BRACKETOLOGY: Let's talk Bubble

Today, we're going to discuss the At-Large hopes of some teams who are on the fringe.

Kentucky: Now, I haven't seen many people who've had the Wildcats in, however, I'm fairly confident that if today were Selection Sunday, Kentucky would be in. Kentucky had some awful losses earlier in the season; no doubt about that. Not many teams, let alone bubble teams, can show wins over Vanderbilt, Arkansas, and Tennessee. They're on a roll right now and are going to finish in second in the SEC East. They get a first round win in the SEC tournament and you can lock-it-up for the boys from Lexington.

New Mexico: Here we have to case for the Lobos. New Mexico has 22 wins on the year and are a very respectable 9-4 in the tough Mountain West. On the other side of the coin, half of their wins are against teams rated 201 and below in the RPI. This is New Mexico, there is no reason for them to have played such a soft schedule, they have BYU and UNLV at home for the next two. They need BOTH of those games.

Southern Illinois: THIS is where the plot thickens. The Salukis have four sub-RPI 100 losses. They also have wins over Mississippi St, St. Mary's, and Drake. The fact that they're in a mid-major conference and still have a strength-of-schedule in the top 10 should tell you something about how they tested themselves in the non-conference. Given the other teams on the bubble, not many you can justify being in over SIU.

Davidson: Now, I've seen Davidson play a lot this year. Probably as much as I've seen Memphis and UCLA. I've seen them give Duke, UCLA, and North Carolina all they want. I've also seen them lose to those teams too. It's no doubt in my mind that Davidson can beat a lot of teams that are in this week's bracket. They have TWO non-conference wins though. That's not going to get it done.

On to the bracket:

Last Four In: Maryland, Kentucky, Wake Forest, Southern Illinois
Last Four Out: Creighton, Florida, Rhode Island, Syracuse

The number one seeds rank in this order: 1. Tennessee 2. Memphis 3. North Carolina 4. UCLA

This bracket is good for games thru Sunday February 24, 2008

EAST
1.Tennessee16.Lamar/Alabama St Birmingham, AL
8.Oklahoma9.Arizona
5.Marquette12.Southern Illinois Tampa, FL
4.Indiana13.Maryland
6.Butler11.Baylor Anaheim, CA
3.Stanford14.UMBC
7.Gonzaga10.West Virginia Raleigh, NC
2.Duke15.American
WEST
1.UCLA16.Cal St Northridge Anaheim, CA
8.BYU9.Clemson
5.Notre Dame12.Kentucky Washington, DC
4.Michigan St13.Siena
6.USC11.Davidson Tampa, FL
3.Georgetown14.Winthrop
7.Mississippi St10.UMass Omaha, NE
2.Kansas15.Portland St
MIDWEST
1.North Carolina16.Robert Morris Raleigh, NC
8.Texas A&M9.Pittsburgh
5.Drake12.Arizona St Denver, CO
4.Purdue13.Oral Roberts
6.St. Mary’s11.Wake Forest Birmingham, AL
3.Louisville14.Cornell
7.Kansas St10.UNLV Washington, DC
2.Xavier15.Belmont
SOUTH
1.Memphis16.Morgan St Little Rock, AR
8.Miami(FL)9.Arkansas
5.Washington St12.South Alabama Denver, CO
4.UConn13.Virginia Commonwealth
6.Vanderbilt11.St. Josephs Omaha, NE
3.Wisconsin14.Boise St
7.Kent St10.Villanova Little Rock, AR
2.Texas15.Austin Peay