Revisiting the ‘99 Tourney

Thinking of historical comps for teams got me to thinking about the 1999 NCAA Tournament. I thought about it thinking of Duke, a truly great team that came up short. Also, it introduced the world to Gonzaga who twenty years later, remains one of college basketball’s true contenders. It also got UConn over the hump. It was their first of four titles in a 15-year stretch. It was also a tournament with some interesting anecdotes. Let’s dive in.

South Region

The south was fairly chalky. In the opening round, Detroit upset UCLA in a 13-4 game. UCLA lead for the first 38 minutes with a roster stocked full of NBA players. Also, in this region, Bobby Knight and Indiana beat George Washington in the opening round. It would be the last tournament win for Bobby Knight at Indiana.

The 1-seed was Auburn, the last time Auburn has achieved a 1-seed but lost in the Sweet 16 to eventual regional champ, Ohio State. Like many achievements of Ohio State, this doesn’t technically exist. 

Maryland was a 2-seed and considered a favorite by many to come out of this region. They were beaten by a very good St. John’s team in the Sweet 16. At the time, whispers got louder Gary Williams couldn’t get the Terps over the hump. 3 years later, they won a national title.

East Region

Duke was the 1-seed and the prohibitive favorite to cut down the nets. They’d have four players selected in the top 14 of the following NBA draft. They went undefeated in the ACC and their only regular season loss was in the Great Alaskan Shootout to Cincinnati. They would win their first two tourney games by 41 points, the sweet 16 over SW Missouri State by 16 and the regional final over Temple by 21. This is arguably one of the greatest teams ever not to cut down the nets.

Steve Alford was the coach of SW Missouri State and his team was a 12-seed. In the opening round, they beat Wisconsin 43-32 in one of the worst tournament games in history.

- SW Missouri State lead at half, 21-12

- It is the fewest combined points in an NCAA Tournament game game in the shot clock era

- Wisconsin shot 12-47

- The Badgers 32 points were the fewest of any team in any NCAA Tournament game since 1949

Remarkably, the Bears would rout Tennessee, 81-51 in the 2nd round and Steve Alford would move into Iowa and places beyond

Midwest Region

Michigan State would make the first of 3 consecutive winning the Midwest, starting in Milwaukee. Milwaukee produced a 12-5 upset, with Oklahoma beating Arizona. It was the first ever tournament win for Kelvin Sampson. That game is remembered for Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, Michael Wright, turning the ball over late by stepping over the inbound line giving OU the chance to win, which they would on a tip-in.  They’d also upset UNC-Charlotte to advance to the Sweet 16.

This region also produced the moment where we saw the Spartans Matean Cleaves collide violently with the Sooners Eduardo Nájera in a Sweet 16 clash knocking both players out. 

We were also introduced to Wally Szczerbiak of Miami (OH). He poured in 43 points to lead the RedHawks past Washington in the first round. They would upset 2-seed and ‘98 national runner-up Utah in the 2nd round behind Wally and his 24 points bringing an end to the incredible college career of Andre Miller.

West Region

The West Region was incredible. Another ‘98 Final 4 team failed to make it out of the first weekend when 3-seed North Carolina was shocked by bracket buster, Weber State. The Wildcats were lead by Harold “The Show” Arceneaux who scored 36 points. Though UNC made it close, Weber State lead by 10 with 3:59 left. It was no fluky win. In the 2nd round, Weber State would lose to Florida in overtime despite 32 from “The Show”. The drama was not over for Florida.

Innocently enough, Gonzaga defeated Minnesota in the opening round. It was a slight upset, as the Zags were a 10-seed to a 7-seed for the Gophers. The Gophers has also just had a report dropped on them about widespread academic fraud days before the game. Interestingly enough, Dan Monson would leave Gonzaga for this job. His top assistant, Mark Few would take over for the 99-00 season. Worked out for one of them.

The Zags story became bigger after they eliminated Stanford, the 4th of the ‘98 Final 4 teams to be eliminated. This Cardinal team was largely intact from the previous season and the Zags dominated them on the boards and served notice they were no fluke.

