Bracketology: Duke drops to a No. 3 seed after losing to UNC, Purdue takes Blue Devils' place as a No. 2
Kentucky is now the top No. 2 seed in CBS Sports Bracketology Expert Jerry Palm's latest projected bracket
By
Jerry Palm
•
2 min read
I suppose it would be wrong not to start Sunday's column without talking about Duke and North Carolina. It may actually be illegal.
The Tar Heels got a huge win over their in-state rivals, putting a damper on Coach Mike Krzyzewski's retirement party. That is the first win of the season for UNC over a team that will definitely play in the NCAA Tournament and puts the Tar Heels in the bracket for now.
Duke dropped from a No. 2 seed to a No. 3 seed after the loss. The Blue Devils' strength of schedule and relatively high number of Quad 2 and 3 losses is dragging them down. Of the top 22 teams in the NET, the only team with a lower strength of schedule ranking than Duke is Houston, although Gonzaga and Arizona are only slightly ahead.
Purdue moves up to the No. 2 line in place of the Blue Devils, although the Boilermakers will likely have to be on the court in the Big Ten Tournament championship game next Sunday to hold that spot.
Kentucky is now the top No. 2 seed. The Wildcats finally got close enough to No. 1 seed Kansas to pass them on the strength of their blowout win at Phog Allen Fieldhouse in January. During last month's Bracket Preview show, NCAA selection committee chairman Tom Burnett said that the reason Kentucky was behind Kansas at that time was because they voted Baylor in between the two, and that it would not be fair to the Bears to move the Wildcats by them to get them ahead of Kansas. However, he said if they had been next to each other, Kentucky would pass Kansas. That is now the case in my bracket.
Bracketology top seeds
Check out Palm's latest bracket, full field of 68 and all the teams on the bubble on the Bracketology hub.
Murray State became the first team to clinch a spot in the NCAA Tournament with a victory over Morehead State in the Ohio Valley Conference championship game on Saturday night. The Big South and Missouri Valley will decide their champions and award their automatic bids Sunday.
In the MVC Tournament championship game, No. 4 seed Loyola will play No. 3 seed Drake. The Ramblers have been part of the bubble conversation for the last month, but have been sliding down the bracket with losses in every third game. Sunday will be the third game since their most recent loss. Loyola is not likely to go to the NCAA Tournament if it cannot break that pattern.
Tuesday's ASUN Tournament championship game is set. No. 2 seed Bellarmine will host No. 4 seed Jacksonville for the championship, but it is possible neither team gets to go to the NCAA Tournament. Jacksonville has to win or go home, which is usually how this works, however Bellarmine stays home either way. The Knights are still in their transition period to Division I and is ineligible for the NCAA Tournament. If Bellarmine wins the ASUN Tournament, No. 1 seed and regular season champion Jacksonville State, which lost to the Dolphins in the semifinal on Saturday, will get the league's automatic bid.
The AAC and Big Ten will finish their regular seasons Sunday and then there will be nothing left but tournament basketball until April 4.
