ESPN releases updated Bracketology, NCAA Tournament predictions as conference tournaments heat up
The postseason is here, and chaos is following closely behind. On Tuesday, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi updated his Bracketology to accommodate a wild weekend.
The final weekend of the regular season was a fun one. On Saturday, seven ranked teams suffered losses. Four of those losses were against unranked opponents. Despite the whirlwind at the buzzer, the Big 12 still boasts a conference-high nine teams in Lunardi’s NCAA Tournament predictions.
With no time to waste, let’s dive into Lunardi’s latest Bracketology, starting with the Midwest Region.
Midwest Region (Detroit)
(1) Purdue vs. (16) Norfolk State/Grambling State
Purdue doesn’t stop. The Boilermakers have been a buzzsaw this season for any team unlucky enough to run into them. On Tuesday, Purdue added another stripe to its win column with a 77-71 triumph over No. 12 Illinois.
The Boilermakers followed up the victory with an encore performance against Wisconsin, walking away with a 78-70 triumph. In the win, All-American Zach Edey dropped 28 points and 14 rebounds. Following the contest, Purdue surprised the standout big man by retiring his jersey.
(2) Marquette vs. (15) Quinnipiac
It’s been a painful past week for Marquette. After losing All-American guard Tyler Kolek to injury, Marquette dropped two straight games against No. 12 Creighton and No. 2 UConn. On Saturday, Marquette recovered its confidence with a triumph over Xavier.
In the win, Kam Jones exploded for a game-high 30 points, five rebounds and nine assists while shooting 12-17 from the field. He is averaging 26 points per game in the last six games for the Golden Eagles. Now, the team will look to make a run in March as Kolek works toward a quick recovery.
(3) Iowa State vs. (14) Oakland
Just three days after defeating No. 20 BYU, Iowa State fell 65-58 to Kansas State. The Cyclones looked lethargic in the loss, recording fewer points off turnovers, second-chance points, fast-break points and offensive rebounds than the Wildcats.
“They were more physical. They were the more aggressive team,” Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “And they did a better job in some of the areas we take pride in, in terms of rebounding and being physical. Credit to them for doing that today.”
(8) Texas vs. (9) Florida Atlantic
(5) Nevada vs. (12) Richmond
(4) Auburn vs. (13) Charleston
(6) Washington State vs. (11) James Madison
(7) Florida vs. (10) Michigan State
South Region (Dallas)
(1) Houston vs. (16) South Dakota State
Houston solidified its résumé for March in the final month of the regular season, downing three top-15 opponents in the country. On Saturday, the Cougars pounced on No. 7 Kansas in devastating 76-46 fashion.
In the win, Houston forced 18 turnovers, converting the Jayhawks’ mistakes into a generous 30 points. With the victory, Houston claimed the Big 12 regular-season title in its first season in the conference.
(2) Creighton vs. (15) Sam Houston State
It wasn’t pretty, but it didn’t have to be. On Saturday, Creighton concluded its regular season with a grueling 69-67 win over Villanova. Junior guard Trey Alexander hit a fadeaway jumper with 0.2 seconds left to give the Bluejays a victory.
Alexander wasn’t the only one who stepped up for Creighton in the key triumph. Baylor Scheierman led the team with 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Ryan Kalkbrenner followed closely behind with 14 points of his own.
(3) Duke vs. (14) Vermont
Duke was unable to find its storybook finish this weekend. However, there are more chapters ahead. On Saturday, the Blue Devils fell at home 84-79 to North Carolina. Duke went 0-2 this season against the in-state rival.
In the loss, four Duke players scored double figures, highlighted by Kyle Filipowski’s 23 points and seven rebounds. However, the Blue Devils sputtered on defense, allowing UNC to shoot 50% from the field and 46.7% from beyond the arc.
