The Big East Still Reigns Supreme

Coming into this season, many considered it to be a rebuilding year for the Big East. Instead, the Big East claimed a record ten spots in this week's bracket, including five of the top 12. More people were likely to pick yellow and orange as their favorite Starburst before they would've chosen Connecticut or Notre Dame to battle for a Big East title this season.

But heading into the start of conference play, here's the new bracket as well as some things to look for the rest of the season.

2011 Bracketology (Jan. 10, 2011)

Predicted conference winners will be noted with ALL CAPS and an asterik (*).

SOUTHEAST (New Orleans)	WEST (Anaheim)
Washington D.C.	Cleveland
(1) SYRACUSE*	(1) OHIO ST.*
(16) WAGNER* vs. BELMONT*	(16) FLORIDA ATLANTIC*
(8) North Carolina	(8) Louisville
(9) ST. MARY’S*	(9) Georgia
Denver	Tampa Bay
(5) Florida	(5) Texas A&M
(12) OAKLAND*	(12) Washington St.
(4) Missouri	(4) Georgetown
(13) VERMONT*	(13) Miami (FL) vs. UTAH ST.*
Chicago	Tulsa
(6) Kansas St.	(6) TEMPLE*
(11) Boston College	(11) Cincinnati
(3) Villanova	(3) Texas
(14) SAM HOUSTON ST.*	(14) AUSTIN PEAY*
Tucson	Chicago
(7) West Virginia	(7) Wisconsin
(10) Old Dominion	(10) Oklahoma St.
(2) SAN DIEGO ST.*	(2) Notre Dame
(15) HAMPTON*	(15) COASTAL CAROLINA*
SOUTHWEST (San Antonio)	EAST (Newark)
Tulsa	Charlotte
(1) KANSAS*	(1) DUKE*
(16) FAIRFIELD* vs. JACKSON ST.*	(16) NORTHERN COLORADO*
(8) St. John’s	(8) Minnesota
(9) Arizona	(9) Gonzaga
Tucson	Tampa Bay
(5) CENTRAL FLORIDA*	(5) Purdue
(12) Richmond	(12) USC vs. Memphis
(4) Illinois	(4) Tennessee
(13) CHARLESTON*	(13) HOFSTRA*
Charlotte	Denver
(6) UNLV	(6) WASHINGTON*
(11) Baylor	(11) BUTLER*
(3) KENTUCKY*	(3) BYU
(14) LONG BEACH ST.*	(14) AKRON*
Cleveland	Washington D.C.
(7) Michigan St.	(7) Vanderbilt
(10) MISSOURI ST.*	(10) Virginia Tech
(2) Pittsburgh	(2) Connecticut
(15) HARVARD*	(15) AMERICAN*

LAST FOUR IN: USC, Richmond, Memphis, Miami (FL)

FIRST FOUR OUT: Florida St., Marquette, Wichita St., Dayton

NEXT FOUR OUT: UCLA, VCU, Michigan, Xavier

Teams Ahead of Schedule for the NCAA Tournament

Over the past couple of years, the Mountain West Conference has deservedly seen multiple teams dance come tournament time. This year, the MWC may have two teams finish in the Top 10. San Diego St. and BYU combined have lost one game so far this season. Both teams also earned three impressive non-conference victories. San Diego St. took down Gonzaga on the road, as well as St. Mary's and Wichita St. The BYU Cougars notched wins over Arizona, St. Mary's and Utah St (and they already won at UNLV). Unless Jimmer Fredette tries to get a discounted tattoo or the entire San Diego St. team sells their jerseys, it's probably a safe bet both will finish the regular season in the Top 10.

St. John's and Cincinnati are two more teams from the Big East off to unexpected starts. While the Bearcats finally suffered their first loss of the season (on the road to Villanova), wins over Dayton and Xavier will give Cincinnati some extra breathing room if those two schools can get things turned around. Meanwhile, Steve Lavin and his extra greasy hair appear to be just what the doctor ordered in New York. Lavin's team won their first three Big East games, including upsets over Georgetown and West Virginia (in Morgantown). Even though Lavin's hair looks as oily as a Jersey Shore smush session (new season started on Thursday and Sammi's already annoying. I'm shocked.), St. John's has turned Madison Square Garden into a real college basketball stadium in January and February.

