BRACKETOLOGY: Championship Week is Here

Not much to say today. We've had some bubble teams really help themselves out. Stanford got robbed, Xavier blew a 2 seed and I told you the 7 and 8 seeds in the Patriot League were dangerous. More conference tournament previews below.

Summit League: This thing here is a two-horse race. Oral Roberts and IUPUI are the heavy favorites to win the conference tournament. They only met once during the regular season and that was a one-point win at home for Oral Roberts. This tournament will be semi-home for the Golden Eagles so they'll have the advantage again. I like Oral Roberts to take that advantage, add it to the experience edge they already have, and they'll be dancing again.

Big Sky: There are nine schools in the Big Sky, but only six get to play in the conference tournament. I like it. It gives an advantage to the better teams in the conference-the teams with a greater chance of winning in March. Portland St has lost only two games since the calendar turned to 2008. You have to be a pretty bold guy to pick against Portland St. I'm not that bold. Portland St to the tournament.

On to the bracket

Last Four In: New Mexico, Villanova, Mississippi, St. Josephs
Last Four Out: Ohio St, Southern Illinois, Maryland, Oregon

Number Seeds Rank in this Order: 1. Memphis 2. North Carolina 3. UCLA 4. Tennessee

This bracket is good for games thru Thursday March 6, 2008

SOUTH
1.Memphis16.Lamar/Alabama St Little Rock, AR
8.Oklahoma9.Arizona
5.UConn12.Kentucky Tampa, FL
4.Purdue13.Boise St
6.Gonzaga11.Davidson Birmingham, AL
3.Louisville14.Cal St Northridge
7.Mississippi St10.UMass Raleigh, NC
2.Duke15.Robert Morris
MIDWEST
1.Tennessee16.UNC-Asheville Birmingham, AL
8.Kansas St9.Kent St
5.Marquette12.Arizona St Denver, CO
4.Michigan St13.New Mexico
6.Butler11.Virginia Commonwealth Anaheim, CA
3.Stanford14.Portland St
7.Clemson10.Pittsburgh Omaha, NE
2.Kansas15.UMBC
WEST
1.UCLA16.Morgan St Anaheim, CA
8.Miami(FL)9.Baylor
5.Indiana12.Mississippi Washington, DC
4.Notre Dame13.Oral Roberts
6.BYU11.Illinois St Washington, DC
3.Xavier14.Siena
7.St. Mary’s10.West Virginia Little Rock, AR
2.Texas15.Belmont
EAST
1.North Carolina16.American Raleigh, NC
8.South Alabama9.Texas A&M
5.Washington St12.St. Josephs Denver, CO
4.Vanderbilt13.Villanova
6.Drake11.UNLV Tampa, FL
3.Georgetown14.Cornell(Ivy)
7.USC10.Arkansas Omaha, NE
2.Wisconsin15.Austin Peay

Bracketology: Conference tournaments continued

Missouri Valley: For much of the season, it seemed that the MVC was a one-bid league barring an upset in the conference tournament. Well, look how quickly things can turn. This may be three-bid league even if at-large lock Drake wins the automatic bid. That being said, I expect a very intense semi-final on Saturday between Illinois St and Southern Illinois. I, for one, will be glued to the television. I expect Southern Illinois to beat the Redbirds for the first time this season and then go on to capture the championship.

Northeast: Even with this tournament being held at on-campus locations, I expect it to be very competitive. Robert Morris and Wagner are the class of the conference, but they're not unbeatable. RMU has lost at home to the worst team in the conference this year so that just illustrates how you shouldn't take anything for granted in the NEC. That being said, I believe RMU will be dancing.

Colonial: This is where it gets kind of tricky. You have Virginia Commonwealth, the team that won the regular season by three games and is the prohibited favorite. Then you have George Mason, a team that has beaten a healthy Dayton squad and Mike Beasley-led Kansas St Wildcats. Then, there's UNC-Wilmington, the team that has George Mason's number. Throw Old Dominion in that mix and now you have a awesome semi-final Sunday in Richmond. I see a VCU-George Mason final and the Patriots are dancing again.

Metro Atlantic: Honestly, taking a look at the standings, I'd be idiotic to try to make an informed opinion on the MAAC. The top six teams are separated by two games. That's way too much parity for me. I'm just going to root for Loyola and let the chips fall where they may.

Southern: Davidson went 20-0 to win the regular season in a rout. Only four of those games had a margin of victory in the single digits. There's a message here. Davidson is clearly head and shoulders above the rest. Add three more wins to the Wildcats total. Davidson continues its dominance.

West Coast: This is what Gonzaga does. They're here every year and it's no different this time around. They have company this year though. St. Mary's has joined the Bulldogs as at-large locks and conventional wisdom would tell you that this will be the final. However, there's a team that finished just one game behind St. Mary's and two games behind Gonzaga in the standings. That team just so happens to be the host for the tournament. That team is the worst nightmare for a bubble team because it is going to win this tournament. That team would be the University of San Diego.

