Bracketology 1/25/23

 BRACKET

Seed List

1: Purdue, Alabama, Tennessee, Houston

2: UCLA, Arizona, Kansas St., Kansas

3: Virginia, Iowa St., Texas, Gonzaga

4: Marquette, Xavier, TCU, Baylor

5: UConn, Rutgers, Duke, Miami

6: Providence, St. Mary's, North Carolina, Indiana

7: Arkansas, Auburn, San Diego St., Creighton

8: New Mexico, Illinois, NC State, Michigan St.

9: Pitt, Clemson, Florida Atlantic, Mizzou

10: Charleston, Boise St., Kentucky, Maryland

11: Ohio St, Wisconsin, Penn St, Arizona St, Northwestern

12: Nevada, Oklahoma St, Dayton, Kent St, Oral Roberts

13: Liberty, Iona, UC Santa Barbara, Utah Valley

14: Cornell, Southern Illinois - Carbondale, Longwood, Southern Miss.

15: Cleveland St., UNC - Greensboro, Norfolk St, Eastern Washington

16: Southern Illinois - Edwardsville, UMBC, American, Southern, Southeastern Louisiana, Fairleigh Dickinson

Bracketology 1/18/23

 BRACKET 

Seed List: 

1: Houston, Kansas, Purdue, Alabama

2: UCLA, Gonzaga, Tennessee, Texas

3: Arizona, Xavier, UConn, Virginia

4: Kansas St, Iowa St, Marquette, TCU

5: Arkansas, Baylor, Rutgers, Miami

6: Duke, Providence, St. Mary's, North Carolina

7: Creighton, Auburn, Illinois, Indiana

8: Mizzou, New Mexico, San Diego St., Michigan St.

9: NC State, Maryland, Pitt, Kentucky

10: Charleston, Wisconsin, Clemson, Penn St.

11: Arizona St., Ohio St., Florida Atlantic, Boise St., UAB

12: Nevada, Oklahoma, Dayton, Kent. St., Oral Roberts

13: Iona, UC Santa Barbara, Southern Miss., Cornell

14: Southern Illinois - Carbondale, Longwood, Liberty, Northern Kentucky

15: Utah Valley, UNC - Greensboro, Norfolk St., UMBC

16: Southern Illinois - Edwardsville, Eastern Washington, American, Southern, Morgan St., Southeast Louisiana

Bracketology 1/11/23

BRACKET

Seed List

1: Houston, Kansas, Purdue, UConn

2: Tennessee, UCLA, Arizona, Gonzaga

3: Alabama, Virginia, Texas, Arkansas

4: Xavier, Iowa St., Marquette, Kansas St.

5: Duke, TCU, Miami, Baylor

6: North Carolina, Mizzou, Ohio St., San Diego St.

7: Providence, Indiana, Creighton, St. Mary's

8: Illinois, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Kentucky

9: Mississippi St., Michigan St., Rutgers, Arizona St.

10: New Mexico, Auburn, Maryland, Charleston

11: Memphis, Virginia Tech, Penn St., UAB, Oklahoma, Pitt

12: Florida Atlantic, Kent. St., Dayton, Iona

13: Oral Roberts, UC Santa Barbara, Southern Miss., Cornell

14: Southern Illinois - Carbondale, UMass - Lowell, Florida Gulf Coast, Longwood

15: Utah Valley, UNC - Greensboro, Northern Kentucky, Norfolk St.

16: Southern Illinois - Edwardsville, American, Eastern Washington, Nicolls, St. Francis (PA), Grambling

Best Bracketology Games of the Work Week (January 9-12)

The college football season is winding down, and it's time for the country to focus solely on NCAA hoops. We have a great week of matchups, including several with potential bracket implications. (Note: for sake of time, I limited myself to three major games per week, along with some honorable mentions) 

(most recent JK Bracketology Seed in parentheses)

• Oral Roberts (13) at New Mexico (7): Back in the early 2000s, this would have been a feature game of BracketBusters Weekend. Still, though, you've got Max Abmas and Oral Roberts heading to New Mexico to face Richard Pitino's team. Could Oral Roberts earn an at-large bid? Probably not, but a win at The Pit could boost them up the seed line, assuming they win their conference tournament. As for the Lobos, the undefeated season is over, and now the focus needs to be on staying in the field and getting the best seed possible. 
  