In the Sweet 16, as Gus Johnson would declare, the slipper would still fit. Against Florida, the Zags wee down by 3 with :45 seconds left. Gonzaga big man Jeremy Eaton would make a layup to bring them within 1. Florida has the ball but turned it over when freshman C Ben Wright travelers giving Gonzaga a chance to win. Bulldog G Quentin Hall would miss a shot for the lead but F Casey Calvary would tip the ball in and a desperate Florida scramble would fall short. Midnight arrived against UConn but Gonzaga would never look back and had arrived.

Quentin Hall, Matt Santagelo, Richie Frahm, Axel Dench  and Casey Calvary changed Gonzaga from John Stockton’s alma mater into the premier basketball school on the West coast.

Wednesday Notes

Texas got a big win at home against Kansas and they look lost again.  Every time I think the Jayhawks are falling apart they make a comeback.  As for now the Auto-bid goes to Kansas State but it’s a mess at the top of the Big 12.

Lipscomb destroyed Liberty on the road by 20 last night and I don’t think Liberty can get an at-large anymore (not that the committee would give them one anyway).  Lipscomb on the other hand has a NET of 40, RPI of 57 and a NCSOS of 52.  Those are all strong numbers and probably an 8 seed if they were named “Minnesota” or “Mississippi St”.  As for now they are hanging on to a slim chance with 2 Quadrant 1 wins (2-3) and 2 Quadrant 2 wins (2-1).  We are using  NET rankings this year vs RPI.  

If the Big 12 was a mess at the top , the Big 10 is a mess in the middle.  Here we are discussing Lipscomb, Belmont, and Murray State and in the meantime Ohio State (3-6), Indiana (3-6), and Nebraska (3-7) are all safely in the bracket.  All have lost at least 6 of their last 8 and they still trend higher than most mid-majors.

Monday Bracketology

1 seed vs 16 seed

Tennessee(SEC) vs Prairie View(SWAC)/S.Houston(Sland)

Duke vs BobMorris(NEC)/NorfolkSt(MEAC)

Virginia (ACC) vs Rider (MAAC)

Michigan vs LeHigh (Patriot)

2 seed vs 15 seed

Gonzaga (WAC) vs Montana (Bsky)

Michigan St. (B1G) vs UC-Irvine (Bwest)

Kansas (B12) vs Loyola (Mvalley)

Kentucky vs Radford (Bsouth)

3 seed vs 14 seed

Nevada (Mwest) vs S.Dakota St (Summit)

Marquette vs N.Kentucky(Horizon)

North Carolina vs North Texas (Cusa)

Houston (AAC) vs Texas St (Sbelt)

4 seed vs 13 seed

Louisville vs N.Mexico St (WAC)

Texas Tech vs Davidson (A10)

Virginia Tech vs Yale(Ivy)

Purdue vs Vermont (Aeast)

5 seed vs 12 seed

Oklahoma vs Hofstra(Colonial)

Villanova (Beast) vs Lipscomb (Asun)

Iowa St. vs Murray St (OVC)

LSU vs Utah St/Alabama

6 seed vs 11 seed

Maryland vs Wofford (SoCon)

Buffalo (MAC) vs Florida/Indiana

Wisconsin vs Baylor

Florida St. vs VCU

7 seed vs 10 seed

Nebraska vs Seton Hall

Mississippi St. vs St. John's

North Carolina St vs Syracuse

Cincinnati vs Central Florida

8 seed vs 9 seed

Iowa vs Mississippi

Washington (P12) vs Minnesota

Kansas State vs TCU

Auburn vs Ohio St.

