W-12 BP68

We are only 12 weeks away have Selection Sunday, which means that we have only 10 weeks to the start of conference tournaments. It's really not that far away, huh?

Finals Week and winter break are always the lull before the storm in college basketball. There was not a ton of action this week, and there won't be a ton next week, though we did have a great slate of games on Saturday, and will continue to have plenty of good basketball to watch as we near the start of the major conference regular seasons.

One note this week is about an LSU team that I have been keeping in my projected bracket, despite some in the media already counting them out after their poor start. While those losses will not be forgotten, they will feel like a long time ago in March, and LSU has looked significantly better in two games since having both Craig Victor and Keith Hornsby in their active roster. They have drastically reduced their margin for error, but at this point I give LSU the edge over teams like Colorado, Ohio State, and Northern Iowa.

A quick note on Northern Iowa: They now have two great wins, but the Missouri Valley is not what it used to be, and UNI has a mid-week road game at Hawaii that should scare the hell out of their fan base. You can make a good case that Hawaii should be favored in Vegas for that one.

Among at-large teams there was one change to the projected bracket this week: Oregon State moves in, replacing UNLV. Among the auto-bids, Monmouth replaces Iona as the MAAC favorite, while High Point replaces Winthrop as the Big South favorite.

Remember, this is a projection of what the bracket will look like on Selection Sunday, and not a measure of where teams would be if the season ended now.

For now, here's how I see things ending up on Selection Sunday:

1. KANSAS (BIG 12)
1. MICHIGAN STATE (BIG TEN)
1. NORTH CAROLINA (ACC)
1. ARIZONA (PAC-12)

2. Virginia
2. KENTUCKY (SEC)
2. VILLANOVA (BIG EAST)
2. Oklahoma

3. Duke
3. Purdue
3. Xavier
3. Maryland

4. Iowa State
4. UCONN (AAC)
4. Baylor
4. GONZAGA (WCC)

5. Cincinnati
5. Miami-Florida
5. Louisville
5. Vanderbilt

6. Butler
6. Texas A&M
6. West Virginia
6. UCLA

7. Oregon
7. Iowa
7. DAVIDSON (ATLANTIC TEN)
7. Utah

8. Dayton
8. Texas
8. Indiana
8. Pittsburgh

9. Notre Dame
9. Providence
9. Michigan
9. WICHITA STATE (MVC)

10. Georgetown
10. Florida State
10. South Carolina
10. Wisconsin

11. Syracuse
11. George Washington
11. Florida
11. California
11. LSU
11. Oregon State

12. SAN DIEGO STATE (MOUNTAIN WEST)
12. MONMOUTH (MAAC)
12. VALPARAISO (HORIZON)
12. AKRON (MAC)

13. STEPHEN F. AUSTIN (SOUTHLAND)
13. SOUTH DAKOTA STATE (SUMMIT)
13. UAB (CONFERENCE USA)
13. HOFSTRA (COLONIAL)

14. UT-ARLINGTON (SUN BELT)
14. CHATTANOOGA (SOUTHERN)
14. BELMONT (OVC)
14. UC-IRVINE (BIG WEST)

15. STONY BROOK (AMERICA EAST)
15. PRINCETON (IVY LEAGUE)
15. HIGH POINT (BIG SOUTH)
15. NEW MEXICO STATE (WAC)

16. NORTH FLORIDA (ATLANTIC SUN)
16. MONTANA (BIG SKY)
16. BUCKNELL (PATRIOT)
16. WAGNER (NEC)
16. NORFOLK STATE (MEAC)
16. SOUTHERN (SWAC)

Teams seriously considered that just missed the cut:
Tulsa, NC State, Rhode Island, VCU, Marquette, Seton Hall, Northwestern, Ohio State, Northern Iowa, Boise State, UNLV, New Mexico, Colorado, USC, Saint Mary's

Other teams with a decent shot, but that need to improve their resume:
Memphis, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, Richmond, St. Bonaventure, St. Joseph's, Creighton, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, William & Mary, Evansville, Arizona State, Washington, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, BYU

Other teams I'm keeping my eye on, but that need to dramatically improve their resume:
Houston, Temple, Virginia Tech, Fordham, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, TCU, Hawaii, Northeastern, Louisiana Tech, Old Dominion, Kent State, Fresno State, Stanford, Arkansas, Auburn, Mississippi State, Arkansas-Little Rock