Let the kids on campus enjoy their Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day fun. We’d rather skip class to fill out our NCAA tournament bracket. Here’s who will celebrate March 17, courtesy staff writer Bob Asmussen:
East
1. Duke (ACC)
2. Florida (SEC)
3. Louisville (Big East)
4. Kansas State (Big 12)
5. Syracuse (Big East)
6. Memphis (Conference USA)
7. North Carolina State (ACC)
8. VCU (Atlantic 10)
9. Colorado (Pac-12)
10. Creighton (Missouri Valley)
11. Saint Mary’s (West Coast)
12. Mississippi (SEC)
13. Belmont (Ohio Valley)
14. Bucknell (Patriot)
15. Stony Brook (America East)
16. Florida Gulf Coast (Atlantic Sun)
17. High Point (Big South)
— Bruce Weber in line to get his first crack at Coach K since the Illini’s Sweet 16 loss in 2004.
South
1. Kansas (Big 12)
2. Miami (ACC)
3. Arizona (Pac-12)
4. Marquette (Big East)
5. Wisconsin (Big Ten)
6. Colorado State (Mountain West)
7. Illinois (Big Ten)
8. Missouri (SEC)
9. North Carolina (ACC)
10. Iowa State (Big 12)
11. Kentucky (SEC)
12. Temple (Atlantic 10)
13. Middle Tennessee (Sun Belt)
14. Northwestern State (Southland)
15. Harvard (Ivy)
16. Northeastern (Colonial)
17. North Carolina Central (MEAC)
— Kansas was a No. 2 seed until Miami lost to Wake Forest and Michigan fell at Penn State.
Midwest
1. Indiana (Big Ten)
2. Michigan (Big Ten)
3. Georgetown (Big East)
4. Oklahoma State (Big 12)
5. Butler (Atlantic 10)
6. UNLV (Mountain West)
7. Notre Dame (Big East)
8. UCLA (Pac-12)
9. Cincinnati (Big East)
10. California (Pac-12)
11. La Salle (Atlantic 10)
12. Villanova (Big East)
13. Akron (Mid-American)
14. Valparaiso (Horizon)
15. Davidson (Southern)
16. Loyola (Md.) (MAAC)
17. Bryant (Northeast)
— How about this for a Sweet 16 matchup: a rematch between Indiana and Butler in Indianapolis.
West
1. Gonzaga (West Coast)
2. Michigan State (Big Ten)
3. New Mexico (Mountain West)
4. Ohio State (Big Ten)
5. Pitt (Big East)
6. Saint Louis (Atlantic 10)
7. Oregon (Pac-12)
8. Minnesota (Big Ten)
9. San Diego State (Mountain West)
10. Wichita State (Missouri Valley)
11. Oklahoma (Big 12)
12. Virginia (ACC)
13. Louisiana Tech (WAC)
14. South Dakota State (Summit)
15. Hawaii (Big West)
16. Weber State (Big Sky)
17. Southern (SWAC)
— Scott Nagy’s Jackrabbits already beat Steve Alford’s Lobos once this season.
Don’t you think the selection committee will bend over backwards to try to get a possible Illini K-State game?? They’ve done it with Kruger and Self..
One of the committee's guiding principles is that teams from the same conference should not meet until the Elite Eight. Hence, there is no way four of eight Big East teams would be placed in the same regional. Likewise, there won't be a regional with three Big Ten teams (West) and another with none (East). Mr. Asmussen evidently doesn't know bracket basics.