Here is my third bracketology of the young 2016-2017 season. We are still only a few weeks in, but we have started to see what some teams will look like over the next few months.
Biggest winner: Kentucky will be very good this year. They are coming off two wins this week, a very convincing 21-point win over Michigan State last Tuesday, and then blew out Duquesne last Sunday. They jumped to #1 in the country, and will likely stay there for the time being. They don’t have a tough test this week, but a game of interest will be next Tuesday as they take on Arizona State as a tuneup for Pac-12 power UCLA.
Biggest loser: Should this even be a question? Michigan State limped to a 2-1 record this week, but should have been 1-2 after the clock controversy on Sunday night against FGCU, a game the Eagles should have won, but a clock error caused them the upset. Additionally, they lost to Kentucky 69-48 last Tuesday, a very poor performance from the Spartan offense. They have a test against St. John’s on Wednesday before the Thanksgiving break before they head out to Durham to face Duke.
Note: A (*) signifies a new team in the bracket.
South Region:
1: Kentucky vs 16: UNC Central/LIU Brooklyn
8: California vs 9: Seton Hall
5: Iowa State vs 12: Oklahoma/VCU*
4: UCLA vs 13: Princeton
6: Rhode Island vs 11: North Carolina State
3: Louisville vs 14: Chattanooga
7: Northern Iowa* vs 10: Ohio State
2: Indiana vs 15: CSU Bakersfield
West Region:
1: Kansas vs 16: FGCU
8: Maryland vs 9: Miami
5: Purdue vs 12: Notre Dame
4: St. Mary’s vs 13: Ohio
6: Texas vs 11: Old Dominion*
3: Xavier vs 14: UNC Wilmington
7: Cincinnati vs 10: Butler
2: Duke vs 15: Tennessee State*
East Region:
1: Villanova vs 16: Sam Houston State
8: Wichita State vs 9: Florida
5: West Virginia vs 12: Texas A&M
4: Oregon vs 13: Hawaii*
6: Michigan State vs 11: SMU/BYU
3: Wisconsin vs 14: Winthrop
7: Florida State vs 10: Valparaiso
2: Virginia vs 15: Lehigh
Midwest Region:
1: North Carolina vs 16: South Alabama/Texas Southern
8: Michigan vs 9: Dayton
5: Syracuse vs 12: Colorado
4: Creighton vs 13: Idaho*
6: Baylor vs 11: Georgetown
3: Gonzaga vs 14: Vermont
7: San Diego State vs 10: Monmouth
2: Arizona vs 15: South Dakota*
Bids by conference:
1. ACC, 9
2. Big 12, Big East, Big 10, 6
3. Pac 12, 5
4. Atlantic 10, SEC, WCC, 3
5. AAC, Missouri Valley, 2
6. America East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Conference USA, CAA, Horizon League, Ivy League, MAC, MEAC, MAAC, NEC, Ohio Valley, Patriot League, Southern, Southland, SWAC, Summit League, Sun Belt, WAC, 1
