October 18th Bracket Breakdown

ACC (6)

In — North Carolina, Duke, Boston College, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Virginia

Worth a mention — Virginia Tech, Clemson, Maryland

With the exception of North Carolina, and possibly Duke, the ACC won’t have too many great teams this year, but the league should have pretty solid depth. Florida State, led by the underrated Al Thornton, should be back in the Tournament for the first time in nine seasons. Virginia has its top eight players back from a team that surprised with a 7–9 ACC record last season under first-year head coach Dave Leitao. The Cavs boast arguably the best backcourt in the nation in Sean Singletary and J.R. Reynolds, and the frontcourt should be improved thanks to an influx of big bodies.

America East (1)

In — Albany

The Great Danes, who led UConn by 12 with 12 minutes to play in the first round of last year’s NCAA Tournament, return AE Player of the Year Jamar Wilson.

Check out our preseason bracket, with our projected seedings and matchups.

Atlantic-10 (1)

In — Xavier

Worth a mention — George Washington, UMass, Saint Louis, Charlotte

Xavier looks to be the class of the league, but there are a bunch of other teams that could be fighting for a potential second bid. UMass should be interesting in Travis Ford’s second season. The Minutemen return four starters and welcome in three four-year transfers.

Atlantic Sun (1)

In — Belmont

Nashville is home to the two top teams in the A-Sun. Belmont and Lipscomb tied for the regular-season title last year, with the Bruins securing the league’s automatic bid with an overtime win over the Bisons in the tournament title game. It should come down to these two former bitter NAIA rivals once again.

Big Ten (5)

In — Ohio State, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan State, Michigan

Worth a mention — Purdue, Indiana, Penn State, Iowa

There’s no denying that Big Ten will not be as strong this season. The league lost 13 of the 16 players named to the coaches’ All-Big Ten team last year, including four first-teamers and all five second-teamers. Ohio State and Wisconsin are clearly the two most talented teams in the conference. After coming oh-so-close a year ago, Michigan should finally punch its first tourney ticket in the Tommy Amaker era. Purdue should be much improved, and watch out for Penn State, a possible sleeper.  

Big 12 (5)

In — Kansas, Texas A&M, Texas, Oklahoma State, Kansas State

Worth a mention — Texas Tech, Baylor, Oklahoma

Kansas, with star power at every spot, is poised for a run at the national title. Texas A&M boasts two of the top players in the league in Joseph Jones and Acie Law, who form a devastating inside-out combination. Kansas State will be intriguing with Bob Huggins roaming the sidelines. Baylor continues to improve under Scott Drew, but the Bears aren’t quite ready for primetime. 

Big East (8)

In — Pittsburgh, Georgetown, UConn, Marquette, Villanova, Louisville, Syracuse, DePaul

Worth a mention — St. John’s, Notre Dame

The Big East might not have as many Top 10-caliber teams as usual, but the league has solid depth, with teams like Louisville, Syracuse and DePaul all capable of making a nice run in March. UConn is painfully young, but Jim Calhoun has tons of talent and is excited about his team’s potential.

Big Sky (1)

In — Montana

The two-time defending Big Sky Tournament champs will be without head coach Larry Krystkowiak, who bolted for a position as an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Big South (1)

In — Winthrop

Highly successful coach Gregg Marshall is back in Rock Hill after temporarily accepting the job at the College of Charleston. Marshall welcomes back four starters from a team that took No. 2 seed Tennessee to the wire in the first round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament.

Big West (1)

In — UC Irvine

The Anteaters lost their top two scorers, but Pat Douglass expects big things from transfer guards Marcus McIntosh (Texas A&M) and Chuma Awaji (junior college).

Colonial (2)

In — Hofstra, George Mason

Worth a mention — Drexel, VCU

The Colonial isn’t likely to send a team to the Final Four again, but Hofstra, led by its outstanding backcourt, could do some damage in March. George Mason lost its top three scorers, but the Patriots should have enough firepower to get back into the Field of 65.

Conference USA (2)

In — Memphis, Houston

Worth a mention — UAB, Rice

Memphis will dominate the league despite the loss of its top three scorers. John Calipari is recruiting at such a high level, it’s hard to imagine the Tigers not winning the C-USA title every season. Houston suffered a blow when Lanny Smith went down with a broken bone in his toe. He is expected to sit out the season as a medical redshirt. Rice boasts the best player in the league in senior swingman Maurice Almond.

Horizon (1)

In — Loyola

The Horizon League is wide open. Loyola, which returns four starters, including Player of the Year candidate Blake Schilb, appears ready to take a big step forward.

Ivy (1)

In — Penn

Longtime coach Fran Dunphy is gone to Temple, but the Quakers still have the most talented roster in the league. Former Brown head coach Glen Miller will lean on reigning Player of the Year, guard Ibrahim Jaabar.

MAAC (1)

In — Marist

The Red Foxes will be led by the league’s finest backcourt, Jared Jordan and Willi Whittington. Jordan averaged 16.1 points and led the nation in assists at 8.5 per game last year.

