Barnes Bracketology - March 15th (Early)

Well, as expected, Saturday would all but solidify my projected field and for the most part, it did. I am down to what I think are 3 at-large spots that I am absolutely sure about. In fact, I am going to have an extra post to share with you the 9 teams I think are worthy of the last 3 spots and show you just how tough this decision is. For now, check out the update. And note, this is the EARLY version. I will have a FINAL bracket after the first wave of games.

MY PROJECTED FIELD OF 65
(new teams in italics)

LOCKS: After days of holding off, I have given in and moved in the best of the BUBBLE teams and moved them into the LOCK category. These teams haven't moved out of the bubble watch for a reason and it is because their status in the tournament had pretty much been secured, despite early exits in their conference tournaments. There are 6 in all, moving the number in thsi category to 39.

LOCKS (39): Duke, UNC, Clemson, Florida St, Wake, Pitt, UConn, L'Ville, Villanova, West Virginia, Syracuse, Marquette, Michigan St, Illinois, Purdue, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Washington, UCLA, Arizona St, LSU, Utah, Memphis, Xavier, Butler, Gonzaga, Texas, Tennessee, California, Texas A+M, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, BYU, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Dayton, and Boston College.

AUTO: Lot of new teams in bold here. Some of them (America, Binghamton, Morgan State, Temple, Alabama St and Utah St) were already here. Two teams (Akron and Cal State Northridge) replaced a team, thanks to a conference championship. And another was added (USC) because the only way they made the field of 65 is by winning the conference tourney.

AUTO (23): Binghamton (Am. East), East Tennessee St (A-Sun), Temple (A-10), Portland State (Big Sky), Radford (Big South), Cal State Northridge (Big West), VCU (Colonial), Cleveland State (Horizon), Cornell (Ivy), Siena (MAAC), Akron (MAC), Morgan St (MEAC), Northern Iowa (MVC), Robert Morris (Northeast), Morehead St (Ohio Valley), USC (Pac-10), American (Patriot), Chattanooga (SoCon), Stephen F. Austin (Southland), Alabama St (SWAC), ND State (Summit), Western Kentucky (Sun Belt), and Utah St (WAC).

AT-LARGE: So with the mass exodus of 6 teams to LOCK status and another AT-LARGE spot taken thanks to the win by USC, that leaves just 3 spots in the category. I am going with these 3 teams to be the final ones in.

AT-LARGE (3): San Diego State, Maryland, and Arizona

BUBBLE WATCH

I am excited to say that the bubble watch is officially down to 9 teams. Auburn is a late addition to the fray, thanks to their impressive performance in the SC tournament. That and their play as of late has been noteworthy and may catch the eye of the committee. These are in order of what I think. don't forget to check out my special Bubble Teams special so you can decide who you think should grab those final spots.

BUBBLE (9): San Diego State, Arizona, Maryland, Penn State, UNLV, St. Mary's, Creighton, Auburn, and Providence.

SEEDING

Alright, I have made some major changes to the bracket. These are the last of my major changes. My one seeds have changed as UConn is now a 2 seed after a dominating performance by Memphis. Syracuse has moved up to a 3 seed due to their deep run, dropping Wake Forest to a 4 seed. Florida State is also up a seed while LSU drops one. Ohio State jumps from 9 to 7. Teams moving up just a seed include Tennessee, Oklahoma State, Xavier, and Utah State. Some teams fell for various reasons. Most of those reasons dealing with just trying to balance the bracket.

So here's the deal. This is the first draft for Sunday. This is because of the SEC Championship. If Mississippi State wins, I have to change my bracket. The other games won't really have an effect on my bracket. So after the 1pm games, I will release my FINAL bracket. The one to be judged against the committee's version. I have already made arrangements for all the games but I don't want to confuse you with what they are. So again, after the 1pm games, check back around 3:30 (right before the Big Ten Championship) and you'll see my final bracket.

SOUTH-WEST vs. MIDWEST-EAST (Click on bracket for enlarged version)

SOUTH REGION (Memphis)
1 North Carolina vs. 16 Morgan State (Greensboro)
2 Oklahoma vs. 15 Stephen F. Austin (Kansas City)
3 Villanova vs. 14 Akron (Philadelphia)
4 Arizona State vs. 13 Western Kentucky (Portland)
5 Purdue vs. 12 Temple (Portland)
6 Clemson vs. 11 Wisconsin (Philadelphia)
7 Marquette vs. 10 San Diego State (Kansas City)
8 Oklahoma State vs. 9 Utah State (Greensboro)

MIDWEST REGION (Indianapolis)
1 Louisville vs. 16 Chattanooga/Cal State Northridge (Dayton)
2 Michigan State vs. 15 Robert Morris (Minneapolis)
3 Missouri vs. 14 Binghamton (Boise)
4 Florida State vs. 13 Cleveland State (Miami)
5 LSU vs. 12 Michigan (Miami)
6 West Virginia vs. 11 Arizona (Boise)
7 Utah vs. 10 Boston College (Minneapolis)
8 California vs. 9 Siena (Dayton)

EAST REGION (Boston)
1 Pittsburgh vs. 16 Morehead State (Dayton)
2 Duke vs. 15 East Tennessee State (Greensboro)
3 Syracuse vs 14 Cornell (Minneapolis)
4 Washington vs. 13 North Dakota State (Portland)
5 Xavier vs. 12 Northern Iowa (Portland)
6 Gonzaga vs. 11 USC (Minneapolis)
7 Ohio State vs. 10 Texas A+M (Greensboro)
8 BYU vs. 9 Minnesota (Dayton)

WEST REGION (Phoenix)
1 Memphis vs. 16 Alabama State (Kansas City)
2 UConn vs. 15 Radford (Philadelphia)
3 Kansas vs. 14 Portland State (Boise)
4 Wake Forest vs. 13 American (Miami)
5 UCLA vs. 12 VCU (Miami)
6 Illinois vs. 11 Maryland (Boise)
7 Tennessee vs. 10 Dayton (Philadelphia)
8 Butler vs. 9 Texas (Kansas City)

SUNDAY'S GAMES TO WATCH
Florida State vs. Duke (ACC Championship) - Pretty sure FSU locks up a top-4 seed and an easy trip to Miami with a win over the Blue Devils.
Mississippi State vs. Tennessee (SEC Championship) - The bubble teams hoping to get in better hope the Vols win this. If not, the Bulldogs are bursting a bubble and crashing the dance.
Ohio State vs. Purdue (Big Ten Championship) - OSU could see their stock rise dramatically with a win in the tournament. Same goes for Purdue as well.


Alright, make sure you check in tomorrow to see the final version as well as my special post around noon specifically geared toward the bubble teams. You can be the judge on the final 3 teams in. I have made my choices but you have a voice too. Just leave it in the comments section.