First Four Out

Creighton

Temple

Texas

Arizona St

Next Four Out

Butler

Liberty

San Francisco

Arizona

Also Considered

Clemson

Toledo

Oregon

Providence

St. Louis

Georgetown

Pittsburgh

Arkansas

USC

Xavier

Fresno St

UNC-Greensboro

ETSU

St. Mary's

Top 10: Historical Edition

10: Houston- The Cougars are 19-1 and in a place they haven’t been since Guy Lewis. I looked it up this morning. If you try to find a historical comp, you have to go that far back. If we use TRank’s similar team option, last years Cougars team is there, so we’ll say this team is the 2018 Cougars. That is not something to dismiss. They finished 18th in KenPom and were a buzzer beater away from a Sweet 16 appearance.

9. Nevada - Like Houston, they are 19-1. The computers don’t love them but they are 19-1. Historical comp is the 2007 Nevada team that had future NBA players on it. That team lost as 7-seed in the second round to Memphis. Both teams had/have high ceilings.

8. North Carolina- They only played one game this week but waxed Virginia Tech.  Historical comp is the 2012 Tar Heel team. That team made a Final Four and lost in the semifinals to Kansas. I think that’s the ceiling for this team.

7. Michigan- They get a bump this week after going to Indiana and pounding the Hoosiers. That’s the Wolverines at their best. We also saw again why you should be cautious, a grind it out win against the Gophers earlier in the week. The historical comp is last year’s team. That might be counterintuitive to what I think but a trip to the Final 4 is possible.

6. Kentucky- We’re seeing a team starting to assert itself. That was an impressive win over KU last night. Historical comp is the 2011 team. I like this comp because there are NBA players on this team but it’s similarily balanced like the ‘11 team. That team was a 4-seed that made a Final 4. This team will get a higher seed.

5. Gonzaga - Probably better than this but college basketball is too heavy this year. Historical comp is the  2017 team that played for the title. This team isn’t as good defensively but is better offensively.

4. Michigan State- Rolling through a very good Big Ten. Haven’t played a lot of the top teams yet, though. Think the historical comp is the 2012 team. This might be a bit off as this current group is top 10 offensively and defensively. This team probably has better guard play as well but I think it’s close. Heading into March, they were a favorite to get to the Final 4

3. Tennessee - Here’s a fun one. I have no historical comp for them, at least one from my lifetime. What Rick Barnes has done here is wholly unique. There were good teams under Bruce Pearl but none this good. The closest comp you get is 2008. That team was a 2-seed but the SEC was not as strong as it is this year. The second best team was Mississippi State at 23-11. Florida was third best and they had just replaced an entire roster that won two consecutive titles. Tennessee winning it all this year would be as big a surprise a major conference winner just about could be.

2. Virginia - My historical comp for them goes way back. Let’s call this team the 1983 Cavaliers. History remembers them as the team that lost to Chaminade but they breezed to a 1-seed after that only to lose to NC State in a regional final. So, this Virginia team is coming off a historic upset and breezing through the regular season after it happened (yes, Chaminade was regular season vs. a tourney the year before). Only means one thing, a Cinderella is upsetting them in a regional final.

1. Duke - Brian is the Duke expert so I should leave the historical comps to him and I have given this a lot of thought. This team reminds me of the 1999 team. That team came off a heartbreaking loss in the ‘98 regional final to Kentucky and lost an annoying white guard. That sounds familiar. The ‘99 team had a freak in Elton Brand who made the game look easy. That sounds familiar. Trying to find a Duke comp to Zion was hard. Okafor’s team won a title but Zion is a better prospect. Kyrie was the best pound for pound player to be one-and-done for Coach K but that team was not as good as this one. If anything, the ‘99 team was deeper but I think from a frontline talent standpoint, that’s the comp. This team could use a Trajan Langdon, though.

Free The Mids

The bubble is weak. It’s a popular refrain as we move towards Selection Sunday. It’ll be popular this year, because the so-called power leagues are riddled with mediocrity with the Pac-12 the biggest offender. Sadly, the tournament will be populated with teams from the SEC or Big Ten that won’t even finish in the top half of their leagues. This isn’t 2011 Big East or even 2014 Big Ten, the teams this year are simply mediocre.

