College basketball is well underway this season and we are now in the final weeks of the 2011-12 regular season. Many will play the role of Bracketologist predicting the field of 68. Tim Krueger, co-host of the Bluejay Banter radio show, is one such fan. Krueger has conducted his own bracket projections for years, even before ESPN’s Joe Lunardi gave such a practice the term Bracketology.
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 590 AM, Omaha’s ESPN Radio, with podcasts of the show available via www.am590espnradio.com and the Bluejay Underground A/V room
The bracket as of 2/23/2012:
| EAST | SOUTH | |
| 1-Syracuse* | 1-Kentucky* | |
| 16-Stony Brook/Tex-Arlington** | 16-Savannah St. | |
| Pittsburgh, PA. (Mar. 15-17) | Louisville, KY, (Mar. 15-17) | |
| 8-Murray St* | 8-California* | |
| 9-San Diego State | 9-Memphis* | |
| 4-Wisconsin | 4-Louisville | |
| 13-Oral Roberts* | 13-Xavier/Texas | |
| Portland, OR (Mar. 15-17) | Nashville, TN (Mar. 16-18) | |
| 5-Wichita State* | 5-Florida St. | |
| 12-Arizona | 12-Harvard | |
| 3-Michigan | 3-Marquette | |
| 14-Davidson* | 14-Weber St.* | |
| Columbus, OH (Mar. 16-18) | Portland, OR (Mar. 15-17) | |
| 6-Kansas State | 6-Gonzaga | |
| 11-UConn | 11-Long Beach State* | |
| 7-St. Mary's* | 7-Purdue | |
| 10-Southern Mississippi | 10-Virginia | |
| Greensboro, NC (Mar. 16-18) | Omaha, NE (Mar 16-18) | |
| 2-North Carolina* | 2-Missouri | |
| 15-Bucknell | 15-Belmont* | |
| MIDWEST | WEST | |
| 1-Michigan State* | 1-Duke* | |
| 16-Long Island/Mississippi Valley State | 16-UNC Ashville* | |
| Columbus, OH (Mar. 16-18) | Greensboro, NC (Mar. 16-18) | |
| 8-Seton Hall | 8-Saint Louis | |
| 9-Iowa State | 9-Mississippi State | |
| 4-Temple | 4-UNLV | |
| 13-Iona* | 13-Middle Tennessee St.* | |
| Pittsburgh, PA (Mar. 15-17) | Albuquerque (Mar. 15-17) | |
| 5-Notre Dame | 5-Indiana | |
| 12-Alabama/North Carolina State | 12-West Virginia | |
| 3-Georgetown | 3-Baylor | |
| 14-Akron* | 14-Nevada* | |
| Nashville, TN (Mar. 16-18) | Albuquerque, NM (Mar. 15-17) | |
| 6-Florida | 6-Vanderbilt | |
| 11-Northwestern | 11-BYU | |
| 7-New Mexico* | 7-Creighton | |
| 10-Washington | 10-Cincinatti | |
| Omaha, NE (Mar. 16-18) | Louisville, KY(Mar. 15-17) | |
| 2-Kansas* | 2-Ohio State* | |
| 15-Drexel* | 15-Valparaiso* |
*Denotes Conference Autobid
Last four in: Xavier, NC State, Texas, Alabama
First four out: Colorado State, LSU, UCF, Miami
Next Four out: VCU, UMass, South Florida, Dayton
Krueger’s Notes on the Bracket:
There was some re shuffling at the top with Missouri’s loss and still no one taking charge of the bubble. There are some big games this weekend that should continue to sort out those teams.
The Jays move up to a 7 seed with their win and some other team’s losses. They look like they are solidly in the field: a win Saturday and they should clinch a berth into the dance.