Bracketology: Committee slots Virginia as No. 1 overall seed

The Selection Committee revealed its initial Top 16 teams (seed list) prior to games tipping on Sunday. There were no overwhelming surprising, although one could debate the plusses and minuses of the Committee slotting Oklahoma as its final No. 4 seed, in particular.

Their reasoning throughout the Top 16, whether you agree or disagree, was pretty clear: the Committee still values traditional measures such quality wins, strength of schedule, road performance, and an RPI-based demarkation for sorting teams (now using Groups or Quadrants rather than merely Top 50 or Top 100).

That doesn’t mean individual or collective members of the Committee will not use or value other metrics (BPI, SOR, Ken Pom, etc) in the process, but the ole standbys still appear to be actively in place.

As selections were unveiled, Virginia earned the Committee’s No. 1 overall seed, followed by Villanova, Xavier, and Purdue. Purdue’s overall profile – and its small margins in defeat – kept the Boilermakers on the top line.

That said, we have about a month left, and things can change. We’ve seen teams make late charges; we’ve seen teams go into late-February swoons. The bubble is once again deep and includes a hodgepodge of resumes that look eerily similar. In other words, the race is on.

UPDATED: February 12, 2018

FIRST FOUR PAIRINGS – Dayton (First Round)

NC State vs. UCLA | East Region
Kansas State vs. LSU | South Region
NICHOLLS ST vs. ARK-PINE BLUFF | East Region
HARVARD vs. NC A&T | South Region

BRACKET PROJECTION

SOUTH – Atlanta		EAST – Boston
Charlotte		Pittsburgh
1) VIRGINIA		1) VILLANOVA
16) HARVARD / NC A&T		16) NICHOLLS ST / ARK-PB
8) Seton Hall		8) Florida State
9) TCU		9) Arkansas

Boise		Boise
5) RHODE ISLAND		5) Texas AM
12) MIDDLE TENNESSEE		12) LOUISIANA
4) Tennessee		4) OHIO STATE
13) E. TENNESSEE ST		13) VERMONT

Detroit		Dallas
6) Miami-FL		6) Florida
11) Kansas St / LSU		11) NC State / UCLA
3) Michigan State		3) Texas Tech
14) CHARLESTON		14) RIDER

Pittsburgh		Charlotte
7) Kentucky		7) Alabama
10) Washington		10) Butler
2) CINCINNATI		2) Duke
15) FL GULF COAST		15) BUCKNELL

WEST – Los Angeles		MIDWEST – Omaha
Detroit		Nashville
1) Purdue		1) Xavier
16) UNC-ASHEVILLE		16) WAGNER
8) Creighton		8) Michigan
9) NEVADA		9) Virginia Tech

San Diego		San Diego
5) West Virginia		5) Gonzaga
12) Louisville		12) LOYOLA-CHI
4) ARIZONA		4) Oklahoma
13) SOUTH DAKOTA ST		13) BELMONT

Wichita		Dallas
6) SAINT MARY’S		6) Arizona State
11) NEW MEXICO ST		11) Houston
3) North Carolina		3) Clemson
14) MONTANA		14) BUFFALO

Wichita		Nashville
7) Missouri		7) Wichita State
10) Providence		10) Texas
2) KANSAS		2) AUBURN
15) UC-SANTA BARBARA		15) NO KENTUCKY

NOTES on the BRACKET: Virginia is the No. 1 overall seed – followed by Villanova, Xavier, and Purdue

Last Four Byes (at large): Providence, Washington, Louisville, Houston

Last Four IN (at large): Kansas State, NC State, UCLA, LSU

First Four OUT (at large): Syracuse, USC, St. Bonaventure, Baylor

Next four teams OUT (at large): Oklahoma State, Temple, Marquette, Boise State

Breakdown by Conference …

ACC (9): VIRGINIA, Duke, Clemson, North Carolina, Miami-FL, Florida State, Virginia Tech, Louisville, NC State

SEC (9): AUBURN, Tennessee, Texas AM, Florida, Kentucky, Alabama, Missouri, Arkansas, LSU

