brackets are announced. Either a major snub, a major surprise team is in, or a team is seeded way too high or way too low. Keep your eye on a team like Clemson. I think they could be seeded way lower than what people think.

I will release the seed lines here, but for the bracket you need to click here!

The Seeds (The Bracket )
1s: Connecticut, Louisville, North Carolina, Pittsburgh
2s: Memphis, Duke, Oklahoma, Michigan State
3s: Villanova, Kansas, Wake Forest, Missouri
4s: Illinois, Gonzaga, Washington, Syracuse
5s: UCLA, Xavier, Florida State, Purdue
6s: Arizona State, LSU, Marquette, West Virginia
7s: Clemson, Butler, Tennessee, Ohio State
8s: Wisconsin, Utah, Oklahoma State, Texas
9s: Boston College, BYU, Texas A&M, California
10s: Michigan, San Diego State, Utah State, Siena
11s: Creighton, Penn State, Northern Iowa, Maryland
12s: Temple, Minnesota, VCU, Dayton
13s: Western Kentucky, Cleveland State, North Dakota State, American
14s: Stephen F. Austin, East Tennessee State, Cornell, Buffalo
15s: Binghampton, Radford, Robert Morris, Portland State
16s: Chattanooga, Morehead State, Morgan State, CSU Northridge, Alabama State

I will release the seed lines here, but for the bracket you need to click here!

The Seeds (The Bracket )
1s: Connecticut, Louisville, North Carolina, Pittsburgh
2s: Memphis, Duke, Oklahoma, Michigan State
3s: Villanova, Washington, Kansas, Wake Forest
4s: Illinois, Gonzaga, Xavier, Missouri
5s: UCLA, Syracuse, Marquette, Purdue
6s: Arizona State, LSU, Florida State, West Virginia
7s: Clemson, Butler, Tennessee, Texas
8s: California, Wisconsin, Utah, Oklahoma State
9s: Boston College, Ohio State, BYU, South Carolina
10s: Michigan, Texas A&M, San Diego State, Dayton
11s: Creighton, Siena, Penn State, Northern Iowa
12s: Florida, Minnesota, VCU, Utah State
13s: Western Kentucky, Cleveland State, North Dakota State, American
14s: Stephen F. Austin, East Tennessee State, Cornell, Buffalo
15s: Binghampton, Radford, Robert Morris, Portland State
16s: Chattanooga, Morehead State, Morgan State, CSU Northridge, Alabama State

My new bracketology is now up. I will release the seed lines here, but for the bracket you need to click here!

The Seeds (The Bracket )
1s: Connecticut, Louisville, North Carolina, Pittsburgh
2s: Memphis, Duke, Oklahoma, Michigan State
3s: Villanova, Washington, Kansas, Wake Forest
4s: Illinois, Gonzaga, Xavier, Missouri
5s: UCLA, Syracuse, Marquette, Purdue
6s: Arizona State, LSU, Florida State, West Virginia
7s: Clemson, Butler, Tennessee, Texas
8s: California, Wisconsin, Utah, Oklahoma State
9s: Boston College, Ohio State, BYU, South Carolina
10s: Michigan, Texas A&M, San Diego State, Dayton
11s: Creighton, Siena, Penn State, Northern Iowa
12s: Florida, New Mexico, VCU, Utah State
13s: Western Kentucky, Cleveland State, North Dakota State, American
14s: Stephen F. Austin, East Tennessee State, Cornell, Buffalo
15s: Binghampton, Radford, Robert Morris, Portland State
16s: Chattanooga, Morehead State, Morgan State, CSU Northridge, Alabama State