Bracketology for February 24, 2020

This is another edition of bracketology for February 24, 2020.

There were some changes in how the bracket looks thanks to some of the action that has transpired recently. The Top 8 do seem to be less fluid than the next 16. Disagreements will abound as to what to do with San Diego State and Gonzaga, but in this situation there were scheduling considerations and a direct comparison that made the difference between the #1 seed for San Diego State and #2 seed for Gonzaga.

The metrics like Alabama, but their strength of schedule and the lack of accomplishments in non-conference play hurt them considerably. So they are OUT and they will not be considered for quite some time due to their bad losses, non-conference struggles, and weakness of the SEC. The same could be said about Mississippi State. Arkansas is not in consideration due to their soft out-of-conference schedule and struggles within the SEC, missing Isaiah Joe should not result in the team having a complete collapse and it speaks to the weakness of the team as a whole. The SEC is a poor conference and they fall down the priority chain when it comes to seeding.

The highlights from this bracket:

• Michigan rises up further, various metrics love them and their recent wins help them considerably.
• Indiana is back in the bracket while Purdue is out.
• Kentucky rises again in the bracket as they are proving to be the best team in the SEC.
• Penn State dropped to a #6 seed due to other teams rising up and the Nittany Lions dropping two in a row.
• Stanford is back in the bracket after a strong week and weakness from other bubble teams.
• Florida State earned a #3 seed as others have fallen, the metrics do not like Florida State.
• Metrics like Texas Tech and while other brackets may be down on Chris Beard's team, they are a #4 seed here.
• Creighton is a #2 seed, there has been general weakness with the last #2 seed and Creighton was the best team to fit in here.

 

	Conference			Conference
SOUTH – Houston			MIDWEST – Indianapolis
St. Louis			Omaha
1) Baylor	Big XII		1) Kansas	Big XII
16) St. Francis (PA)/Prairie View A&M	NEC/SWAC		16) Norfolk St./Siena	MEAC/MAAC
8) Florida	SEC		8) Butler	Big East
9) Arizona St.	Pac-12		9) Utah St.	MWC
Tampa			Omaha
5) Michigan	Big Ten		5) Kentucky	SEC
12) Yale	Ivy		12) Liberty	A-Sun
4) Texas Tech	Big XII		4) BYU	WCC
13) North Texas	C-USA		13) Stephen F. Austin	Southland
Tampa			Greensboro
6) Penn St.	Big Ten		6) Colorado	Pac-12
11) Wichita St.	American		11) Virginia	ACC
3) Florida St.	ACC		3) Maryland	Big Ten
14) UC Irvine	Big West		14) Little Rock	Sun Belt
Cleveland			St. Louis
7) Wisconsin	Big Ten		7) Iowa	Big Ten
10) Cincinnati	American		10) Northern Iowa	MVC
2) Louisville	ACC		2) Creighton	Big East
15) Wright St.	Horizon		15) South Dakota St.	Summit
EAST – New York			WEST – Los Angeles
Cleveland			Sacramento
1) Dayton	A-10		1) San Diego St.	MWC
16) Winthrop	Big South		16) Austin Peay	OVC
8) Rutgers	Big Ten		8) Auburn	SEC
9) LSU	SEC		9) Saint Mary's	WCC
Albany			Spokane
5) Ohio St.	Big Ten		5) Oregon	Pac-12
12) Xavier/North Carolina St.	Big East/ACC		12) ETSU	SoCon
4) West Virginia	Big XII		4) Seton Hall	Big East
13) Akron	MAC		13) Hofstra	Colonial
Albany			Sacramento
6) Michigan St.	Big Ten		6) Houston	American
11) USC/Oklahoma	Pac-12/Big XII		11) Indiana	Big Ten
3) Villanova	Big East		3) Arizona	Pac-12
14) Vermont	America East		14) New Mexico St.	WAC
Greensboro			Spokane
7) Illinois	Big Ten		7) Marquette	Big East
10) Rhode Island	A-10		10) Stanford	Pac-12
2) Duke	ACC		2) Gonzaga	WCC
15) Colgate	Patriot		15) Montana	Big Sky