The final nod goes to mid-major constant Old Dominion. The Monarchs picked up wins against Clemson and what seems like the entire Atlantic-10 (really it was just Xavier, Richmond and Dayton). ODU was also a three-pointer away from knocking off Georgetown. While they dropped their conference opener at Delaware, Old Dominion should be in good shape to lock up an at-large bid (if need be) with a decent showing in the Colonial.

Teams Failing to Live Up to High Expectations (The Kwame Brown Category)

You could write a book about the terrible play of the ACC so far, but I'll try to limit it to a paragraph. There really are not enough adjectives to describe just how bad it has been (although my favorites are deplorable and hopeless). And the worst part is now that conference play started, everyone's just going to beat each other up and finish 9-7 or 8-8 - except for Wake Forest and Georgia Tech - while Duke strolls to an undefeated regular season. One can only imagine who Seth Greenberg blames this year if Virginia Tech doesn't make the tournament. My money's on Barack Obama or the BCS. Neither make any sense, but if Gwyneth Paltrow can sing a Cee-Lo Green song and Vince Vaughn can keep playing the same character in his movies over and over again, clearly there is nothing holding Greenberg back.

Michigan St. was the popular pick to challenge Duke coming into this season. While Sparty & Co. put up a valiant effort at Cameron Indoor, they fell short (and never quite got back up). Tom Izzo's group has already lost five games this year, most recently against Penn St. Yes, Penn St. still does in fact have a basketball team. The Big Ten schedule will offer plenty of opportunities for redemption, but the Spartans better not wait too long or they'll end up with an uphill road come the Big Dance.

One of the best things about the NCAA Tournament is all the upsets. No one can ever predict who the Cinderella is going to be (I really would've appreciated a heads-up from Ohio before last year's tournament). Unfortunately, this is looking like an off-year for the mid-majors. The Mountain West's top three teams are off to a great start, but they may not get a fourth bid if New Mexico doesn't get hot quickly. Both the Missouri Valley and the Colonial have been multi-bid leagues in the past, but there's a chance only the conference tournament winners make it this year. Even Memphis is rebuilding with only one notable non-conference win to speak of - and it was against Miami (FL). Hopefully some teams start making some moves, or else the mid-majors are going to be lonelier than Jake Gyllenhaal when Selection Sunday arrives (and I'm sorry but I'm still laughing about that picture so it was a must).

Three Random Predictions for March

1. Central Florida will be the second-highest seeded Florida team in the tournament.

I know it's not exactly a Keanu Reeves-esque leap, but it's still unexpected. The Knights already beat Florida and Miami (FL) in the non-conference, and Marcus Jordan is better than most people expected (and can do more than just dunk). Don't expect the Knights to hold on to a five seed as seen above, and the loss at Houston won't help their chances. But if they can manage a split with Memphis and a decent conference run, UCF should be a lock for the tournament.

2. Washington will finish the regular season in the Top 10.

I'm a big fan of the Huskies. Isaiah Thomas and Abdul Gaddy are getting things going with a 4-0 conference start. Washington already got wins on the road against both L.A. schools (USC and UCLA). If the Huskies can sweep their last three games - a homestand against Washington St., UCLA and USC, they will carry plenty of momentum with them into the NCAAs. The only risk: I have about as much faith in Lorenzo Romar as I do in David Akers these days.

3. Kentucky and John Calipari get knocked out of the tournament early.

With Kanter being permanently ruled ineligible, all of a sudden Kentucky looks real vulnerable inside. While they may not get too tested against SEC teams that rely on perimeter scoring, the wrong matchup (say a Wisconsin or UNLV) could give Calipari a reason to sweat in Lexington. I'm sure Tubby Smith will be feeling nothing but sympathy up in Minnesota. But watching Calipari get booed by his own fans would be more rewarding than getting to watch Paul Walker get repeatedly punched in the face.

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