Alan Bykowski (@brewcity77 on Twitter), writing for Cracked Sidewalks layed out in beautiful detail how the new Quadrant system, using NET (http://www.crackedsidewalks.com/2019/01/breaking-ncaa-team-sheet-change.html?m=1) is going to hammer mid-majors and greatly enhance the top leagues. The system the committee will use is “rigged”. As we move forward here, I’ll show you the various strength of teams but make no mistake about it, the teams the casual fan would prefer to see get a shot in March?  They’ll have to watch the NIT if they don’t win their leagues.

On Friday, Yahoo! Sports college writer, Pat Forde (@YahooForde on Twitter) wrote a piece about NBA scouts being in attendance at the Belmont-Murray State game, largely their to see Ja’ Morant (https://sports.yahoo.com/nba-sees-value-belmont-murray-state-ncaa-selection-committee-071018296.html). Pat lays out the case on the value of having the Belmonts and Murray States of the world playing in the Big Dance versus a team like Arizona. He’s right. There is more talent in the mid-majors than we give credit for. But those brands don’t play on ESPN or FoxSports or CBS.

If we look at Brian’s last mock, these are his last 4 in:

- Temple, 73rd in KenPom and TRank

- Florida, 26th in KenPom, 12th in TRank 

- Arizona St, 55th and 59th

- VCU, 58th and 36th

His last 4 out are:

- Arizona, 61st in both

- San Francisco, 42nd and 33rd

- Butler, 44th in both

- Baylor, 45th and 51st

The Atlantic Sun has the 50th rated KenPom team in Lipscomb and 53rd rated KenPom team in Liberty. Neither team can enhance their resume because of the league they’re in. No offense to ASU, but I’d rather see both these schools in, my personal feelings about the institute of Liberty aside.

Buffalo has an at-large ready resume but if they stumble even 2 or 3 games down the stretch, they’ll be smack dab on the bubble despite wins at Syracuse and West Virginia and a neutral court win over San Francisco. There are plenty of capable teams that can win the MAC Tournament.

Other teams/leagues that will take it in the shorts include the SoCon. Wofford is 40th in KenPom, East Tennessee State is 70th. It’s not unrealistic to see a scenario where ETSU wins the conference tournament and Wofford slides to the NIT. I know Wofford had chances by playing a tough schedule and not beating UNC, OU or Kansas but that’s a tougher non-con schedule than St. John’s. And FWIW, they whomped South Carolina by 20. The league also has Furman who was ranked at one point.

The WCC should have a minimum of 3 teams in the tournament. USF is a tournament team. St. Mary’s is 35th in KenPom and 37th in TRank. There isn’t a single Pac-12 team ahead of those 3 teams. Even the Mountain West has two teams better with Utah State at 39th and 45th. 

The Big Ten went to a 20-game schedule. As “power” conferences expand, scheduling opportunities decrease for the mid-majors. And with the system being used to determine tournament teams, quality mid-major teams will get left by the wayside. Forget being fair, it’s not good for the sport. I’m a Big East honk but if you’re telling me it’s Butler or Wofford? I’d rather Wofford get the chance. 

We’re starting to see the “unintended” consequences of conference expansion. Bloated league schedules, dilution of smaller conferences have lead to mid-majors climbing an even steeper hill. The shame of it is, as Pat Forde’s column points out, there’s a lot of talent in those leagues and a lot better basketball than they get credit for. It’s time to give them the chance again.

Thursday Big Three

With Buffalo’s loss on Tuesday night  they no longer have the MAAC’s auto-bid.  That now goes to Bowling Green with a NET ranking of 109

Falling out of the bracket to give room to Bowling Green is VCU who lost to Duquesne.  VCU is now one of the Next Four out.

Wednesday was a big night for the top seeds.  Every team I had listed in seeds 1-9 won.  On the flip side, the two 10’s and 11 seed all lost.  Ohio State joined Indiana in having lost their last 5 games.

The Kind of Big XII

Once again, I am intrigued by the Big XII because I think it’s the most entertaining league but it’s also probably one that could flame out spectacularly in March.

