ESPN updates Bracketology, NCAA Tournament predictions as calendar speeds toward March
Eight teams in the AP Top 25 fell this weekend. Five of those losses were against unranked opponents. On Tuesday, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi released his latest Bracketology, reflecting the whirlwind weekend of upsets.
The Big 12 surged forward in Lunardi’s most recent NCAA Tournament predictions, earning a conference-high nine spots in the bracket. The SEC trailed closely behind with seven teams in Lunardi’s version of events.
Let’s dive into Lunardi’s most recent Bracketology, starting with the Midwest Region.
Midwest Region (Detroit)
(1) Purdue vs. (16) Merrimack/Norfolk State
After falling in stunning fashion to Ohio State on Sunday, the Boilermakers got back on track with a 96-68 win over Rutgers on Thursday evening. The win was a glaring sign of progress for Purdue, which narrowly defeated Rutgers 68-60 less than a month prior.
The team kept the good times rolling on Sunday with a decisive 84-76 triumph over Michigan. In the win, reigning National Player of the Year Zach Edey dropped a ridiculous 35 points and 15 rebounds while shooting 14-18 from the field.
(2) Marquette vs. (15) Sam Houston
Marquette has only lost one game since Jan. 15 and it was against No. 1 UConn. The Golden Eagles are rolling, and this past Wednesday was no exception. Marquette handled DePaul with ease, winning 105-71.
The team rode its momentum into the weekend with an 88-64 victory over Xavier. In the win, Kam Jones tallied 34 points for the second-straight game. Over his last two games, Jones has shot 23-32 from the floor and 14-20 from beyond the arc.
(3) Alabama vs. (14) High Point
Alabama is undoubtedly icing up after a grueling week. On Wednesday, the Crimson Tide narrowly survived an overtime thriller with Florida, escaping with a 98-93 win. Alabama trailed the Gators by double-digits with less than 10 minutes left in the game but clawed its way to victory.
On Saturday, the Crimson Tide could find no such luck. Despite marching into Rupp Arena with high hopes, Alabama lost a 117-95 shootout against Kentucky. The Crimson Tide struggled to find stops against the ‘Cats, who shot 63.1% from the floor and 54.2% from deep.
(8) Boise State vs. (9) Florida Atlantic
(5) Washington State vs. (12) Samford
(4) Baylor vs. (13) Vermont
(6) Dayton vs. (11) Seton Hall/Virginia
(7) Texas Tech vs. (10) Nevada
South Region (Dallas)
(1) Houston vs. (16) South Dakota State
Houston picked up perhaps its most important win of the regular season on Monday with a 73-65 victory over No. 6 Iowa State. The Cougars didn’t wait long to pounce again. On Saturday, the team marched into No. 11 Baylor’s home turf and escaped with an 82-76 overtime victory.
The game was a battle of wills. Houston boasted a 16-point lead at halftime. However, the Bears didn’t go into hibernation, rattling off 12 straight unanswered points to start the second half. Nonetheless, J’Wan Roberts‘ 17 points, eight rebounds and six steals eventually boosted Houston to the win.
(2) Tennessee vs. (15) Fairfield
Tennessee avoided catastrophe on Tuesday with a comeback win over Missouri. Missouri is 0-13 in conference play and the only remaining SEC team without a win against a conference opponent. Tennessee rallied from a seven-point deficit to tame the Tigers 72-67.
On Saturday, the Volunteers didn’t allow themselves to face the same stress. Tennessee ran Texas A&M off the court in an 86-51 shellacking. With the win, Tennessee tied Alabama for the No. 1 spot in the SEC standings and gave head coach Rick Barnes his 800th Division I victory.
(3) Creighton vs. (14) Charleston
Creighton put the nation on notice on Tuesday with its 19-point win over UConn. The rim looked wide for the Blue Jays, who connected on 14-of-their-28 attempts from 3-point range, the second-most 3-pointers the team has made in a single game this season.
That hot-handed team was nowhere to be found during Creighton’s blowout 80-66 loss to St. John’s on Sunday. In the loss, the Bluejays shot a poor 6-26 (23.1%) from 3-point range while committing 13 turnovers.