(8) Northwestern vs. (9) Colorado State
(5) San Diego State vs. (12) Princeton
(4) Alabama vs. (13) UC Irvine
(6) Wisconsin vs. (11) Colorado/Virginia
(7) Texas Tech vs. (10) Drake
West Region (Los Angeles)
(1) Tennessee vs. (16) Stetson/Merrimack
On Wednesday, Tennessee reeled in its first Southeastern Conference regular-season title in six years. Only three days later, the Volunteers fell in heartbreaking fashion to No. 15 Kentucky on Senior Day in Thompson-Boling Arena.
In the loss, Dalton Knecht was still spectacular, erupting for 40 points on 14-29 shooting. However, Knecht’s hot hand wasn’t contagious. Senior guard Santiago Vescovi uncharacteristically went 0-3 from downtown in the defeat.
(2) Arizona vs. (15) Montana
It’s been a rollercoaster season for Arizona. The team’s 78-65 loss to USC on Saturday was no exception. Arizona’s 65-point output was the lowest of its season. After the game, Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd attempted to look at the silver lining of the loss.
“We’re thankful. These guys had a great regular season,” Lloyd said. “To win a Pac-12 regular season championship is nothing to be taken lightly. Obviously, we wanted to play better today and we didn’t, but maybe we were given a gift by ‘SC, we can really learn from this. So that’s going to be our focus.”
(3) Baylor vs. (14) Toledo
Baylor couldn’t escape the weekend without suffering an upset loss. On Saturday, the Bears dropped their final regular season game in double-digit fashion to Texas Tech, ending their three-game win streak.
Baylor couldn’t find a rhythm from deep in the loss, shooting a poor 5-21 (23.8%) from beyond the arc. Baylor never gave up. After trailing by 13 points at halftime, rattled off a 16-4 run to take a lead with 7:25 left in the game. Nonetheless, the Bears couldn’t hold on and will now be the No. 3 seed in the Big 12 Tournament.
(8) Dayton vs. (9) Oklahoma
(5) BYU vs. (12) South Florida
(4) Illinois vs. (13) McNeese State
(6) Gonzaga vs. (11) Mississippi State
(7) Utah State vs. (10) Seton Hall
East Region (Boston)
(1) UConn vs. (16) Longwood
After falling to Creighton on Feb. 20, UConn won its final four games of the regular season. On Wednesday, the Huskies secured a pivotal 74-67 victory against No. 8 Marquette. It was UConn’s first win over a ranked opponent in over a decade.
UConn kept the good times rolling on Saturday with a comfortable 14-point victory over Providence. Every member of UConn’s starting five scored double figures in the win. Alex Karaban led the way with a team-high 16 points.
(2) North Carolina vs. (15) Colgate
North Carolina concluded its regular season in the most satisfying way possible. On Saturday, the Tar Heels knocked off archrival No. 9 Duke to secure the program’s first outright ACC regular-season title in seven years and complete a season sweep over the Blue Devils.
Tar Heels guard Cormac Ryan exploded for a game-high 31 points while shooting a stunning 6-8 from 3-point range. UNC didn’t hesitate to rub the victory in Duke fans’ faces, waving goodbye to the opposing fanbase after the game.
(3) Kentucky vs. (14) Morehead State
Kentucky was one buzzer-beater away from finishing the regular season on an eight-game win streak. Of course, five wins in a row is nothing to scoff at, either. On Saturday, Kentucky picked up perhaps its most impressive win yet with an 85-81 triumph over No. 4 Tennessee.
The ‘Cats had four players score double figures, highlighted by Antonio Reeves and Reed Sheppard, who dropped 27 points apiece. Kentucky now averages 89.5 points per game, the second-most in the country, trailing only Alabama.
(8) Boise State vs. (9) Nebraska
(5) South Carolina vs. (12) Grand Canyon
(4) Kansas vs. (13) Samford
(6) Clemson vs. (11) St. John’s/Indiana State
(7) Saint Mary’s vs. (10) TCU