What happens to basketball when it enters Charlottesville

https://twitter.com/deacondrake22/status/836396776638844930

28 FEB Bracket update

Yeah, the UNC/UVA result probably is not that significant to either teams' fortunes.

The Baylor/WVU result on the other hand...

Makes sense.  Baylor moves up to the 3 in the West and brings the Tulsa pod with them.  Mountaineers go to the 4 in the South and keep Buffalo.

Monday Analysis

Gonzaga’s loss took the shine off their numbers, and they slid behind Villanova for the number 1 overall seed.  The bracket flips around to the East, UNC goes South, Kansas Midwest, and Gonzaga in the West.   Oregon has none of the requisite numbers to displace the Zags, and while Louisville has a great resume, they probably need to win the ACC tourney to make the 1 line.  The biggest surprise is Butler moving up courtesy of its sweep of Nova.  The few bad losses are far enough in the rearview mirror.  Kentucky gets the nod over Florida and Duke for now.  Duke could get hot at any time.  Baylor (Monday’s game in progress) has slipped from fringe 1 seed to 13^th, between UCLA and FSU.

Other surprises:

Virginia is in good shape for a team having lost four in a row.  Oklahoma State’s numbers are still 22^nd in these rankings, but are trending upwards.  Xavier is in total freefall.  I think I had them as a 3 seed at the beginning of the month.  Every year somebody has bad luck and collapses… they seem to be that team this year.

Using the methodology explained a few weeks ago, Locks are filtered out from the Basic Rating, refiltered using the Schedule Strength rating, and then the final slots are picked using the Normalized numbers to factor in "who might actually be trending toward winning an NCAA Tourney Game."

Safe Teams:

Teams Enjoying a Collapsing Bubble:

Make no mistake, there are very few years when teams outside the top 60 RPI are getting serious looks, but the fact people still haven’t given up on TCU, Texas Tech, KSU, Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, Alabama, Providence, Seton Hall, Georgia Tech, Syracuse, Clemson, Pitt, Utah… yeah, it’s messy.  Vanderbilt was DOA 3 weeks ago.  Now they are in without anybody running them out.

Here is the biggest issue.  Too many programs have afforded themselves the luxury of scheduling 13 home games in advance of their conference slate.  The numbers are fooled and then all they have to do is ride strength of their conference to the finish line.  This year there are plenty of decent mid-major teams; it’s just that few are in the same conferences together.  Typically the MWC, MVC, Horizon, C-USA, and CAA have 3 or 4 decent bubble teams propping up its softer teams.  This year, either the those teams in the 2-4 slots are weak, or the bottom of the conference has been so bad the top two teams get virtually no credit for 20 point wins.

So these guys are winning just enough to keep those mid-majors at bay, until we start seeing some March upsets:

Maryland, Michigan State, Marquette, Arkansas, Northwestern

I could throw Michigan in there as well, but their computer numbers are actually quite good.  Their RPI had been dragging them down till last week.  Even 2 bad losses will only push them down a line or two.  These 5 are joined by Illinois State and VCU as the two other non-power conference teams that are safe (St. Mary’s and Cincinnati are the other two, with WSU, Dayton, Zags, and SMU projected to grab auto bids).

Here are the teams I think are going to have to play their way in from here:

Virginia Tech, California, Xavier, USC

If I were USC, I would not consider losing any more games.  They still look good from an RPI perspective, but their wins are Charmin soft, and not frequent of late.  Xavier has been discussed, and Cal is one-dimensional and saw their ticket punch snapped away by Dillon Brooks last week.  VT is the safest of these guys and with two jobs in Blacksburg can jump ahead of Miami.

LAST FOUR IN:

Syracuse, Rhode Island, Vanderbilt, Houston

The Orange are probably going to end up staying home… just a gut feeling for last season’s fortune.  They have the wins, but can’t win away from the Dome, and will likely draw a hungry VT or Miami team.  URI is still on life support after beating VCU at home… not all that impressive.  Houston still needs a signature win to hold off a run by one of the first 8 out.  Vanderbilt actually has a 6-4 record against the top 50.  They are like Syracuse, but with a much more difficult path, with both UK and UF this week.  A split may get them in, despite 15 losses.  Likely they will be heading home as well.