  
• Alabama (3) at Arkansas (3): Both these teams sit at a three-seed in the latest update, although Arkansas's hold on that line is "Razor"-thin (sorry...). Unless disaster strikes for one of these squads, this is the type of win that will look excellent on the final resume. 
  
  
• TCU (6) at Texas (3): Frogs fans may be a little preoccupied with the football National Title game, but their basketball team has a big one against cross-state rival Texas on Wednesday. These are two of the best teams in the Big 12, and the winner of this game can claim legitimate aspirations for challenging Kansas. This one has all the makings of a thriller. 

Honorable Mention (Other Fun Matchups):

• Oklahoma (First Four Out) at Kansas (1)
• North Carolina (5) at Virginia (3)
• UConn (1) at Marquette (6)
• Creighton (8) at Xavier (4)

Best Bracketology Games of the Weekend (January 6-8)

Highlighting the best "Opportunity" games of the weekend. This article (which I'll try to post every Friday) will focus on games between a) bubble teams trying to advance their case for admission in the field, b) teams who are safely in the field for now, but who are building resumes in order to earn a high seed (i.e. better seed), or c) some combination of the first two options. The stakes must be high for both teams in order to make this list. For sake of time, I listed my top three or four games per day. All games are listed in order of tipoff time. 

(most recent JK Bracketology Seed in parentheses)

• Creighton (8) at UConn (1): This is sneakily the best game of the weekend, if only for future seeding purposes. The Blue Jays want to prove that they "are who we thought they were" (RIP Dennis Green) at the beginning of the season, and a road victory would vault them up the seed line. The Huskies want to break their losing streak, re-establish dominance in the Big East, and hold on to that last 1-seed (Arizona and Tennessee are breathing down their necks, but a convincing win would help UConn maintain that spot). Does either team need this game? No, not really. But this is the kind of game that both teams will want to have on their resume when the Committee is putting together their bracket in the second weekend of March. 
  
  
• Texas (3) at Oklahoma St. (First 4 Out): The common line of thinking is that "Bubble Games" only happen in late February or early March. But this is not the case. The Cowboys are currently one of our first four teams out, but they can change that with a win over a top-ten Texas team. The Longhorns, meanwhile, lost a wild one earlier this week, and they just (officially) lost their head coach. The committee is usually gracious about extenuating circumstances, but if Texas wants to prove that they are the same, high-quality team with or without Chris Beard, then that starts by taking care of business on the road against an unranked but hungry opponent. 
  
  
• Kentucky (6) at Alabama (3): Kentucky is not currently in any danger of falling out of the field, but at some point, if the Wildcats want the respect that will earn them a higher seed, they have to grab a quality road win. This is their first real chance of the Conference season. As for the Tide? Well, even though Nate Oats's squad has some huge wins (Houston, UNC), they have some high quality teams ahead of them on the seed list. This isn't a vintage UK team, but they're still pretty good, and beating up on Coach Cal's 'Cats is always going to be the kind of thing that grabs viewers' (and the Committee's) attention. 
  
  
• Wisconsin (7) at Illinois (7): Two teams going in different directions. The Badgers are trying to climb the seed list. The Illini are trying to avoid the word "freefall." Something's gotta give in Champaign. 

Bracketology 1/4/23

BRACKET 

Seed List

1: Houston, Kansas, UConn, Purdue

2: Arizona, Tennessee, UCLA, Gonzaga

3: Virginia, Alabama, Arkansas, Texas

4: Duke, Baylor, Indiana, Xavier

5: Miami, Ohio St., North Carolina, TCU

6: San Diego St., Mizzou, Kentucky, Marquette

7: Wisconsin, New Mexico, West Virginia, Illinois

8: Maryland, Virginia Tech, Creighton, Memphis

9: Mississippi St., St. Mary's, Arizona St., LSU

10: Auburn, Michigan St., Rutgers, Kansas St.,

11: Utah St., Charleston, Providence, Penn St., Iowa St., UAB

12: Florida Atlantic, Kent St., Dayton, Iona

13: Oral Roberts, UC Santa Barbara, Sam Houston, Southern Miss.

14: Southern Illinois - Carbondale, UMass-Lowell, Yale, Florida-Gulf Coast

15: Longwood, UNC-Greensboro, Norfolk St., Northern Kentucky 

16: SIU-Edwardsville, Colgate, Eastern Washington, Nicolls, Grambling St., St. Francis (PA)