Storrs:
1. Connecticut (AAC)
16. Howard (MEAC)
8. Maryland
9. Arizona State
Tallahassee:
5. Tennessee
12. Belmont (OVC)
4. Florida State
13. Old Dominion (CUSA)
Ready to unfairly count out a 12-1 Florida State team that has done just about everything this year you could ask of it? Good. Because if this half of the bracket materializes, analysts will automatically slot Tennessee into the Sweet 16 for the sole purpose of a matchup with UConn. Yeah, the two storied programs are set to renew their rivalry next season, but us basketball fans are an impatient bunch and we want to see it NOW. And hey — UConn looked pretty darn vulnerable against a bad Oklahoma team. Weird things happen…maybe it ends up being a good game (and UConn pulls away late to only win by 15).
Vermillion:
6. DePaul
11. Tulane
3. South Dakota (Summit)
14. FGCU (ASUN)
Raleigh:
7. Texas A&M
10. Rutgers
2. NC State
15. UT Arlington (Sun Belt)
A few notes on this half of the region:
- Tulane and USF are the last two teams in the field, so don’t get too excited just yet, AAC fans. It’s unlikely that by March the league has even three teams in, let alone four.
- We welcome Rutgers to the field, which has won four straight games against RPI top 100 teams, with two on the road (Harvard and Maryland) and three against teams currently in the field (those two and LSU).
- It’s very possible that by this time next week, NC State has a legit case for a 1 seed. Wins over Duke and at Boston College would make them 4-0 in Group 1 games and 8-0 against groups 1 and 2. They’d still probably fall short, but it would be worth examining.