If we look at Bart Torvik’s T-Rank and KenPom, we are all ten teams in the Big 12 are in the top 100. 7 of the teams are in the top 50 of T-Rank and Baylor is 53rd. 8 teams reside in the KenPom top 50. The worst team in the league by the numbers is West Virginia and they just beat Kansas.

None of the teams crack T-Rank’s top 10, though and Kansas checks in at 9 in KenPom. The league is riddled with good teams but probably not a great team.

Texas Tech has been a pleasant surprise but are not a good offensive team at all. They’re 139th in AdjustedO in KenPom and 168th in T-Rank’s offensive metrics. That is not a recipe for a likely deep run. The second best team in the league after Kansas is probably Iowa State. The Cyclones are the most balanced team. They’re a top 20 offensive team and top 30th defensive team. 

The rest of the league will be teams that are probably round of 32 ceiling teams. It’ll be a fun ride to March. I’m just not confident it’ll be a fun ride for the league in the tournament.

Hey, Hey, It's a Tuesday Bracket

1 seed vs 16 seed

Tennessee(SEC)vsPrairieView(SWAC)/S.Houston(Sland)

Duke vs BobMorris(NEC)/NorfolkSt(MEAC)

Virginia (ACC) vs Weber St (Bsky)

Michigan vs Rider (MAAC)

2 seed vs 15 seed

Gonzaga (WAC) vs Cal-Baker(WAC)

Michigan St. (B1G) vs Bucknell (Patriot)

Kansas (B12) vs UC-Santa Barbara (Bwest)

Nevada (Mwest) vs Princeton (Ivy)

3 seed vs 14 seed

Texas Tech vs Marshall (Cusa)

Kentucky vs S.Dakota St (Summit)

Marquette vs N.Kentucky(Horizon)

North Carolina vs Radford (Bsouth)

4 seed vs 13 seed

Houston (AAC) vs Texas St (Sbelt)

Louisville vs Loyola (Mvalley)

Villanova (Beast) vs Vermont (Aest)

Virginia Tech vs Liberty (Asun)

5 seed vs 12 seed

Oklahoma vs Hofstra(Colonial)

Maryland vs St. Louis (A10)

Buffalo (MAC) vs Murray St (OVC)

North Carolina St vs Wofford (SoCon)

6 seed vs 11 seed

Iowa St. vs Temple/Florida

Auburn vs ArizonaSt/VCU

LSU vs Texas

Mississippi vs Seton Hall

7 seed vs 10 seed

Mississippi St. vs St. John's

Nebraska vs Indiana

Purdue vs Minnesota

Florida St. vs Ohio St.

8 seed vs 9 seed

Wisconsin vs TCU

Cincinnati vs Syracuse

Iowa vs Central Florida

Kansas State vs Washington (P12)

First Four Out

Arizona

San Francisco

Butler

Baylor

Next Four Out

Lipscomb

Fresno St

Pittsburgh

Xavier

Also Considered

Notre Dame

Clemson

Toledo

Missouri

Oregon

Providence

Utah St.

Georgetown

Alabama

Arkansas

Creighton

St. Mary's

The Top 10 is Back: Fraud Edition

After requests from the millions of our readers, I’m back. Truth is, prior to about 10 days ago, I had been following the games largely through social media and write-ups except for a Duke or Marquette game here or there. My other “passion”, work was interfering with my other real passion, not working. It’s been nice to get back and watch more games the past 10 days. Terrible offenses, overcoaching and officiating that boggles the senses, college basketball we enjoy. The top weekly top 10 will have a theme. This week, fraud or not fraud.

Quick disclaimer, this top 10 cares not for head-to-head results. Random, inexplicable losses will happen in college basketball and are the rule, not the exception so spare me that argument.

10. Michigan - Fraud. Yes, Michigan was undefeated and had won 32 of 33 heading into Madison yesterday but I felt like it was a house of cards. They’re a defensive juggernaut but that offense will be prone to bad stretches. Coupled with a slow tempo, you have a recipe for games like yesterday. They may only lose another game or two but the chances of a stinker in March and early exit looms.

