Lobofan2003 Bracketology

Bracket based on games played through Tuesday 3/8 and Seed list/S-Curve:

1. Kansas

1. Villanova

1. Oregon

1. Virginia

2. Oklahoma

2. North Carolina

2. Michigan State

2. Xavier

3. Miami (Fla.)

3. West Virginia

3. Utah

3. Indiana

4. Kentucky

4. Duke

4. Maryland

4. Purdue

5. Texas A&M

5. Arizona

5. Iowa

5. Iowa State

6. Texas

6. Baylor

6. California

6. Dayton

7. Texas Tech

7. Seton Hall

7. Notre Dame

7. Oregon State

8. Wisconsin

8. Colorado

8. Southern California

8. Butler

9. Providence

9. Saint Joseph's

9. St. Bonaventure

9. South Carolina

10. Pittsburgh

10. Cincinnati

10. Syracuse

10. Connecticut

10. Wichita State

11. Florida

11. St. Mary's

11. San Diego State

11. Temple

11. Gonzaga

12. Arkansas-Little Rock

12. Akron

12. Northern Iowa

12. South Dakota State

13. NC-Wilmington

13. Chattanooga

13. Yale

13. Stony Brook

14. Stephen F. Austin

14. Iona

14. UAB

14. Hawaii

15. New Mexico State

15. NC-Asheville

15. Green Bay

15. Weber State

16. Lehigh

16. Hampton

16. Fairleigh Dickinson

16. Florida Gulf Coast

16. Austin Peay

16. Texas Southern

For games played through Saturday 3/5:

Includes results of games played through Friday 2/26/16

I have not had a chance to do a bracket yet this season, but I decided I would start this weekend. Until then, I will start by giving my predictions for final records for the conference I know best, the Mountain West.

Mountain West teams have been down this year and San Diego State has dominated thus far in conference play but I think there will still be intrigue in the conference tournament.

Predicted Conference Records/Order of Finish:

1. San Diego State (17-1): After a rough start to the season in non-conference play, the Aztecs have been on a role in conference play. With the down year for the conference, the Aztecs are going to have to avoid a bad loss in the regular season and the conference tournament in order to have a chance at an At-Large bid. I think the Aztecs will suffer a loss at some point, likely either at Fresno or to Boise or New Mexico

2. <tie> Boise State (13-5): Thanks to a win over an RPI Top 10 win against Oregon in the non-conference, Boise is the other team with an outside shot at an At-Large bid from the Mountain West. Boise is likely to have to get a win against the Aztecs to grab another quality win and improve on their RPI which is not where it needs to be to earn an At-Large. The Broncos are also going to have to avoid any losses to teams not in the Top 3 in the league. The Broncos have struggled, especially defensively, in recent games but with an experienced team I expect Boise to play well down the stretch.

2. <tie> New Mexico (13-5): A disastrous December means the Lobos are likely headed for the NIT with a good finish down the stretch. The Lobos have played well in conference play but two games remaining against the Aztecs loom large. A 3-1 road conference record thus far is impressive for a young team that is still improving and gelling. Transfers Elijah Brown and Tim Williams have really proved to be gems this season. 

4. Fresno State (11-7): Fresno pushed the Aztecs to OT in their first meeting and get another crack at them at home at the Save Mart Center. The Bulldogs are an enigma though, having lost to conference perennial celler dweller, San Jose State. Marevelle Harris is a real star for this team and should be 1st-team all Mountain West.

5. Nevada (10-8 ): Eric Musselman is doing a great job getting the Wolfpack program turned around, including a win over rival UNLV. We'll see if the Wolfpack have the chops to get over the hump and beat one of the teams in the top half of the conference

6. UNLV (9-9): The Rebels are always one of the most talented teams in the league, but they seem to consistently under-achieve. As such, they fired coach Dave Rice in the middle of the season and look to interim coach Todd Simon to keep the ship afloat the remainder of the season. Because of their talent level, and the fact the conference tournament is played on the Rebels home floor, the Rebels will be dangerous to win the confernece tournament in March

7. Colorado State (8-10): Had a chance to knock off the Aztecs in San Diego but came up just short. Had to replace four of their top scorers from last year; the Rams had hoped to reload, but this is looking more like a rebuilding year

8. Wyoming (6-12): Josh Adams is maybe the best player that nobody outside of the Mountain West has heard of. Adams is a leading scorer in the league and his worth is invaluable to the Cowboys. Unfortunantely the pieces around Adams just aren't there for the Cowboys to make a run through the conference tournament  as they did last year.

9. <tie> San Jose State (5-13): The Spartans, after not winning a conference game last year, have looked like they are showing signs of breaking out. Getting a win against a top half team in Fresno should instill a lot of confidence in this team to finish well down the stretch.

9. <tie> Utah State (5-13): The Aggies only have one win over a team in the top 150 in the RPI and have lost four in a row. This team misses Stew Morrill as head coach.

11. Air Force (2-16): Poor Falcons. They got a win over Wyoming this week and it still wasn't enough to pull them out of last place. Air Force won't be favored to win in any of their remaining games and I don't feel will win any of them.

I have predicted the finish order for the regular season and now for the WAY too early conference tournament prediction: Aztecs are going to be the heavy favorite to win, but the top seed hasn't won the past two years. Boise State lost in the conference final last year and will be looking to avoid being left out of the tournament again after getting snubbed last year. The Broncos have five seniors on their roster and a good scorer in Anthony Drmic. I am picking Boise State put it together come tournament time and win the MWC tournament.

Last four out: Old Dominion, Indiana, UCLA, Miami

Making this my final bracket as it looks like SMU is going to beat UCONN.

Last Four Out: Cal, Florida State, Southern Miss, Minnesota

Next Four Out: Louisiana Tech, North Carolina State, Missouri, Green Bay

Final Seed List:

Updated Seed List: