Purdue walked into a trap game Thursday at Michigan and got snared. The Wolverines pounded the Boilermakers 82-58 in a game that wasn't as close as the score would indicate.
For the second time this season, I was prepared to move Purdue up to the top line of the bracket and for the second time, the Boilers took an ugly loss the day before the bracket was to be updated.
Purdue's loss means Kentucky will move up to a No. 1 seed after Kansas lost at Texas earlier in the week. The Wildcats could stay there for a while too, although the top line has been a revolving door this season. Kentucky gets four of its next six games at home.
Michigan also benefited from the win to the point of getting the final spot in the bracket as a No. 12 seed. The Wolverines are just 13-9 and have a compressed, but home-heavy schedule to end the season. They will play four home games in a row beginning Feb. 23. Included in that stretch of games is a makeup of the one with Michigan State that was postponed earlier.
And in case you were still unsure whether margin of victory was a big factor in the NET rankings, Purdue dropped from fourth to ninth after last night's blowout, while Michigan moved up 17 (!) spots to No. 30.
Arkansas also picked up a big home win this week when they defeated No. 1 Auburn. That was also a boost for the Razorbacks' resume, but they were already in the bracket before that game. No team in the SEC is hotter than Arkansas, which has now won nine straight. The Razorbacks, who are a No. 7 seed in the updated bracket, play three of their next four away from home, but have not built a cushion going into that tough stretch.
Auburn was not hurt too badly by the loss to Arkansas. The Tigers dropped to the No. 2 overall seed, switching places with Gonzaga. The Zags, the new No. 1 overall seed, are still laying waste to everyone in their path as they go through the West Coast Conference portion of their schedule.
Bracketology top seeds
Check out Palm's latest bracket, full field of 68 and all the teams on the bubble on the Bracketology hub.
USC, Wake Forest hurt by soft schedules
It is a good thing the polls do not mean anything in the selection process. USC would end up getting a seed it does not deserve.
The Trojans, who I have as a No. 10 seed, have played a very poor schedule and are lacking in quality wins. They have a win over San Diego State, which is their only win over a team in the bracket. If not for that, USC may not be in there at all. They get a chance to make a statement when they host UCLA on Saturday.
Wake Forest's profile is similar except that the Demon Deacons do not even have a win as good as San Diego State. Like USC, their chances for getting the quality wins they need are few and far between because of the lack of such teams in their respective conferences. However, those chances are coming now. Wake Forest's next three games are all against teams currently in the bracket, including a game at Duke on Feb 15. Needless to say, this is an important stretch of the season for the Demon Deacons, who I have as the first team out.
Mustangs making a move
SMU also benefited from scoring a big win. The Mustangs came from behind and handed Houston its first conference loss of the season on Wednesday night. Like Michigan, SMU has crept into the First Four of the updated bracket projection, which means there is very little margin for error if the Mustangs hope to stay there.
NCAA to reveal top 16 of early bracket
The NCAA will be having its annual top 16 bracket reveal show on Feb. 19 at Noon ET on CBS and continuing on CBS Sports Network at 12:30 p.m. Because of that, I will have three brackets next week. There will be one on Monday, as usual, one on Thursday instead of Friday, and another on Saturday based on the top 16 teams given to us by the NCAA Selection Committee.
