It’s Never too early for Brackets
by Jonathan Gonzalez
During my normal perusing of various sports websites (don’t tell my editor), I have noticed March Madness has started early. That’s right, it’s only January and the NCAA prognostications have already begun. This team will win the Horizon, those teams will duel in the play-in game, that team will be a number one seed.
C’mon people, it’s early winter, let some of these teams play a couple of conference games before you start dishing out seeds. If you ask me, it’s all quite ridiculous. So if you expect me to sit here and tell you who I think will be number eleven in the south . . .you’re darn right I will. It’s like they say, if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. So here is my take on what will really go down in March:
East
Play-in game: *Army vs. *Winthrop
1) *Duke vs. 16) Play-in game winner
2) *Cincinnati vs. 15) *IUPUI
3) #Oklahoma State vs. 14) *Weber State
4) #Iowa vs. 13) *Manhattan
5) #Oregon vs. 12) #Fresno State
6) #Arkansas vs. 11) #BYU
7) #California vs. 10) *Western Kentucky
8) #Missouri vs. 9) #South Carolina
West
1) *Southern Cal vs. 16) *Jacksonville
2) #Maryland vs. 15) *UMBC
3) #Georgia vs. 14) *Hampton
4) #Indiana vs. 13) *Southern Illinois
5) *Gonzaga vs. 12) #Clemson
6) #Connecticut vs. 11) #Marquette
7) *Utah vs. 10) #Minnesota
8) #Texas Tech vs. 9) *Hawaii
Midwest
1) *Texas vs. 16) *Alabama State
2) *Illinois vs. 15) *McNeese State
3) #Arizona vs. 14) *Santa Barbara
4) *Syracuse vs. 13) *UNCW
5) #Kentucky vs. 12) #Ball State
6) #Alabama vs. 11) #Pittsburgh
7) *Xavier vs. 10) #NC State
8) #Virginia vs. 9) #Stanford
South
1) *Florida vs. 16) *Yale
2) #Kansas vs. 15) *UNCG
3) #Wake Forest vs. 14) *Eastern Illinois
4) #UCLA vs. 13) *Vermont
5) #Oklahoma vs. 12) #South Florida
6) #Ohio State vs. 11) *Butler
7) #Miami vs. 10) *Bowling Green
8) #Saint Johns vs. 9) #Michigan State
Bubble Bursts: Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, Wisconsin, Seton Hall, Georgetown,
Villanova, Louisville, Memphis, Charlotte, Temple, Pepperdine, Saint Joseph’s, Utah State, George Washington
# Denotes At-Large Bid
* Denotes Conference Winner