* Note: to meet seeding criteria, Vandy was given the last bye and USC was rotated to the play-in game.

FIRST FOUR OUT

Providence

Yeah, a solid argument can be made over any of the last 4 teams, plus USC.  Who would have guessed the Ed Cooley could reload that quickly, but they have two soft games to get to a likely 4^th place finish.  They are likely going to work their way into an 11 seed.  Today, just not enough there.

Seton Hall, Wake Forest, Kansas State

People keep talking up the Pirates, and I like them, but the numbers don’t lie.  At best, they can work into the play-in game.  More than likely, they need a shot at Providence in the BE Tourney to eliminate the competition.  Xavier is vulnerable too.  Wake still has not gotten a signature win, and Louisville could be that one scalp they need to get them committee’s buy in.  14 losses is a lot, but 15 is certain death.  KSU is 2-8 down the stretch, and games against TCU and TTU are not going to save their profile, as both of them are well outside the Top 50 RPI.

NEXT FOUR OUT

Indiana, Georgia, BYU, Illinois

I’ll admit, I wasn’t even tracking Illinois and Vandy until yesterday… they were not even on the bubble… after 3 straight road wins, they are officially the 76^th team.  If any of the following mid majors lose in the conference tourneys, they jump into the line ahead of them:

Princeton, Nevada, Vermont, Arlington, Monmouth, East Tennessee State

If MTSU loses in the C-USA tourney, they will likely still be a 10 seed.  If UNCW loses in the CAA semifinals or finals, they will be a 12 seed or play-in candidate.  Nevada has the best opportunity to play their way to a third at-large caliber bubble team based on SoS, but none of those games will amount to a top 50 win.  Monmouth, Vermont, and Princeton will have their RPI obliterated with a loss… very unlikely, despite favorable computer numbers, any of them get serious consideration.

27 FEB Bracket

Lots of movement, several teams kicked to the fringes or out all together... the state of Rhode Island makes up the last team in and first team out.

FEB 21st Bracket- Doesn’t include Tuesday’s games.

The top four seeds stay the same, though Villanova and Gonzaga are basically identical, and UNC and Kansas are pretty close as well.  Nova can play their way back to the top seed, and UNC can pretty easily end up the #3 overall.  The bracket will realign with Nova in the East… for now this is acceptable.  Kentucky move back to the 2 line… barely.  They still don’t look game to stay ahead of Florida.

As this bubble l;itterally collapse on itself with a lack of mid-majors and sub .500 BCS teams imploding and crapping the bed on the road, the play in games shift back a seed line to accommodate for the fact that a 14/15 loss Syracuse team with 2 road/neutral wins does not belong ahead of numerous 26-30 win mid-major champions.

LAST FOUR IN: Michigan State, Houston, Syracuse, Alabama.  This is about as close as the SEC can get to a 5^th team.  Georgia can’t beat anybody significant, and nobody else can string together 3 wins in a row.  UNCW and MTSU could do the committee a favor and lose in their conference tourneys to provide a few stronger options.

FIRST FOUR OUT: Rhode Island, TCU, Georgia Tech, Seton Hall.  TCU and URI really belong in the field, but bad recent losses have them in the penalty box.  Georgia Tech and Seton Hall are a barrage of potential, but just put too many questionable losses out there.

NEXT FOUR OUT: Indiana, Texas Tech, Georgetown, Clemson.  A couple of dumpster dives into the RPI here with Indiana and Texas Tech.  Both need a huge win streak of Top 50 and road variety to prove anything.  Clemson and Georgetown have the strength of schedule, but man, Clemson hit the wall so hard they could put Humpty Dumpty back together again.  ETSU jumped into the field over Chatt and Furman.

Fun Matchups!

Dayton vs Xavier- Battle of I-75!  Xavier is reeling right now and probably didn’t expect to be the lower seed here.

