College basketball is well underway this season and as we are in the middle of conference season. Many will play the role of Bracketologist predicting the field of 68. Tim Krueger, co-host of the Bluejay Banter radio show returns for his 5th season of predicting the field. Krueger ranks up there with the best of them with a Tier 1 ranking participating in The Bracket Project the past several years.
Leading up to Selection Sunday, Krueger will provide White & Blue Review his updated bracket predictions. Bluejay Banter can be heard every Monday from 6-7 PM on 1620 the Zone — The Home of the Jays.
The Bracket as of 1/27/14:
| EAST | WEST | |
| 1-Syracuse* | 1-Arizona* | |
| 16-Stony Brook*/Southern* | 16-Utah Valley St* | |
| Buffalo March 20-22 | San Diego March 21-23 | |
| 8-George Washington | 8-UCLA | |
| 9-Baylor | 9-New Mexico | |
| 4-Creighton* | 4- Iowa | |
| 13-Belmont* | 13-Harvard* | |
| San Diego March 21-23 | Spokane March 20-22 | |
| 5-Ohio State | 5-Cincinnati* | |
| 12-Green Bay* | 12-North Dakota St.* | |
| 3-Michigan* | 3-San Diego St.* | |
| 14-Akron* | 14-UC-Irvine* | |
| Milwaukee March 20-22 | Spokane March 20-22 | |
| 6-Florida State | 6-Gonzaga* | |
| 11-St. Marys/Oregon | 11-North Carolina | |
| 7-Oklahoma | 7-Uconn | |
| 10-SMU | 10-Richmond | |
| San Antonio March 21-23 | San Antonio March 21-23 | |
| 2-Wichita State* | 2-Oklahoma State | |
| 15-Northern Colorado* | 15-S.F. Austin* | |
| MIDWEST | SOUTH | |
| 1-Kansas* | 1-Michigan State | |
| 16-Winthrop*/Chattanooga* | Robert Morris* | |
| St. Louis March 21-23 | Buffalo March 20-22 | |
| 8-St. Louis* | 8-Texas | |
| 9-Tennessee | 9-Xavier | |
| 4-Kentucky | 4-Louisville | |
| 13-Delaware* | 13-Mercer* | |
| Raleigh March 21-23 | Orlando March 20-22 | |
| 5-Duke | 5-Pittsburgh | |
| 12-Providence/Colorado | 12-Southern Miss* | |
| 3-Villanova | 3-Iowa State | |
| 14-Canisius* | 14-Georgia State* | |
| Raleigh March 21-23 | St. Louis March 21-23 | |
| 6-Memphis | 6-Virginia | |
| 11-Cal | 11-Missouri | |
| 7-Umass | 7-Minnesota | |
| 10-Kansas State | 10-VCU | |
| Milwaukee March 20-22 | Orlando March 20-22 | |
| 2-Wisconsin | 2-Florida* | |
| 15-North Carolina Central* | 15-American* |
*Indicate Conference Auto-Bid
Krueger’s Notes on the Bracket:
Some teams made huge moves this week: Richmond moved all the way from off the bubble to a 10 seed, Providence moved into the field, and Michigan moved all the way to the top of the three seeds.
Several teams are also moving in the wrong direction: Oregon, Colorado and Baylor dropped the most. The top seeds remain the same. Michigan State is staying on the one line despite the loss to Michigan.
With two wins this week, the Jays moved up to a four seed. As we have talked in the past, the computers love the Jays and this gives them the edge with as many as fifteen teams who have a shot at the four seeds. Unfortunately, the teams on the four line don’t get the preference of where to play on opening weekend. With the lack of western teams as top four seeds, it is very likely that if this was the final bracket the Jays would be sent out west.
Last four in: St.Marys, Oregon, Colorado,Providence
First four out: Ole Miss, Stanford, LSU, Arizona State
Next four out: Arkansas, Illinois, Washington, Dayton