It's Bracket Buster Weekend and the games have already started, but the NCAA Tournament and NIT fields are still in flux. With a lot of mid-major games this weekend there is sure to be some shakeups. Honestly, the fields keep getting worse. Teams that were once positioned to easily get NIT bids are trying to throw them away.
Of course that scenario benefits the teams that are actually winning. Thus you'll see a few teams that climbed up the bracket.
Note: Memphis is the Conference USA auto-bid in this scenario, Cleveland State is the Horizon League auto-bid. Also, Marquette, Alabama, Georgia, Baylor, VCU, Michigan State, Boston College and Butler are the last 8 teams into the NCAA Tournament. Who knows which teams will actually make the NCAA Tournament. Hopefully we get some clarity from Championship Week.
NIT Tournament Bracket:
1. Gonzaga
8. Auto-Bid
4. Northern Iowa
5. Nebraska
2. Penn State
7. Harvard
3. Colorado
6. Duquesne
1. Colorado State
8. Auto-Bid
4. Wichita State
5. Arkansas
2. Oklahoma State
7. California
3. Clemson
6. Northwestern
1. Gonzaga
8. Auto-Bid
4. Drexel
5. Southern Miss
2. Michigan
7. Hofstra
3. Miami (FL)
6. Marshall
1. Washington State
8. Auto-Bid
4. Mississippi
5. Valparaiso
2. New Mexico
7. Dayton
3. UAB
6. Maryland
Some Notes:
- The last 4 in were: Harvard, Hofstra, Dayton, California
- I feel really bad for Harvard. The Crimson haven't done anything particularly wrong during Ivy League play, but the only time they have a chance to pick up even a Top 100 win in conference is when they play Princeton. Thus their profile keeps getting worse or staying the same as other teams get some extra good wins.
- The second bracket there with all those power conference teams happened completely by accident. I had no idea where they all were until I put them on the S-Curve and placed them on seed lines.
- The other 8 teams seriously considered were: Wright State, Rider, Portland, UTEP, James Madison, Rhode Island, Milwaukee and Murray State.
- The 2-3 seed lines are really interesting. The two Big Ten schools with about .500 records and tough schedules (PSU, Michigan) were very difficult to seed.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Tags: Big Ten, bracketology, NIT, Northwestern, Valparaiso
I'd take a look at your projections again. James Madison beat Drexel straight-up twice.
By beating Louisville and Old Dominion Drexel has two wins better than any that James Madison has, but when I revise this I probably will have James Madison in the field somewhere. Since these came out last Drexel has lost to UNC-Wilmington (bad loss!) and James Madison survived Miami (OH).
Conference standing is important along with head-to-head. So if Drexel were to finish in front of JMU in the CAA it'd be interesting to see what the NIT decides to do considering the head-to-head results.
I'll be posting another edition of the bracket on Friday.
Where is Wyoming in all this mess? They were an NCAA Bubble team and they arent even assured of an NIT bid? Something isn't right here.