MAC (1)

In — Akron

Worth a mention — Toledo, Kent State

The MAC has not sent more than one team to the NCAA Tournament since 1999, and it’s looking like a one-bid league once again. Player of the Year candidate Romeo Travis headlines a talented Akron club that is poised to unseat Kent State atop the MAC East standings.

MEAC (1)

In — Delaware State

The Hornets should dominate the MEAC, thanks to the return of all five starters and the addition of Cincinnati transfer Roy Bright. A perfect conference record is not out of the question.

Mid-Continent (1)

In — Oral Roberts

The defending Mid-Con Tournament champs boast a potent one-two punch in forward Caleb Green, a two-time honorable mention All-American, and guard Ken Tutt.

Missouri Valley (3)

In — Southern Illinois, Creighton, Wichita State

Worth a mention — Missouri State, Northern Iowa

The Valley made headlines last year by sending four teams to the NCAA Tournament. It wasn’t a fluke. This is a talented league, with good players, solid coaches and some underrated venues. Southern Illinois, which returns all five starters, and Creighton are legitimate Top 25 teams, while Wichita State isn’t far behind.

Mountain West (3)

In — San Diego State, Air Force, BYU

Worth a mention — New Mexico, Utah, UNLV

The MWC is on the upswing after struggling through some down years. If the league sends only three teams to the NCAA Tournament, there will be some pretty good clubs in the NIT. Two transfers will help the cause of two MWC bubble teams — J.R. Giddens at New Mexico (from Kansas) and Kevin Kruger at UNLV (from Arizona State).

Northeast (1)

In — Monmouth

The top two scorers return from a team that won the NCAA play-in game against Hampton before falling to Villanova. The Hawks are gunning for their third Tournament berth in four seasons.

OVC (1)

In — Samford

The 2005-06 OVC Player of the Year J. Robert Merritt is gone, but four other starters return from the defending regular-season champs.

Pac-10 (4)

In — UCLA, Arizona, Washington, Oregon

Worth a mention — USC, Cal

UCLA and Arizona are good enough to make a run at the Final Four. Washington is very young but very talented. Freshman Spencer Hawes, when he returns from a knee injury, will be one of the top players in the league. Oregon has had the talent to be a first-division team but has underachieved in recent years. Cal could surprise, even without Leon Powe ripping down rebounds in the paint. DeVon Hardin could emerge as one of the better players in the league.

Patriot League (1)

In — Bucknell

The Bison are missing some key components from a team that rolled through the Patriot League with a 14–0 record, but they are still the class of the conference. This program has won a first-round NCAA Tournament game in each of the past two seasons.

SEC (6)

In — Florida, Alabama, LSU, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi State

Worth a mention — Arkansas, Georgia, Vanderbilt

The SEC boasts three of the top teams in the nation — Florida, Alabama and LSU — and a couple of other clubs capable of making a nice run in March. Mississippi State had its streak of four straight NCAA Tournament appearances end last season, but the Bulldogs should be in position to earn a bid this season. Guard Jamont Gordon and power forward Charles Rhodes give MSU one of the league’s top inside-out tandems.

Southern (1)

In — College of Charleston

Bobby Cremins is back on the sidelines, and he should be back in the NCAA Tournament, as well. He inherits a talented roster that features a big-time scoring guard in senior Dontaye Draper.

Southland (1)

In — Sam Houston State

The Bearkats won’t be the biggest team in the league, but Bob Marlin’s club has four returning starters and a deep bench. Point guard Jejuan Plair is a preseason Player of the Year candidate.

Sun Belt (1)

In — Western Kentucky

The Hilltoppers won the regular season title with a 12–2 record but got bounced in the Sun Belt tourney by upstart South Alabama. Western returns eight players who were part of the rotation last year, none more important than Courtney Lee, who averaged 17.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.

SWAC (1)

In — Jackson State

The Tigers are the league favorites due largely to the return of guard Trey Johnson, who averaged 23.5 points per game, good for 10th in the nation.

WAC (1)

In — Nevada

Worth a mention — New Mexico State, Utah State

Nick Fazekas’ decision to return to school for his senior season makes Nevada the overwhelming favorite in the WAC. But the Pack are far from a one-man show. Swingman Marcellus Kemp (15.0 ppg) gives Mark Fox’s club another scorer; Kyle Shiloh provides defense on the perimeter; and Ramon Sessions, assuming he can stay healthy, will be one of the WAC’s top point guards. New Mexico State adds four four-year transfers to a solid nucleus that features guard Elijah Ingram and forward Tyrone Nelson.

WCC (1)

In — Gonzaga

Worth a mention — Loyola Marymount, San Francisco

Adam Morrison and J.P. Batista might be gone, but don’t expect Gonzaga to relinquish its spot atop the WCC standings. Mark Few expects a big season from point guard Derek Raivio, who struggled with a back injury last year. Micah Downs, a transfer from Kansas, becomes eligible in December. 

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