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Bracket Watch

Win over Cowboys has KU on track for No. 1 seed

Posted: Monday February 28, 2005 1:41PM; Updated: Monday February 28, 2005 4:13PM
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The following projections were made as if Feb. 27 were Selection Sunday. No attempts were made to predict future results. For the smaller conferences, the regular season champion or current first-place team received the automatic bid. In the event of ties, head-to-head competition was used as the tiebreaker, or, if the teams split head-to-head, then RPI ranking. All RPI data came from CollegeRPI.com.

PROJECTED NCAA TOURNAMENT SEEDINGS
Syracuse Chicago Austin Albuquerque
1
North Carolina (24-3)*		 1
Illinois (28-0)*		 1
Kansas (21-4)*		 1
BC (23-2)*
       Kansas' (No. 1 RPI) comeback win over Oklahoma State averted a slide to the No. 2-row.
2
Oklahoma St. (20-5)		 2
Duke (21-4)		 2
Kentucky (22-3)*		 2
Wake Forest (24-4)
       Kentucky's big road win at Alabama should help keep it among the top two seeds.
3
Gonzaga (22-4)* 		3
Syracuse (24-5)		 3
Arizona (24-5)		 3
Washington (23-4)*
       Arizona or Washington could still move up if one of the two wins the Pac-10 tournament.
4
Michigan St. (20-5)		 4
Louisville (24-4)*		 4
Connecticut (19-6)		 4
Alabama (21-6)
       The Huskies have won seven of their last eight to move up from what was once a No. 6- or 7-seed.
5
Cincinnati (22-6)		 5
Utah (24-4)*		 5
Wisconsin (18-7)		 5
Charlotte (21-4)
       Charlotte has a chance to win C-USA and usurp both Louisville and Cincy if it beats the Cardinals.
6
Villanova (19-6)		 6
LSU (17-8)		 6
Pacific (23-2)*		 6
Oklahoma (21-6)
       Thanks to a last-second tip-in against Alabama, the Tigers have officially graduated from bubble status.
7
Florida (18-7)		 7
Texas Tech (17-8)		 7
Pittsburgh (18-7)		 7
Southern Ill. (23-6)*
       The slumping Panthers (three losses in a row) better be careful -- their RPI is a dreadful 64th.
8 Bubble Team

Notre Dame (16-9)		 8
Mississippi St. (20-8)		 8
DePaul (18-7)		 8 Bubble Team

Texas (19-7)
       The depleted 'Horns have won four of five, but must finish with the Oklahoma schools.
9 Bubble Team

Iowa St. (15-10)		 9 Bubble Team

UCLA (16-9)		 9 Bubble Team

Maryland (16-10)		 9
Nevada (22-5)*
       Losses to Texas A&M and Nebraska dropped the Cyclones all the way to a dangerous 79th in the RPI.
10 Bubble Team

Stanford (16-10)		 10 Bubble Team

St. Mary's (24-7)		 10 Bubble Team

Georgia Tech (16-9)		 10 Bubble Team

G. Washington (18-6)
       After a near upset of Duke, the Yellow Jackets got a much-needed road win at fellow bubble team Miami.
11
Miami of Ohio (17-8)*		 11

Vermont (21-6)*		 11 Bubble Team

UTEP (23-7)		 11 Bubble Team

West Virginia (18-8)
       The once-forgotten Mountaineers completed a sweep of Pittsburgh and have won at LSU and N.C. State.
12 Bubble Team

Northern Iowa (20-9)		 12 Bubble Team

Georgetown (16-9)		 12 Bubble Team

Wichita St. (19-7)		 12 Bubble Team

Minnesota (19-9)
       The MVC, home of Northern Iowa and Wichita State, could send as many as four and as few as one.
13

Holy Cross (22-5)*		 13

Old Dominion (25-5)*		 13

St. Joe's (15-10)*		 13

UW-Milwaukee (22-5)*
       How badly did John Bryant's controversial injury affect St. Joe's? They lost to 5-20 Rhode Island.
14

Winthrop (24-5)*		 14

Oral Roberts (22-6)* 		14

Davidson (20-7)*		 14

PENN (17-8)*
       With no conference tourney in the Ivy League, the Quakers have sealed the first invite.
15

SE Louisiana (20-7)*		 15

Denver (18-9)*		 15

Niagara (18-9)*		 15

Portland St. (19-8)*
       A loss to Rider cost Niagara an outright MAAC title, but it has the top seed in the league tourney.
16

Coppin St (13-13)*/
Ala. A&M (14-11)*		 16

Gard.-Webb (14-11)*		 16

Tenn. Tech (17-10)*		 16

F. Dickinson (17-11)*
Their bubbles burst
Miami (16-10)
The once-solid 'Canes have lost seven of their last 11 to fall to 7-8 in the ACC.

Marquette (17-9)
Without Travis Diener, the Eagles (6-8 in C-USA, 1-4 vs. RPI top 25) barely stand a chance.

Creighton (19-10)
The Bluejays actually swept Wichita State and Northern Iowa but are much lower (78) in the RPI.

Texas A&M (18-7)
The Aggies have several good wins (Texas, Texas Tech, Iowa State), but none were on the road.

Others considered: Buffalo (18-7), New Mexico (21-6), Houston (18-10), Indiana (14-11) and N.C. State (16-11).

* Denotes projected automatic berth. Teams in CAPS have clinched automatic berth.

SI.com's Bracket Watch will be updated weekly between now and Selection Sunday.
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