Don’t let anyone say that college basketball season just starts this weekend.
Anyone who has not followed the first few months has missed a lot – Titanic games between the two best teams in the sport, coaches on outs and setbacks for some dynastic programs.
But now it’s Mars, and everyone is in full NCAA tournament mode. With a console just eight days away, here are three questions that we still need to sort during the last weekend of the regular season and conference tournament week.
Who will keep the fourth No. 1 seed?
This should be our most simple answer. In the Committee’s hollow bracket, a month ago revealed, they gave top seeds to Auburn, Duke, Alabama and Florida, and I claimed everyone slept at Houston. Fast flushing until today, and Kelvin Sampson’s steam roller has become consensus third no. 1 seed with Auburn and Duke.
Alabama, Tennessee and Florida have all shaken for No. 1 seed consideration, but the streets have the worst case. They are No. 4 in the network (Vols and Crimson Tide is just behind Nos. 5 and 6); They have the most victories and the smallest losses of this trio; And they just pulled out an exciting 99-94-head-to-head victory over Alabama on Wednesday after sharing two matches with Tennessee during the winter. The tide has dropped four out of six, and Vols is also starting to show some cracks.
Suppose Auburn occupies the southern region, Duke is going east and Houston goes to the Midwest, which means Florida flies out to western regional in San Francisco – where coach Todd Golden previously led Dons.
Can Indiana still sneak into the field?
February 23, 2025; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosier’s head coach Mike Woodson responds to a game during the second half against Purdue Boilermakers in Simon SkiDt Assembly Hall. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Immagn images Hoosier’s fans have tired of Mike Woodson for some time now, and after a series of losses in January and February, Indiana announced that Woodson would resign at the end of the season. Almost immediately, Hoosiers began winning again, including big over Michigan State and Purdue. It would be extremely fun if Indiana does the NCAA tournament now and maybe win a game or two.
They are one of the last teams in the field of Joe Lunardi’s ESPN projection, and it’s hard not to see Saturday’s regular season final against Ohio State as a play-in game. The winner ends the ninth in the Big Ten position, and Indiana would complete a seasonal sweep with a victory. Hoosiers are 20 places behind Ohio State in the net but have no losses outside quadrant 1 on their resume.
What is the right seed for disappointment Kansas, Uconn and Gonzaga?
March 5, 2025; Storrs, Connecticut, USA; Uconn Huskies forward Alex Karaban (11) reacts after defeating Marquette Golden Eagles at Harry A. Gambel Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II I-IMAGN PICTURES Funny fact: These three programs ranked in the six best of the Associated Press Press Season survey, and all disappeared from the ranking at the end of February. They will all do the tournament, but not in the upper crust that we are used to.
Take Kansas. The Jayhawks have been a top-four seed in each individual NCAA tournament since 2001, before the Bill self-era even started. They have played as mediocre basketball as that trend will surely end on Sunday. Over at Bracket Matrix predicts the average of 103 recent hollow consoles Kansas, Uconn and Gonzaga as No. 8 seeds.
If nothing else, it can create some very interesting matches in the second round with some nervous No. 1 seeds, if only because of brands on the sub-dogs’ sweaters and their experienced coaches.