Bracketology Addendum

More conference tournament previews folks.

Atlantic Sun: When talent meets experience, something special usually happens. That's the case in Nashville where the Belmont Bruins are gunning for their third consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament. Unfortunately for Belmont, it has had to play two final four teams in those two trips. At 21-8, boasting wins over Cincinnati and Alabama, Belmont looks to be in good shape for another shot at the big upset. However, the Bruins would be foolish to look past their second round opponent whether it be East Tennessee St or Lipscomb.

Sun Belt: It's been an interesting year in the Sun Belt. You have two teams from this league with legitimate at-large hopes in South Alabama and Western Kentucky. I think South Alabama is in good shape as long as they get to title game, but if I were Western Kentucky, I'd make sure I won the whole thing. That being said, the tournament is being played on USA's home court and it swept the hilltoppers during the regular season. Conventional wisdom would tell me that the Jaguars are the better team. I happen to think the third time is the charm for Western Kentucky. Two from the Sun Belt? Stay tuned.

Patriot League: I've never seen a league where there were two top seeds, American and Navy, that I didn't trust at all. It's not that I don't think they're decent teams, it's because in the first round of the league to play Holy Cross and Bucknell respectively. Holy Cross and Bucknell have pretty much owned the league for the past six years. You all can go with the chalk, but I just have a feeling that the last-place Holy Cross Crusaders will be playing in the play-in game.

BRACKETOLOGY: Time for the Postseason (Welcome Cornell)

I know it doesn't seem that late, but conference tournaments begin tomorrow. The Ohio Valley, Big South and Horizon League will kick the action off while the Atlantic Sun, Sun Belt, and Patriot League get things going on Wednesday.

Big South: Raise your hand if you had UNC-Asheville winning the regular season championship. If your hand is raised, you're either somehow affiliated with UNC-Asheville or you're a bold-faced liar. The Bulldogs finished in a 10-4 tie with the favored Winthrop Eagles, but due to the season sweep, the Bulldogs get the number one seed. That being said, it is HARD beating a team three times in one season. However, being at home will be a huge boost and come saturday, the Bulldogs will be dancing.

Ohio Valley: Austin Peay isn't just better, they're light years better than the next best team in the OVC. The Governors are tested and I have to believe that they're ready. There's not much left to say because I don't see anyone taking Austin Peay down.

Horizon League: Butler has been outstanding this season. They've been ranked in the top-25 virtually the entire year and boasts only 3 losses on the year. So why is it that I have an uneasy feeling about this tournament. Cleveland St, Wright St, and Valparaiso all have legitimate shots at winning this tournament. For the first time since the late eighties, the Cleveland St Vikings will go to the tournament.

More Predictions to come tomorrow

On to the bracket:

The Number 1 seeds Rank in this order: 1. Memphis 2. North Carolina 3. UCLA 4. Tennessee

Last Four In: Villanova, Texas Tech, Florida, Southern Illinois
Last Four Out: Kentucky, Oregon, UAB, St Josephs

This bracket is good for games thru Sunday March 2, 2008

SOUTH
1.Memphis16.Lamar/Alabama St Little Rock, AR
8.Miami(FL)9.Arkansas
5.Indiana12.Virginia Commonwealth Washington, DC
4.UConn13.Texas Tech
6.Drake11.West Virginia Washington, DC
3.Xavier14.Portland St
7.Mississippi St10.Kent St Anaheim, CA
2.Stanford15.Robert Morris
MIDWEST
1.Tennessee16.UNC-Asheville Birmingham, AL
8.UNLV9.Texas A&M
5.Marquette12.Southern Illinois Denver, CO
4.Purdue13.Oral Roberts
6.Butler11.Arizona St Birmingham, AL
3.Louisville14.Siena
7.Clemson10.UMass Omaha, NE
2.Kansas15.UMBC
WEST
1.UCLA16.Morgan St Anaheim, CA
8.Baylor9.South Alabama
5.Vanderbilt12.Maryland Tampa, FL
4.Michigan St13.Villanova
6.Gonzaga11.Illinois St Tampa, FL
3.Georgetown14.Cornell(Ivy)
7.USC10.Kansas St Raleigh, NC
2.Duke15.Austin Peay
EAST
1.North Carolina16.American Raleigh, NC
8.St. Mary’s9.Oklahoma
5.Washington St12.Florida Denver, CO
4.Notre Dame13.Boise St
6.BYU11.Davidson Omaha, NE
3.Wisconsin14.Cal St Northridge
7.Pittsburgh10.Arizona Little Rock, AR
2.Texas15.Belmont