14 January 2007
Finally, Bracket #2
Well, it was a week later than planned (and honestly, it's a better bracket for it, if I do say so myself), but the second bracket of this 2006-2007 season is what you get when you take my Christmas Eve bracket, slap it around, and shake it down. In other words, since the conference season has started for everyone, we have quite a bit of upheaval outside of the top two seed lines. Seven of the top eight seeds from three weeks ago are still there. In fact, the one line is steady, and the two line has one newcomer, Pitt, who replaces Duke.
Lines three and four appear to have been hit by a bomb, perhaps the result of a team prank gone awry. Butler has fallen from a four to an 8, Purdue is completely gone. Kentucky (a 7 last time) and very much for real Clemson (a 9) are now 3s, while Oregon (an 11) and Texas A&M (an 8) are now on the 4s.
A word of advice to those looking for Connecticut and Illinois. You can stare at the bracket all you want, but you won't find them this week. The Huskies can't seem to beat anyone with any level of talent, and their RPI of 90 (!!) reflects that. The Illini are 1-2 in the Big Ten, and the win was a four-pointer over Iowa at home, which can't inspire much confidence in Urbana-Champaign.
Since there is a logjam in the middle of the power conferences (particularly the Big East and Big Ten this week), the breakdown by conference is a little more balanced than it's been over the past couple of seasons.
ACC - 7
Big East - 6
SEC - 6
Big Ten - 5
Big 12 - 5
Pac-10 - 5
Missouri Valley - 4
Horizon League - 2
Mountain West - 2
Western Athletic - 2
Two more at-large berths may open next week, as Wright State holds the automatic bid for the Horizon (instead of Butler) and New Mexico State has the one for the WAC (over Nevada). Nevada and New Mexico State meet for the first time Saturday night in Las Cruces. Butler already demolished the Raiders at Hinkle, but Wright State currently is a half-game up on the Bulldogs. The schedule should sort that race out.
Next week, will see the return of my Banana Peel list, with a bit more in-depth information on the one-bid leagues.
To wrap things up, here's some key info about who's in and out this week.
Last Four In
Georgetown
Nevada
Southern California
Wichita State
Last Four Out
Bradley
Drexel
Illinois
Stanford
Next Four Out
Connecticut
Missouri
Providence
Washington
Off the Board (At-Large Only)
Connecticut
Drexel
Illinois
Missouri
Providence
Purdue
Washington
Back to a weekly schedule, so expect to see a new bracket on Sunday, January 21.
Well, it was a week later than planned (and honestly, it's a better bracket for it, if I do say so myself), but the second bracket of this 2006-2007 season is what you get when you take my Christmas Eve bracket, slap it around, and shake it down. In other words, since the conference season has started for everyone, we have quite a bit of upheaval outside of the top two seed lines. Seven of the top eight seeds from three weeks ago are still there. In fact, the one line is steady, and the two line has one newcomer, Pitt, who replaces Duke.
Lines three and four appear to have been hit by a bomb, perhaps the result of a team prank gone awry. Butler has fallen from a four to an 8, Purdue is completely gone. Kentucky (a 7 last time) and very much for real Clemson (a 9) are now 3s, while Oregon (an 11) and Texas A&M (an 8) are now on the 4s.
A word of advice to those looking for Connecticut and Illinois. You can stare at the bracket all you want, but you won't find them this week. The Huskies can't seem to beat anyone with any level of talent, and their RPI of 90 (!!) reflects that. The Illini are 1-2 in the Big Ten, and the win was a four-pointer over Iowa at home, which can't inspire much confidence in Urbana-Champaign.
Since there is a logjam in the middle of the power conferences (particularly the Big East and Big Ten this week), the breakdown by conference is a little more balanced than it's been over the past couple of seasons.
ACC - 7
Big East - 6
SEC - 6
Big Ten - 5
Big 12 - 5
Pac-10 - 5
Missouri Valley - 4
Horizon League - 2
Mountain West - 2
Western Athletic - 2
Two more at-large berths may open next week, as Wright State holds the automatic bid for the Horizon (instead of Butler) and New Mexico State has the one for the WAC (over Nevada). Nevada and New Mexico State meet for the first time Saturday night in Las Cruces. Butler already demolished the Raiders at Hinkle, but Wright State currently is a half-game up on the Bulldogs. The schedule should sort that race out.
Next week, will see the return of my Banana Peel list, with a bit more in-depth information on the one-bid leagues.
To wrap things up, here's some key info about who's in and out this week.
Last Four In
Georgetown
Nevada
Southern California
Wichita State
Last Four Out
Bradley
Drexel
Illinois
Stanford
Next Four Out
Connecticut
Missouri
Providence
Washington
Off the Board (At-Large Only)
Connecticut
Drexel
Illinois
Missouri
Providence
Purdue
Washington
Back to a weekly schedule, so expect to see a new bracket on Sunday, January 21.
# posted by Chris @ 12:51 