BIG 12 (7): TEXAS TECH, Kansas, Oklahoma, West Virginia, TCU, Texas, Kansas State

Big East (6): VILLANOVA, Xavier, Creighton, Seton Hall, Butler, Providence

Big 10 (4): OHIO STATE, Purdue, Michigan State, Michigan

Pac 12 (4): ARIZONA, Arizona State, Washington, UCLA

American (3): CINCINNATI, Wichita State, Houston

West Coast (2): SAINT MARY’S, Gonzaga

Mountain West (1): NEVADA

Atlantic 10 (1): RHODE ISLAND

ONE BID LEAGUES: Loyola-Chicago (MVC), Rider (MAAC), Middle Tennessee (C-USA), Louisiana (SBELT), Harvard (IVY), Montana (BSKY), Northern Kentucky (HORIZON), Nicholls State (SLND), East Tennessee State (STHN), UC-Santa Barbara (BWEST), Buffalo (MAC), Florida Gulf Coast (ASUN), Belmont (OVC), Charleston (CAA), UNC-Asheville (BSO), North Carolina A&T (MEAC), South Dakota State (SUM), New Mexico State (WAC), Vermont (AEAST), Bucknell (PAT), Wagner (NEC), Arkansas-Pine Bluff (SWAC)

Bracketing principles: read them for yourself at http://www.ncaa.com.

Andy Kennedy is expected to announce that he is resigning as the head coach of Ole Miss at a presser conference on Monday afternoon, a source confirmed to NBC Sports.

Kennedy has been the head coach at Ole Miss for the past 12 seasons.

The news was first reported by Ole Miss Rivals’ site.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Virginia has climbed to No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for the first time in more than 35 years.

The Cavaliers earned 30 of 65 first-place votes in Monday’s latest poll to outdistance No. 2 Michigan State. Virginia had suffered an overtime home loss Saturday to Virginia Tech, part of an upset-filled week that saw the top three teams lose.

But Tony Bennett’s Cavaliers rose above the turmoil at the top, climbing a slot to No. 1 for the first time since December 1982 — the senior season of 7-foot-4 great Ralph Sampson.

The Spartans climbed two slots after their win against Purdue, while last week’s No. 1 Villanova fell to third after a home loss to St. John’s.

Xavier and Cincinnati rounded out the top five.

Here is the rest of the top 25:

1. Virginia (30 first-place votes)
2. Michigan State (21)
3. Villanova (9)
4. Xavier (5)
5. Cincinnati
6. Purdue
7. Texas Tech
8. Ohio State
9. Gonzaga
10. Auburn
11. Clemson
12. Duke
13. Kansas
14. North Carolina
15. Saint Mary’s
16. Rhode Island
17. Arizona
18. Tennessee
19. Wichita State
20. West Virginia
21. Texas A&M
22. Michigan
23. Oklahoma
24. Nevada
25. Arizona State

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Texas A&M basketball player J.J. Caldwell has been dismissed from the team and Jay Jay Chandler has been suspended indefinitely after the two were arrested Sunday for possession of marijuana.

The school announced the punishments for the freshmen Sunday, saying they violated Texas A&M policy.

Brazos County Jail records indicate that both players were arrested by Texas A&M police on Sunday for marijuana possession. They each posted $2,000 bond and were released.

This isn’t the first time Caldwell has been in trouble after the guard was suspended for the first five games of the season for violating school policy. The school did not elaborate on the reason for his suspension at the time, but Brazos County court records indicated that he was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of driving while intoxicated in May. That case was dismissed Sept. 20.

Caldwell has appeared in 16 games this season with five starts and was averaging 2.9 points and 1.9 rebounds. Chandler has appeared in 24 games with four starts and was averaging four points and one rebound a game.

Another Aggie guard, Duane Wilson, has been playing through a partially torn ACL and appeared to aggravate the injury on Saturday night in a win over No. 24 Kentucky.

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Tech point guard Jose Alvarado will miss the remainder of the season after fracturing his left elbow.

Coach Josh Pastner said Monday X-rays showed the fracture. The injury, suffered when Alvarado fell on his arm in Sunday’s 80-69 loss to No. 9 Duke, initially was described as a dislocated elbow.