9. Kansas - Fraud. What is their identity? The Big XII is stacked with good but not great teams. This is not a great Kansas team.

8. Virginia Tech - Fraud. They haven’t beaten anyone and that’s probably why they’re a quiet 15-2. They have a win over Purdue on a neutral court. Computers love Purdue but, eh. They played Virginia and got humiliated. Solid offensive team with so-so defense.

7. North Carolina - Not a fraud. Weird home loss to Louisville skews the computer numbers. My hunch is, by March, this is one of the better teams and a popular pick to cut down the nets.

6. Gonzaga - Not a fraud. Defensive numbers are a real concern. They don’t project as a Final 4 team at the moment but let’s see how things flesh out with a fully operational roster. They’ll also be better tested over the next 6 weeks as the WCC is arguably the best league out west. It’s certainly better than it’s been at any time in the last 20 years.

5. Kentucky - Fraud. I’m calling them a fraud because I have them higher than most others will/would. This initial ranking from me is about buying futures. I think their best basketball lies ahead of them. I was impressed with the composure and execution down the stretch on the road against a very good Auburn team yesterday. This Kentucky team feels more well-balanced than the last few years. They still have some lottery material but also some dudes to complement those guys. I could be terribly wrong but I’m going in early on them.

4. Michigan State - Fraud. Until Tom Izzo proves himself in March again, I believe this team is a fraud. The computers love them and they have the type of lineup that Izzo took deep in past March’s. I can’t shake his stubbornness from last year, though. If I’m buying in early on Kentucky, I’m selling early on the Spartans. Bookmark this disaster in the making on my part. They are favored in every game through the end of the regular season except a road tilt in Ann Arbor.

3. Tennessee - Not a Fraud. They’re one of the best offensive teams in the nation and don’t use slow tempo to inflate those numbers. They can be mediocre on defense but the numbers are good enough to feel comfortable calling them a legit title contender. A veteran squad, Rick Barnes has rejuvenated his career in Knoxville.

2. Virginia - Not a Fraud. Call this the Arizona Corollary. A younger Eric mocked Arizona and their fans, well, the one Arizona fan he knew after earl exits in 1992 and 1993. They were certainly good teams that had dumb losses in March. That’s the current situation at Virginia. As much as all of America would love to see them fail (probably), if this team doesn’t get Tony Bennett to a Final 4, he’s screwed. The roster is experienced and talented, very much like Arizona in ‘94. Don’t let recency bias define this team, even if like me, you want to. Tempo will always be a concern to me. Teams like Virginia are prone to the upset because of it but I think this one breaks through.

1. Duke - Lol, not a Fraud. They have flaws. The lack of consistent 3-pt shooting and poor FT shooting is a concern. The Tre Jones injury changes things as well. If he’s out for the year, the good news is, they have a month plus to adjust. That said, it could be argued he’s been their best, most consistent PG anyway since his brother helped them beat one of the most evil teams ever for a national title. Obviously, it would be better if he can come back at close to 100%. But the way they played yesterday without him against a team that thrives on defense should be encouraging to Blue Devils nation

Friday Morning Bracketology

1 seed vs 16 seed

Tennessee(SEC) vs Ark-PB(SWAC)/S.Houston(Sland)

Michigan (B1G) vs Wagner(NEC)/NorfolkSt(MEAC)

Virginia (ACC) vs Princeton (Ivy)

Duke vs Weber St (Bsky)

2 seed vs 15 seed

Gonzaga (WAC) vs Cal-Baker(WAC)

Kansas (B12) vs Rider (MAAC)

Nevada vs LeHigh (Patriot)

Michigan St. vs UC-Santa Barbara (Bwest)

3 seed vs 14 seed

Texas Tech vs Marshall (Cusa)

North Carolina vs UNLV (Mwest)

Auburn vs N.Kentucky(Horizon)

Marquette vs Radford (Bsouth)

4 seed vs 13 seed

Virginia Tech vs S.Dakota St (Summit)

