Andrew's March Talk

One week left in the regular season (for most teams), then one week of conference tournaments (for most teams). That’s it before March Madness begins. Like I’ve said before, things will change from here on out, but here are my seed lines as of this morning:

NOTE: These are not team rankings, but seeding’s based upon each team’s resume up to this point in the year.

1 Seeds

1. Indiana – Looks as if they will win the Big Ten outright which is by far the most impressive feat in the country this season.

2. Duke – The computer loves Duke, particularly after they defeated Miami this weekend. All of their losses came without Ryan Kelly too, and he is back.

3. Kansas – Likely Big 12 Champs and will also likely win the Big 12 Tourney.

4. Gonzaga – Nearly didn’t put them as a 1-seed, but they will likely be ranked #1 in the polls later today.

2 Seeds

Georgetown – In line to win the Big East after winning 11 straight. They are trending up and make a serious case for a top seed.

Louisville – Top 5 RPI and only 1 game out of the Big East Title race.

Miami – Top 3 RPI and likely ACC Champs (Regular Season).

New Mexico – They get the nod over Florida because of their depth of quality wins and their superior computer numbers (2 in RPI).

3 Seeds

Florida – Is a likely 2-seed when things are finalized two weeks from now, but for now, they are the top 3-seed.

Michigan – A puzzling loss to Penn State hurt them in the Big Ten race along with hurting their seed.

Michigan State – A top seed two weeks ago, now has lost 3 straight games. Still with a great resume and will finish second in the Big Ten (probably tied).

Kansas State – Currently tied atop Big 12 Standings and winners of 5 straight.

4 Seeds

Marquette – Top 15 RPI, and only one game back in Big East Standings.

Ohio State – Tied for second right now in the tough Big Ten. A strong finish could take them even higher.

Oklahoma State – Average computer numbers, but they pass the eye test, have tons of quality wins (at Kansas stands out), and are right there in the Big 12 race.

Syracuse – A recent stretch of bad play has killed their chances at a top seed.

5 Seeds

Arizona – Still have the computer resume, but they haven’t played that well in the Pac-12 which has caused their seed to drop.

UNLV – They are the second best team in the Mountain West, and that says a lot this season.

St. Louis – The hottest team in America has swept Butler and taken out VCU recently.

Pittsburgh – Currently fourth in the Big East and they have multiple great wins.

6 Seeds

Notre Dame – Up and down all season, which has hurt their RPI number, but they have solid wins in Big East play.

Oregon – Playing in the Pac-12 has killed their SOS, but they have plenty of good things going for their resume regardless. A higher seed than this is possible.

Wisconsin – Another second place Big Ten team. They do hold the best win though of any team in the country: at Indiana.

UCLA – A sweep of Arizona bumps them up to a 6 seed right now.

7 Seeds

Minnesota – Great computer numbers, and a recent win over IU was a bonus.

North Carolina – The Tarheels are finally playing great basketball, and their resume is getting better and better.

Butler – Butler is one of two teams in the country (Illinois) to have beaten current AP poll 1-2: IU and Gonzaga.

VCU – Finally got a marquee win when they pasted Butler on Saturday.

8 Seeds

Illinois – Their recent stretch of good play gets them back to a decent seed, but they have a rough schedule to close it out.

NC State – Seems to be too talented to be seeded this low, but that’s where they stand as they have struggled on the road.

Colorado State – They are tied for second in the Mountain West, but they don’t have as many great wins as you’d expect.

Missouri – When comparing the best wins among teams around this area, the Tigers stand out (particularly due to their Florida win).

9 Seeds

San Diego State – The good news for them is despite 8 losses, none of them would be considered bad ones.

Memphis – Great computer numbers but not many great wins.

Oklahoma – Oklahoma will be helped by the computer and a likely 12-6 record in the Big 12.

Colorado – Top 30 RPI with 9 Top 100 wins. That number stands out.

10 Seeds

Creighton – A dominant performance over Wichita State stopped the bleeding and clinched their birth. I don’t remember this dangerous of a 10 seed in years.

Wichita State – Just like Creighton, they haven’t played well of late but they still have a solid profile.

California – In the past few weeks they went from out of the field to a lock. They have picked up a bunch of quality wins and are in the race for a Pac-12 title. They could easily climb above this seed line.

Cincinnati – It’s about time they got back to their winning ways. They have been beat up in the Big East, but their win over UCONN finally sealed the deal.

11 Seeds

Iowa State – They have lost a few heartbreakers, which is the only reason this team is on the bubble. I like them a lot though.

Virginia – They have a terrible RPI and are coming off a bad loss to BC, but they have nice wins, are a top 20 Pomeroy team, and a top 40 BPI team.

Villanova – A mediocre bubble profile, but wins against Louisville and Syracuse help.

Kentucky – Loss of Noel puts a question mark next to them, but I think they are okay as long as they close out well.

NOTE: There will be other at-large bids besides those listed above, but the number depends solely on who wins conference tournaments. I won’t predict what happens in those at this point, but I will list my next five teams I like for at-large bids. This doesn’t include teams like Akron, SFA, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, Belmont, Davidson, and Bucknell, who I all believe will win their conference tourneys and be seeded around this area too.

Next Four: St. Mary’s, Temple, Tennessee, La Salle, Boise State

By: The Sports Guys