College basketball is headed into the final stretch with March now upon us. Many will play the role of Bracketologist predicting the field of 68. Tim Krueger, co-host of both the Bluejay Banter radio show and of the new MVC Hoops 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. The MVC Hoops show can be heard on local radio stations across the MVC six-state footprint.
The Bracket as of 3/1/13:
| EAST | WEST | |
| 1-Miami* | 1-Duke | |
| 16-Norfolk St/Mercer** | 16-Niagara* | |
| Lexington March 21-23 | Philadelphia March 22-24 | |
| 8-UCLA | 8-Missouri | |
| 9-Oklahoma | 9-Creighton | |
| 4- Wisconsin | 4-Syracuse | |
| 13-Bucknell* | 13-Belmont* | |
| San Jose March 21-23 | Lexington March 21-23 | |
| 5-UNLV | 5-Oklahoma St | |
| 12-Akron* | 12-Temple/Boise St. | |
| 3-Louisville | 3-Arizona | |
| 14-Stony Brook* | 14-Davidson* | |
| Austin March 22-24 | Salt Lake City March 21-23 | |
| 6-St. Louis* | 6-Minnesota | |
| 11-Iowa St | 11-Villanova | |
| 7-Memphis* | 7-VCU | |
| 10-California | 10-San Diego St | |
| Auburn Hills March 21-23 | San Jose March 21-23 | |
| 2-Michigan State | 2-Gonzaga* | |
| 15-Harvard* | 15-Montana* | |
| SOUTH | MIDWEST | |
| 1-Kansas* | 1-Indiana* | |
| 16-Northeastern* | 16-Southern/High Point** | |
| Kansas City March 22-24 | Dayton March 22-24 | |
| 8-North Carolina State | 8-Notre Dame | |
| 9-Oregon* | 9-North Carolina | |
| 4-Ohio St | 4-Kansas State | |
| 13-Louisiana Tech* | 13-Stephen F. Austin* | |
| Dayton March 22-24 | Kansas City March 21-23 | |
| 5-Pittsburgh | 5-Marquette | |
| 12-St. Mary's/LaSalle | 12-Middle Tennessee St.* | |
| 3-Michigan | 3-Florida* | |
| 14-South Dakota St* | 14-Valparaiso* | |
| Auburn Hills March 21-23 | Austin March 22-24 | |
| 6-Butler | 6-Colorado St | |
| 11-Kentucky | 11-Virginia | |
| 7-Colorado | 7-Illinois | |
| 10-Cinncinati | 10-Wichita St* | |
| Salt Lake City March 21-23 | Philadelphia March 22-24 | |
| 2-New Mexico* | 2-Georgetown* | |
| 15-Long Beach St* | 15-Robert Morris* |
*Indicate Conference Auto-Bid
Krueger’s Notes on the Bracket:
What a wild year. I drilled down and took a closer look at the entire field. The result is a slight change in some of the seeds. Gonzaga is so close to a one seed at this point. A Duke loss this weekend could move them up
Creighton is a 9 seed. They are a true 10 seed but got moved up one line due to seeding rules. Wichita St is still in solidly in the field at a 10 seed.
Last four in: Boise St, St. Mary’s, LaSalle, Temple
First four out: Tennessee, Mississippi, Baylor, Southern Mississippi.
Next four out: St. Johns,Iowa, Arizona St., Alabama