The latest updated Bracketology prediction of the NCAA Tournament bracket features 13 of the 16 SEC teams. Thirteen!
Eight of those teams are in the top 16 in the bracket. Both of those marks are a new high for the league this season. It seems unsustainable, but considering that there won’t be any bad losses in conference play, maybe it will be.
The Big Ten is down to nine teams, but four of those were also in the top 16. That made for a bracketing nightmare.
SEC teams in latest Bracketology
Big Ten teams in latest Bracketology
It was not possible to separate the SEC teams from each other and the Big Ten teams from each other as well as the committee would like in that situation. The only rule that I stuck to no matter what was that the No. 1 seeds got the closest possible sites.
Auburn, the No. 1 overall seed, passed its first test without Johni Broome with flying colors. The Tigers smoked Mississippi State 88-66 on Tuesday. Saturday’s game at Georgia, a No. 7 seed, figures to be a better test if for no other reason than it is a road game.
Meanwhile, Alabama and Florida each lost at home this week. The Gators dropped from a No. 2 seed to a No. 3 seed after losing to Missouri, which is starting to build a nice little tournament resume. The Tigers previously beat Kansas and are a No. 6 seed. There is still a lot of work to do in a difficult league, but not many teams have two wins that good.
Michigan fell at Minnesota 84-81 in overtime, giving the Wolverines their first loss in conference play and their worst loss of the season so far. Michigan, a No. 5 seed, has four losses and all of those are in Quad 2. The Wolverines are 3-0 in Quad 1.
You will not be surprised to learn that Auburn has the most Quad 1 wins of any team with nine. However, you might be surprised to learn that Oregon is second with eight. However, only three of the eight wins came against teams in the projected bracket. Eight of Auburn’s nine Quad 1 victims are in the bracket.
Bracketology top seeds
Check out Palm’s bracket and full field of 68 at the Bracketology hub.
Mid-majors make moves
There are three at-large teams in Friday’s bracket from outside the major conferences. One of those is Gonzaga, which lost to Oregon State Thursday night and dropped out of first place in the WCC and is a No. 7 seed. St. Mary’s is now the AQ for that league and a No. 9 seed.
The Mountain West has two at-large teams to go along with league leader Utah State, a No. 7 seed. San Diego State, a No. 10 seed, and New Mexico, a No. 11 seed, are also in the updated bracket.
Houston has Quad 1 chances coming up
Houston, a No. 6 seed, is still searching for its first Quad 1 win of the season. The next opportunity could come on Saturday when they travel to UCF, which is currently 74th in the NET. Unfortunately, a Cougars victory could kick the Knights down to Quad 2. Houston visits Kansas next Saturday. The Jayhawks, a No. 3 seed, will certainly be a Quad 1 opponent.
