Bracketology Breakdown
Last Four In: Incarnate Word, Southeastern Louisiana, UC-Davis, Youngstown State
First Four Out: Wofford, Stony Brook, Albany, Tennessee-Martin
A horrific weekend for almost anybody in the lower part of the bracket, or the Top 25 for that matter. This week’s bracketology was a complete scrap and reboot from weeks before. Teams are moving in and out so fluidly, it’s almost like grazing free range livestock.
All of a sudden, the Colonial is down to three bids. And it’s not by the lack of strength of the conference, there are five other teams within two victories of potentially breaking back into the field. The overall depth of the Ohio Valley, Southland and virtually everyone in the Southern are roaming near the tree. In fact, think about this - if VMI, yes Virginia Military, had not lost an inexplicable game to Robert Morris, they would be in the field right now. The overall flux of the landscape right now makes for a legitimate shot at typical one-bid conferences, like the Big South, to position themselves for multiple bids come next month.
Teams who were highly touted in the preseason have inched closer or barely snuck into the bottom of the bracket: UC-Davis, Wofford, Eastern Washington. One such team, Colgate, has been all but eliminated. The prospects of the Patriot League champion having five or more losses seems a near lock. Another crazy year is unfolding before our eyes.
Bids By Conference
Big Sky (5): *Weber State, Montana, Montana State, Sacramento State, UC-Davis
Big South (1): *Kennesaw State
Colonial (3): *James Madison, Villanova, New Hampshire
Missouri Valley (5): *North Dakota State, South Dakota State, Illinois State, Northern Iowa, Youngstown State
Northeast (1): *Duquesne
Ohio Valley (2): *Austin Peay, Jacksonville State
Patriot (1): *Holy Cross
Pioneer (1): *San Diego
Southern (1): *Furman
Southland (4): *Nicholls, Central Arkansas, Incarnate Word, Southeastern Louisiana
* denotes projected conference automatic qualifier