(8) Mississippi State vs. (9) Nebraska
(5) Clemson vs. (12) Grand Canyon
(4) Illinois vs. (13) Akron
(6) Florida vs. (11) Indiana State
(7) Colorado State vs. (10) Wake Forest
West Region (Los Angeles)
(1) Arizona vs. (16) Little Rock/Grambling State
For six games, Arizona looked unstoppable, boasting an average win margin of 19.5 points per game. However, the Wildcats stumbled on Thursday in a 77-74 loss against No. 21 Washington State. With the win, Washington State surpassed Arizona in the Pac-12 standings.
The Wildcats didn’t allow the sting of the loss to fester. On Saturday, the team handed Washington a 91-75 blowout. Arizona was red-hot from outside in the win, draining 9-of-its-21 attempts from beyond the arc.
(2) Kansas vs. (15) Eastern Washington
Despite taking a week off, Kansas looked better than ever in its 86-67 win over Texas on Saturday. In the win, all five of Kansas’ starters scored double figures, highlighted by Hunter Dickinson’s 20 points and seven rebounds.
The Jayhawks were relentless down low against the Longhorns, scoring 52 points in the paint. In the victory, Kansas only shot eight 3-point attempts, connecting on three. With No. 25 BYU up next, Kansas will look to keep the good times rolling.
(3) Duke vs. (14) Cornell
Duke started last week strong, handily defeating Miami 84-55. However, Saturday wasn’t nearly as much fun for the Blue Devils. On the road, Duke fell 83-79 to Wake Forest. The heated showing was overshadowed by Kyle Filipowski suffering an injury after the game due to Wake Forest fans storming the court.
“When are we going to ban court-storming? Like, when are we going to ban that? How many times does a player have to get into something where they get punched or they get pushed or they get taunted right in their face? It’s a dangerous thing,” Duke head coach Jon Scheyer said.
(8) TCU vs. (9) Michigan State
(5) Kentucky vs. (12) Richmond
(4) San Diego State vs. (13) UC Irvine
(6) South Carolina vs. (11) Providence/Gonzaga
(7) Utah State vs. (10) Texas
East Region (Boston)
(1) UConn vs. (16) Eastern Kentucky
Before Tuesday, UConn had not lost since Dec. 20. No. 15 Creighton reminded the Huskies how it feels to be on the wrong side of a lopsided showdown. In the 85-66 loss, UConn only connected on a season-low 3-16 attempts from beyond the arc.
UConn didn’t allow its misery to multiply. On Saturday, the Huskies ran away with a comfortable 78-54 win over Villanova. In the win, Cam Spencer tied his season-high with 25 points while Tristen Newton notched his fourth career triple-double with 10 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists.
(2) North Carolina vs. (15) Colgate
It wasn’t exactly a fast-paced scoring affair, but North Carolina won’t complain about its 54-44 victory against Virginia on Saturday. Cormac Ryan led the charge for the Tar Heels, exploding for a game-high 18 points while shooting 6-11 from beyond the arc.
North Carolina didn’t have long to celebrate its victory. On Monday, the Tar Heels narrowly downed Miami 75-71. In the triumph, RJ Davis notched a career-high 42 points, the most ever in a single game in the Smith Center.
(3) Iowa State vs. (14) Oakland
After failing to usurp Houston in the Big 12 standings on Monday, Iowa State rebuilt its confidence with a 71-64 triumph against West Virginia on Saturday. Iowa State squeezed 23 turnovers out of the Mountaineers, which the Cyclones translated into 29 points. Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger was proud of his team’s resiliency.
“We have a high standard of wanting to play our best and it probably didn’t happen for long stretches today,” Otzelberger said after the game. “But I look at guys like Tamin and Rob Jones, who’ve been here and have so much pride. When it’s time to get stops and when it’s time to separate, they’re able to really focus and dig in.”
(8) Oklahoma vs. (9) Northwestern
(5) Wisconsin vs. (12) McNeese State
(4) Auburn vs. (13) Appalachian State
(6) Saint Mary’s vs. (11) South Florida
(7) BYU vs. (10) New Mexico