LWOS Bracketology 6.0 is here. This week, several mid-major conferences started their conference tournaments. The rest of the conferences will wrap up conference play this week and will begin tournament play next week. Over the last week, plenty of good teams have lost and the bubble is shrinking already.
Here is Bracketology 6.0.
LWOS Bracketology 6.0
Conference Breakdown
The Big Ten still leads the way with nine teams, but the Big East leads the country in terms of percentage, with seven of ten teams securing bids. The Atlantic 10 looked like it could be a three bid conference a few months ago, but now its only hope, albeit it a good one, is Dayton. The Big 12 lacks depth but will have two number one seeds. The ACC is still fighting to try and get that fifth team into the big dance.
Region Breakdown
Midwest Region
Kansas is still the overall number one seed, a position that seems unlikely to be relinquished but who knows after the season that we have had.
Duke, Seton Hall, and Oregon round out the top four seeds. Almost daily, the two through four seeds are moved around as none of them have been able to stake their claim to a seed line.
One of the biggest movers is eight seed, Providence. The Friars had one of the worst starts in college basketball but have been on fire the last month. They move from the bubble to securely in the field and can continue to rise with a nice showing in the Big East tournament.
Wisconsin enters this region as a five seed. They have been outstanding the second half of the season and are fighting for a double-bye in the Big Ten tournament. They can be dangerous, especially if they knock down jumpers.
South Region
Baylor still holds the number one seed in the south. Rounding out the top four seeds are Villanova, Louisville, and Penn State. Villanova secured a nice win over Seton Hall to bump themselves up to the two-line.
BYU remains on the five-line and has a chance to move up if they can play well in the WCC conference tournament. Additionally, Virginia has moved up to the seven-line. The Cavaliers have won nine of their last ten and could not be playing better. They will be a dangerous team in the big dance.
Arizona and Arizona State are two Pac-12 teams in this region that are fighting for seeding. The Wildcats have sputtered while the Sun Devils were heating up until this week. Both have some work to do.
West Region
Gonzaga holds firm on the one line. Rounding out the top four in the west are Florida State, Maryland, and Creighton. Maryland and Creighton have started to struggle a bit. They need to regain their hot streak from a month ago in order to reach Atlanta.
Ohio State and Illinois are two big ten teams that are ready to make some noise. Both are playing well and have tons of talent to make deep runs in March. They are both primed for a climb up the seed ladder with good showings in conference tournaments.
Two mid-majors to note here are East Tennessee State and Liberty as an 11 seed and 12 seed, respectively. It is safe to say no one in the country will want either of these teams, especially in the first round.
East Region
San Diego State narrowly edges out Dayton for the last one seed. They need to win their conference tournament or else they might fall to the two-line, which might not be the worst thing.
Dayton, Michigan State, and Kentucky round out the rest of the top four. The Flyers are one of the most dangerous teams in the country. Kentucky and Michigan State went through recent hot streaks and that is always important entering March.
Of note, Texas enters the field here as an 11 seed. Shaka Smart and the Longhorns have been excellent the last few weeks and saved their season. There is still work to be done but it is very impressive that they have at least entered the conversation.
Bubble Watch
Texas, Utah State, Cincinnati, and North Carolina State are the last four teams in. Utah State is in the midst of its conference tournament and a matchup with San Diego State would go a long way for them. The other three teams need at least one win in their respective tournaments.
Wichita State, Richmond, Stanford, and Rhode Island are the first four teams out. Wichita State is sputtering and Rhode Island blew a great opportunity when hosting Dayton. These teams all will have good chances to stake their claim next week.
Of note, Northern Iowa has been knocked out of the field of 68 after getting crushed by Drake in the conference tournament.
Bracketology 6.0
There will be one more installment of LWOS Bracketology next week. Selection Sunday is just eight days away and there is still a lot to be decided. Fill out your bracket and get ready to watch a lot of basketball to prep for filling out the real thing.
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