A topsy-turvy Saturday saw seven top 10 teams lose, including all of the top 6 (Gonzaga, Arizona, Auburn, Purdue, Kansas and Kentucky). How will this shake up the seed lines? What are some upcoming games to watch? Torey Jones has you covered. Meanwhile, Eric Brandt gives his prospect notes on a couple of players! If you didn’t read the first edition of our college basketball roundup, you can do so here!
- BRACKETOLOGY (by Torey Jones)
In our first article, I gave a detailed explanation of what Bracketology is, so if you haven’t read that, click here. My Bracketology is featured on Bracket Matrix, a website that compiles many different bracketologists from across the web and compiles their rankings into one easy to read format. At the end of the season, bracketologists are ranked based on the accuracy of their predictions.
With all the upsets on Saturday, Baylor has moved up to the 1 line! Xavier is our biggest faller, falling three spots to 11th. Check out some of the other rankings below:
Seed List / Ratings
1 – Gonzaga (99.0), Baylor (96.5), Kansas (95.0), Arizona (93.9)
2 – Auburn (93.7), Duke (93.6), Kentucky (93.5), Purdue (89.9)
3 – Tennessee (89.5), Villanova (89.3), Providence (88.6), Wisconsin (88.2)
4 – Texas Tech (87.0), Arkansas (84.0), Houston, (83.9), Illinois (82.8)
5 – UConn (82.8), UCLA (82.8), Texas (82.3), USC (81.5)
6 – Ohio State (81.3), Alabama (80.4), LSU (79.3), Saint Mary’s (79.3)
7 – Colorado State (74.8), Iowa (77.2), Michigan State (77.1), Iowa State (77.0)
8 – Murray State (76.6), Seton Hall (76.0), Boise State (75.4), Marquette (73.8)
9 – San Diego State (72.3), TCU (73.1), Wyoming (72.9), Wake Forest (72.7)
10 – North Carolina (72.6), Notre Dame (72.5), Davidson (72.4), San Francisco (71.4)
11 – Indiana (70.8), Miami (70.7), Xavier (70.7), Michigan (70.2), Creighton (69.7),
12 – North Texas (69.8), SMU (68.7), Memphis (68.4)
First 4 Out – Virginia Tech (67.9), Florida (66.5), VCU (66.4), Mississippi State (65.7)
Next 4 Out – BYU (64.8), Texas A&M (64.1), Oklahoma (63.8), Saint Bonaventure (63.6)
Automatic Qualifiers:
12 – Loyola Chicago (67.5), Iona (59.9)
13 – South Dakota State (59.1), New Mexico State (58.2), Chattanooga (57.3), Vermont (57.1)
14 – Towson (56.5), Toledo (55.1), Wagner (51.8), Princeton (51.1)
15 – Texas State (47.9), Longwood (45.1), Montana State (43.3), Norfolk State (42.6)
16 – Jacksonville State (41.1), Colgate (37.7), Cleveland State (37.2), Texas Southern (36.4), Long Beach State (36.2), Nicholls State (34.7)
- UPCOMING GAMES TO WATCH (by Torey Jones)
(21) TEXAS vs (3) BAYLOR | Monday, 6:00PM (PT) | ESPN
Prospects to Watch:
Kendall Brown (SF, Baylor)
Jeremy Sochan (PF, Baylor)
(10) WISCONSIN vs (8) PURDUE | Tuesday, 6:00PM (PT) | ESPN
Prospects to Watch:
Johnny Davis (SG, Wisconsin)
Jaden Ivey (SG, Purdue)
Trevion Williams (C, Purdue)
(16) USC vs (2) ARIZONA | Tuesday, 8:00PM (PT) | ESPN
Prospects to Watch:
Bennedict Mathurin (SG, Arizona)
Christian Koloko (C, Arizona)
Isaiah Mobley (PF, USC)
(14) ARKANSAS vs LSU | Wednesday, 6:00PM (PT) | ESPN2
Prospects to Watch:
Tari Eason (SF, LSU)
Jaylin Williams (PF, Arkansas)
JD Notae (PG, Arkansas)
- PROSPECT NOTES (by Eric Brandt)
Paolo Banchero (PF, Duke)
Draft Range: Top 4
Notes: Duke has won 6 games in a row and a big reason for that is Banchero’s improved playmaking. During those 6 games Banchero is averaging 4.5 assists per game, including a 9 assist game against Syracuse on Saturday. By showing he’s more than just a scorer, Banchero fits in just about any kind of offensive system. His defense has been much improved as the season has gone on as well. It’s gotten to the point where he isn’t a liability when switched unto guards on the perimeter. The development in those two aspects of his game leaves his only serious question mark being his three point shooting. Banchero is currently shooting 30.9% from three on the season. If he shows any sort of progress in shooting from long range, he could find himself back in the conversation for the #1 overall pick.
Chet Holmgren (PF, Gonzaga)
Draft Range: Top 4
Notes: Holmgren has put up one of the more impressive efficiency stat lines that a seven footer has ever done at the college level. With a true shooting percentage of 71.3% on 72.7% shooting from two pointers and 43.8% from three point land, he’s proven he can flat out shoot and score the ball. The knock on Holmgren will continue to be his weight and strength. Saturday’s loss to Saint Mary’s did not help to squash those concerns, as Holmgren was pushed around in the post by the 6’10”, 245 pound Matthias Tass. Holmgren needs to show over the course of the rest of the season that this game was just an outlier. He has by far the most unique skill set of any player in this draft if he is able to add the needed bulk and strength to compete at the next level.