Louisville vs Georgia St (Sbelt)

Kentucky vs Loyola (Mvalley)

Oklahoma vs Vermont (Aest)

5 seed vs 12 seed

Villanova (Beast) vs Hofstra(Colonial)

Houston (AAC) vs Liberty (Asun)

Buffalo (MAC) vs St. Louis (A10)

North Carolina St vs Murray St (OVC)

6 seed vs 11 seed

Florida St. vs Wofford (SoCon)

Maryland vs Temple/Fresno

Nebraska vs ArizonaSt/Texas

Iowa St. vs Minnesota

7 seed vs 10 seed

Mississippi vs Kansas State

Mississippi St. vs St. John's

LSU vs Syracuse

Purdue vs Seton Hall

8 seed vs 9 seed

Indiana vs Central Florida

TCU vs Washington (P12)

Cincinnati vs Iowa

Wisconsin vs Ohio St.

First Four Out

Arizona

Alabama

VCU

San Francisco

Next Four Out

Lipscomb

Florida

Pittsburgh

Xavier

Also Considered

Notre Dame

Clemson

Toledo

Missouri

Oregon

Providence

Colorado

Utah St.

Georgetown

Butler

Vanderbilt

Arkansas

Furman

Creighton

Tuesday Morning Big Three

Wisconsin falls to 3-3 in the Big Ten after scoring only 15 in the first half against Maryland.  They made it a game in the second half but ultimately it wasn’t enough.  Once a 4/5 seed the Badgers now look to be in the 8/9 range

Duke lost to Syracuse and lost Tre Jones for at a minimum appears to be 4-6 weeks.  This team cannot cut down the nets without him.  Huge loss.

Florida State lost to Pittsburgh who is all over the board right now.  I figured FSU would bounce back after Saturday’s last second loss to Duke but instead suffers a worse loss.

Monday Bracket

1 seed vs 16 seed

Tennessee(SEC) vs S.HoustonSt (Sland)/UMKC(WAC)

Michigan (B1G) vs Wagner(NEC)/NorfolkSt(MEAC)

Duke vs Princeton (Ivy)

Virginia (ACC) vs Prairie View(SWAC)

2 seed vs 15 seed

Gonzaga (WAC) vs Weber St (Summit)

Kansas vs Detroit (Horizon)

Nevada vs Valparasio(Mvalley)

Michigan St. vs LeHigh (Patriot)

3 seed vs 14 seed

Texas Tech (B12) vs Rider (MAAC)

Virginia Tech vs UC-Santa Barbara (Bwest)

Auburn vs UT-San Antonio (Cusa)

North Carolina vs UNLV (Mwest)

4 seed vs 13 seed

Oklahoma vs S.Dakota St (Summit)

Marquette vs Winthrop(Bsouth)

Louisville vs Stony Brook (Aeast)

Florida St. vs Georgia St (Sbelt)

5 seed vs 12 seed

Indiana vs Hofstra(Colonial)

Mississippi St. vs Liberty (Asun)

North Carolina St vs Wofford (SoCon)

Kentucky vs Murray St (OVC)

6 seed vs 11 seed

Buffalo (MAC) vs St. Louis (A10)

Villanova (Beast) vs Mississippi/Syracuse

Cincinnati vs Fresno St/Washington

Houston vs Temple

7 seed vs 10 seed

LSU vs St. John's

Arizona (P12) vs Arizona St.

Wisconsin vs Central Florida (AAC)

Purdue vs Kansas St.

8 seed vs 9 seed

TCU vs Minnesota

Maryland vs Iowa

Nebraska vs Seton Hall

Iowa St. vs Ohio St.

First Four Out

Oregon

Florida

Texas

San Francisco

Next Four Out

Creighton

VCU

Lipscomb

Xavier

Also Considered

Notre Dame

Clemson

Toledo

Missouri

Alabama

Providence

Colorado

Utah St.

Georgetown

Butler

Vanderbilt

Arkansas

Pittsburgh

Furman