Saint Mary’s vs Princeton (in Sacto): Virtual home pod for the Gaels, but Princeton can compete and the crawling tempo.

Wichita State vs Kansas State: KSU can beat anyone, anywhere, on any night.  Shockers have not had many opportunities and the winner of this battle for the Sunflower State could be a Final Four darkhorse.

Wisconsin vs Vermont: Wisconsin has shown they do not have the depth and the Cats could expose that.

Notre Dame vs Marquette: Two Coach K prodigies, different generations.  The over under here could over 170.

ACC

Locks- 6: UNC, Louisville, Duke, FSU, UVA*, Notre Dame

Good Shape- 2: Miami, VT (they can exhale now)

Bubble- 4: Syracuse, Georgia Tech, Clemson (probably finished), Wake

There is no way that 11 teams can get in.  There just isn’t enough wins out there.  If GT and Cuse split, it probably eliminates both of them (especially if they can’t harvest road wins).  Wake needs to win out and can change their lack of good wins..

Big 12

Locks- 3: KU, Baylor, WVU

Good Shape-2: OSU, ISU

Bubble- 3: KSU, TCU, Texas Tech

TTU has a lot of ground to cover… their profile is weak mid major, and now that they are way behind in the standings…  Beard, Dixon, and Weber have done some great triage on some hurting [rograms.

Big East

Locks- 3: Nova, Butler, Creighton

Good Shape- 1: Xavier (yikes)

Bubble- 4: Marquette, Seton Hall, Georgetown, Providence

Xavier needs to right the ship soon or they could easily fall into double digit bubble trouble.  Marquette still has work to do, and the Hoyas and Friars are all but dead.

Big 10

Locks- 3: Purdue, Wisconsin, MD

Good Shape- 3: NW, Minnesota, Michigan

Bubble- 2: MSU, Indiana

Hoosiers RPI is probably too much to overcome, unless they beat Purdue twice down the stretch.  Crazy to think they could knock off both UNC AND Kansas and stagger into an NIT road game.  MSU probably can’t afford a split in their final 4 games… Nebraska and Illinois are not quality wins.

PAC 12

Locks- 4: Oregon, Arizona, UCLA, USC

Bubble- 1: California

Just commentary, but not sure I get the Markelle Fultz hype.  The PAC 12 is mid-major quality outside the top 3, and he could only help put up 2 league wins?  The Huskies have killed TCU’s RPI!

SEC

Locks- 2: UK, Florida

Good Shape- 2: USC, Arkansas

Bubble- 1: Alabama

Ole Miss and Auburn have wins, Tennessee has RPI, Georgia has broken hearts… none are even that close.

A-10

Locks- 2: Dayton, VCU

Bubble- 1: URI

WCC

Locks- 2: Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s

AAC

Locks- 2: Cincinnati, SMU

Bubble- 1: Houston

MVC

Locks- 2: WSU, ISU

I don’t get the anti-WSU/ISU rhetoric coming out of Bristol.  The Shockers have 4 losses, all to teams projected to be in the tournament.  Sure, LSU and OU being among the worst teams in the country have hurt their RPI, and the bottom heavy MVC hasn’t helped.  The Redbirds have won 16 of 17, but their schedule is significantly weaker.  The split with Tulsa hurts.  Murray State hurts.  The committee will probably punk the loser to the play-in game, and if it’s the Shockers, they can make a solid run.  Regardless, a 6 loss ISU team should be in.

Other Leagues

Locks- 1: MTSU

Good Shape- 1: UNCW

Bubble- 5: Nevada, Vermont, Monmouth, Arlington, ETSU

These are in no particular order.  MTSU can afford a loss or two.  UNCW cannot and would be smart at least make the CAA semifinals, losing to Charleston.  Of the other 5, Monmouth is the only one with a solid paper case, but Memphis falling apart has not helped.  They need Princeton to be a Top 50 team… man, that USC game would have been their free pass.

