February 12th Bracket Breakdown

Jason King's February 12th National Notebook

Past Brackets:
Feb. 5th Bracket
Jan. 3rd Bracket
Preseason Bracket

ACC (8)
In: Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech

Worth a mention: Georgia Tech

Notes: Maryland is living on the edge. The Terps were ‘out’ after losing to Virginia at home on Tuesday, but they snuck back into the field with a win over Duke Sunday. (Not that beating Duke is anything special nowadays.) The key game for Maryland is this Wednesday’s clash at NC State. It’s a winnable road game, and the Terps (1–4 on the road in the ACC) need to show the Committee they can win away from home. Georgia Tech is back in the picture with a 16-8 overall mark and a 4–6 league record. The Jackets have some good non-conference wins (Memphis and Purdue in Hawaii) and Georgia at home, but they must win on the road going down the stretch.

America East (1)
In: Vermont

Atlantic 10 (1)
In: Xavier
Worth a mention: UMass, George Washington, Rhode Island

Notes: UMass was oh-so-close to sneaking in as one of the final at-large teams — until Sunday’s loss to Temple. George Washington has lost three straight, including a 29-point beating from Xavier in D.C. over the weekend. 

Atlantic Sun (1)
In: ETSU

Big 12 (5)
In: Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M

Worth a mention: Oklahoma, Texas Tech

Notes: Could a team have endured a more painful week than Texas Tech? First, the Red Raiders lost at home to Nebraska on a 3-pointer at the buzzer, then they blow a big lead in overtime en route to a 93–91 double-overtime setback at Oklahoma State. It’s hard to ignore Oklahoma’s 6–4 Big 12 record, but it’s also hard to find many quality wins on the Sooners’ resume. Their best non-conference win was over Tulsa, which is 5–5 in Conference USA and has an RPI of 126.

Big East (6)
In: Georgetown, Marquette, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Villanova

Worth a mention: Louisville, Syracuse, Providence

Notes: West Virginia played its way into the field with its win over UCLA at home over the weekend. Providence was one of the last teams out, but the guess here is that the Friars will end up in the Tournament. They have been playing well of late (even in their losses), and they have a favorable closing schedule. Louisville has a nice 7–4 record in Big East play but a not-so-nice 0–5 mark against top 50 RPI teams. 

Big Sky (1)
In: Weber State

Big South (1)
In: Winthrop

Big Ten (4)
In: Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, Wisconsin

Worth a mention: Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, Iowa

Notes: Michigan State is on the outside looking in thanks to a four-game losing streak that includes a 62–38 loss to Purdue. The Spartans do have four of their final six at home, but they still have to play Wisconsin twice. That could be good or bad. Purdue is real close, and Matt Painter’s club has a very kind closing schedule — three of five at home, including Minnesota and Northwestern to end the season.

Big West (1)
In: Long Beach State

Colonial (1)
In: VCU
Worth a mention: Hofstra, Drexel, Old Dominion

Notes: Hofstra’s rough start — losses to Charlotte, Manhattan and Hawaii — will likely cost it a bid. The Pride are good enough to play in the Tournament, but their resume might not be Tournament-worthy.

Conference USA (1)
In: Memphis

Horizon (1)
In: Butler

Ivy (1)
In: Penn

MAAC (1)
In: Marist

MAC (1)
In: Toledo

Mid-Continent (1)
In: Oral Roberts

MEAC (1)
In: Delaware State

MVC (3)
In: Creighton, Missouri State, Southern Illinois
Worth a mention: Bradley, Wichita State, Northern Iowa

Notes: The Valley picture is pretty clear right now. Southern Illinois, Creighton and Missouri State are comfortably in, with Bradley on the outside looking in. The Braves have a decent RPI (48), but they have a lot of losses (10) and not enough quality wins. 

MWC (3)
In: Air Force, BYU, UNLV

Notes: The Mountain West, like the Valley, should be a three-bid league. BYU has surged ahead of Air Force atop the league standings and has secured a spot (for now) into the field of 65.

Northeast (1)
In: Central Conn.

OVC (1)
In: Austin Peay

Pac-10 (6)
In: Arizona, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Washington State 
Worth a mention: Washington

Notes: Washington is back in the picture, but the Huskies don’t have much going for them other than their near-.500 (6–7) record in league play. They do, however, have a tough closing schedule, which gives them plenty of opportunities for some quality wins. A victory at Pittsburgh Saturday would be huge.

Patriot (1)
In: Holy Cross

SEC: (7)
In: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Vanderbilt
Worth a mention: Ole Miss

Notes: Georgia and Arkansas were among the very last teams in the field. The Bulldogs have their flaws (only 13 wins, 3–7 vs. Top 50), but it is too hard to ignore a 6–5 record in the very tough SEC East. Arkansas lost a tough game at LSU over the weekend, but the Razorbacks are still on the inside. Their early season wins over Southern Illinois and West Virginia have really helped their resume.

Southern (1)
In: Davidson

Worth a mention: Appalachian State

Notes: The Southern Conference will be a one-bid league, but Appalachian State (14–5, 53 RPI) deserves a mention — thus, its appearance in ‘worth a mention.’

Southland (1)
In: Texas A&M – CC

Sun Belt (1)
In: South Alabama

SWAC (1)
In: Jackson State

WAC (1)
In: Nevada

Worth a mention: New Mexico State

Notes: After losing two conference games last week, New Mexico State must now win the WAC Tournament to make the field. 

WCC (1)
In: Gonzaga