Pastner said the fracture will require a recovery period of six to eight weeks, meaning Alvarado also is ruled out for the postseason.

“He’s done,” Pastner said. “Even if we went on a run and went to the Final Four he wouldn’t play the remainder of the year.”

Alvarado is second on the team with his average of 12.1 points per game and had been a durable mainstay in Georgia Tech’s lineup. The freshman played every minute in eight games, including the Yellow Jackets’ previous four contests.

Alvarado and center Ben Lammers are Georgia Tech’s only players to start every game this season. Pastner said Lammers is playing “on a bum ankle, so it’s been a tough year for injuries.”

The loss of Alvarado comes as Georgia Tech (11-14, 4-8 Atlantic Coast Conference) has lost three straight and seven of eight.

Pastner said he hasn’t selected a replacement at point guard for Wednesday night’s game at Wake Forest.

Freshmen Moses Wright and Evan Cole likely will move into more prominent roles. The two combined for 19 points, 12 rebounds and four assists against Duke, helping the Yellow Jackets cut into the Blue Devils’ lead.

Wright and Cole made an impression on Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski.

“Both played really well,” Krzyzewski said. “I mean big-time plays. In this game, Josh probably found something. He found two kids that want to play.”

Pastner said the two freshmen “were very good” after giving them “extra lifting, extra individual skill work, literally treating them as redshirt guys even though they weren’t redshirts. I think that extra work paid off and it showed last night and they’ll get more time moving forward.”

Top scorer Josh Okogie and Brandon Alston likely will be given more ball-handling duties, but Pastner said the loss of Alvarado will be difficult to overcome.

“We’re just going to have to compete and fight and scrap and kick and claw our way back to give ourselves a chance,” Pastner said. “We’re undermanned but we’re going to have to find a way. We’re going to have to compete and find a way to give us the best chance.”

It has been an eventful week for Texas A&M.

Let’s start with the good: The Aggies have essentially punched their ticket to the NCAA tournament. On Wednesday, they went into Auburn Arena and landed a win against a top ten team, the kind of win that is going to be a difference-maker for them on Selection Sunday.

Then, on Saturday night, Texas A&M absolutely pummeled No. 24 Kentucky in College Station, to the point that the Wildcats looked like their souls were taken out of their body and beaten with a stick.

The Texas A&M team that we have been waiting all season to see?

The one that mollywhopped a good West Virginia team in the season-opener on national television?

They’re back.

Or here.

But the good vibes didn’t even last 24 hours, as Texas A&M announced on Sunday evening that two of the five guards on their roster were in trouble. J.J. Caldwell was dismissed while Jay Jay Chandler was suspended indefinitely. If that’s not bad enough, it looks like Duane Wilson aggravated the partially torn ACL that he has been playing on.

(Seriously, he was playing on a partially torn ACL. What a warrior.)

We’ll see how this plays out for the Aggies, but at the very least, they now have the comfort of knowing they can figure some things out and still find a way into the Big Dance.

THEY WERE GOOD, TOO

GONZAGA: The Zags absolutely manhandled Saint Mary’s late on Saturday night, going into Moraga and winning by double-figures in a game they controlled from the tip. The WCC regular season title race is tied once again.
OHIO STATE: Speaking of regular season title races, Ohio State now has completely control of the Big Ten race. They are a game up on both Purdue and Michigan State with just two weeks left of the regular season after going into West Lafayette and picking off the Boilermakers.
TEXAS TECH: The Red Raiders now own sole possession of first place in the Big 12 race, a game up on Kansas with a game left in Lubbock against the Jayhawks, as they make a run at snapping that run of 13-straight Big 12 regular season titles.
VIRGINIA TECH: The Hokies went into Charlottesville and upset No. 2 Virginia on Saturday evening in a game that more or less put Virginia Tech into the NCAA tournament. They aren’t a lock by any stretch, but as long as they don’t do anything stupid in the next three week, they’ll be good.
ST. JOHN’S: The Johnnies won a pair of games this week, including a win in Philadelphia over No. 1 Villanova. St. John’s is going to be a fun team to watch in the Big East tournament.

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