52 locks (30 plus one bid leagues), 11 in good shape, and 22 teams vying for 5 slots.  MADNESS.

Coach of the Year Candidates

It is impossible to argue with the job Mark Few has done in Spokane this year.  Even with a loss in the WCC tourney, they could easily be the number one overall seed out of a non-power conference.  The reason that I am not putting him on the top of my Coach of the Year short list is because he is basically doing the same thing he has done every year, and the Bulldogs continue to get results.  He is not necessarily exceeding expectations given the resources and competition faced.

1.     Andy Enfield, USC: Funny story.  When I was contemplating Enfield as a candidate, I was floored to realize that he is now in his fourth year at USC (not second- man FGCU seems like it was yesterday) and that he inherited the program from years of Kevin O’Neill damage, not just Tim Floyd fallout.  Holy crap!  Has USC been that anonymous for this long that the last 10 years are a total blur?  Was Mayo/Young the last time they really had any hope?  I pegged them to finish 5^th again, but this is the 3^rd best team in the conference, except in those rare instance UCLA decides to play both ways.

2.     Mike White, Florida: Billy Donovan left the program in decent shape, but this was expected to be a down year for Florida, likely sitting on the fringes of NCAA contention.  They are the best team in the SEC this year.  Maybe not the most talented team, but certainly the most effective team.  The Egbunu injury may take away any Final Four prospects, but this will remain a Top 15 team despite playing just 8 home games to date.

3.     Grant McCasland, Arkansas State: Remember when ASU was good? Me either.  They scheduled ambitiously and were rewarded with a 2-3 mark against the Top 100 non-conference… they would love another shot at Arlington.

4.     Scott Drew, Baylor: Like, literally spitting in the face of adversity.  He has kept a talented, but certainly not elite, team focused amid a brutal schedule and negative publicity… many people want to see Baylor fail, but certainly not the basketball team.

5.     Kermit Davis, MTSU: The Blue Raiders encore to throttling Michigan State last year has been to go 5-1 against the Top 100 (kenpom) and look like the best mid-major program nobody talks about.  It would be a travesty for a 5 loss MTSU team to miss out on the Dance if they get upset by decent ODU, Rice or LaTech teams.

6.     Mark Few, Gonzaga

7.     Bob Huggins, West Virginia: Just when you think the game has passed him by, Huggy Bear grabs a drink and takes you to school.  The shorter shot clock encourages teams to press more to prevent teams from getting into their offense.  However, most teams that press run standard configurations that can be exploited for 3 on 2 breaks, or pick up fouls taking poor angles.  The Mountaineers broke many a weak-willed teams with disciplined reaching and shifting to force horizontal movement, limiting the ball handler’s vision to take the next pass.  Players rotate quickly and everyone plays free safety when it’s their turn.  Huggins doesn’t have a deep lineup, but gets top seed performance when it clicks.

8.     John Becker, Vermont: The Cats brought back a solid 3^rd place squad, but wasn’t expected to run the table like this.  Unfortunately, they missed all 4 opportunities to take a Top 50 win to secure their at large spot, but Becker’s name will be at the top of many coaching short lists.

Honorable Mentions: Cuonzo Martin, Rick Pitinos (both), Brad Underwood, Frank Martin, Dana Altman

February 17 Poll

Moving Out: UNC Wilmington, Butler, South Carolina, Maryland

1. Gonzaga
2. Villanova
3. Kansas
4. Oregon
5. Florida
6. Baylor
7. North Carolina
8. Louisville
9. Duke
10. Saint Mary’s
11. Arizona
12. UCLA
13. Kentucky
14. Purdue
15. Florida State
16. Southern Methodist
17. Wichita State
18. West Virginia
19. Virginia
20. Cincinnati
21. Wisconsin
22. Creighton
23. Illinois State
24. Middle Tennessee State
25. Notre Dame

Moving In: Florida, Southern Methodist, Wichita State, Middle Tennessee State

How are they out?: Maryland, Southern California, Butler, Dayton, Vermont, Iowa State

Man, I feel like Wisconsin should be doing so much more...