My weekly bracketology post is up over at SB Nation. Ohio State remains number one overall, despite their Saturday afternoon loss at Wisconsin, while Kansas drops down to the two line after Kansas State handled them on Monday evening in Manhattan. Duke rises up to replace the Jayhawks on the top line, while Texas and Pittsburgh remain on the top line.
Here's the link to the full bracket, and one for the seed list.
Due to time constraints, I've decided to stop publishing team profiles for now, though I may bring them back for the final pre-Championship Week bracket on March 1st. (I was always going to stop them for the final week of the season just because I'll be updating the bracket far more frequently then.)
However, I will be updating my S-curve here on the blog on most mornings when a bracket or Bubble Watch isn't published, as events warrant. That means you'll see up-to-date seedings here on most Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday mornings between now and the end of the season. Be sure to follow my Twitter feed for links to these posts when they're published.
One piece of 2011 early season tournament news broke yesterday, as Texas A&M announced its withdrawal from the Christmas week Diamond Head Classic, citing a potential early start date for the expanded 18-game double round-robin Big 12 schedule. That means ESPN needs to find three teams to complete a field that retains Clemson, Long Beach State, UTEP, Xavier, and the host Hawai'i.
After the jump, a look at Tuesday's TV schedule, which is highlighted by a significant bubble game in the ACC and a key clash at the top of the CAA.
Early Evening (ET)
HD TV: George Mason Patriots at Va. Commonwealth Rams, ESPNU (7 p.m. ET)
It's a top of the table clash in the CAA, as first place George Mason visits second place VCU with the top seed in next month's CAA tournament likely on the line. (This is the only regular season meeting between the two, thanks to the unbalanced CAA schedule.) The Patriots have sneakily become one of the most efficient teams in the country on both ends of the court, which means the Rams are at risk of dropping their second in a row at home, especially if they start as slowly as they did against Old Dominion on Saturday.
KenPom.com prediction: Patriots 73-68, 66 poss.
SD TV: Maryland Terrapins at Virginia Tech Hokies, ACC Network/TheACC.com (ACC territory) or ESPN3/Full Court (elsewhere) (8 p.m. ET)
The Hokies beat the Terps like a drum in College Park back on January 20th, winning by 17, never really giving Maryland a chance. This one is a must-win for Maryland, particularly after their loss in Chestnut Hill on Saturday afternoon. Though a victory over Virginia Tech (No. 66 in the RPI) would not give the Terrapins a needed top 50 win, it would be a win over another bubble team and a nice boost.
KenPom.com prediction: Hokies 67-65, 69 poss.
Laptop: Mississippi St. Bulldogs at Kentucky Wildcats, ESPN/ESPN3 (7 p.m. ET)
ESPN is billing this as a rematch of last year's epic SEC Tournament final, which is all well and good, except for the fact that the Wildcats' roster is radically different and the Bulldogs are even more inconsistent than they were last season (you likely missed the news that they lost to Auburn on Saturday). Actually, if this one were in Starkville, I'd like Miss. State's chances, but it's not.
KenPom.com prediction: Wildcats 83-60, 69 poss.
Late Evening (ET)
HD TV: St. John's Red Storm at Marquette Golden Eagles, ESPNU (9 p.m. ET)
The Red Storm picked up two important wins last week, beating UConn at the Garden and Cincinnati on the road, and they'll look to keep up that momentum in Milwaukee, where the Golden Eagles have lost only once all season (to the Huskies). As for Marquette, they'll be happy to be home after they picked up two losses on their three-game road trip.
KenPom.com prediction: Golden Eagles 75-68, 68 poss.
SD TV: Michigan St. Spartans at Ohio St. Buckeyes, ESPN (9 p.m. ET)
The Spartans, the very last team in my projection this week, can improve their lot by knocking off the Buckeyes in Columbus. As for Ohio State, a second consecutive loss, especially to a team struggling as much as Sparty, could really damage their chances at a top seed (for now).
KenPom.com prediction: Buckeyes 76-60, 65 poss.
Bonus Pick: Air Force Falcons at UNLV Runnin' Rebels, The Mtn. (10:30 p.m. ET)
The Rebels' position isn't as secure as you'd think, thanks to a 1-5 mark against the other bid contenders in the league (with that triumph coming at home against New Mexico), so they can't afford a loss to an improved Air Force team, even though that shouldn't be a concern at the Thomas & Mack. UNLV topped the Falcons by 12 at Clune Arena a month ago.
KenPom.com prediction: Runnin' Rebels 70-57, 61 poss.
Visit Matt Sarz's College Sports on TV site for broadcast information for the rest of the Tuesday night slate. Another good resource is the schedule page at BB State.
Please share your thoughts about tonight's action in the comments, after you sign up for a free SB Nation account, of course.
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