…In the Atlantic 10 that is. Saint Louis has set itself apart in the league that’s having a great year nationally.
The Billikens have been rolling since starting the season 3-3. They’ve swept Butler in league play and absolutely destroyed Virginia Commonwealth last week. Those results are even more surprising when you take into account that it’s all being donw for an interim coach.
Former head coach Rick Majerus passed away on Dec. 1 yet the Billikens have only lost twice since then. This is a team trending in the right direction and looks to be a threat to reach the second weekend of the Big Dance.
Stock Up: New Mexico. The Lobos have served notice to the rest of the Mountain West that its their league. Colorado St had a chance to tie New Mexico at home on Saturday and couldn’t get it done. Now New Mexico sits with a two-game lead with its next two games at home. The Lobos could end the race by this weekend.
Stock Down: Cincinnati. The Bearcats are ruining a perfectly good NCAA tournament berth. People look to the Bearcats and say they’re missing Yancy Gates, but it’s not him they’re missing. It’s Dion Dixon. He gave them an extra punch that JaQuon Parker just isn’t capable of it.
Stock Up: Davidson. The Wildcats are quietly putting together quite the season. They’re 15-1 record in the Southern Conference is a full three games better than they’re next closest rival in the conference’s south division; Charleston – a team the Wildcats completely outclassed on the road two weeks ago. Throw in a good win over Montana in Bracketbusters and this is not the team you want to play in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
Stock Down: Lehigh. C.J. McCollum went down for the Mountain Hawks and for a while they were making it work. However, three losses in a row with only two league games remaining is going to make it increasingly difficult for them to make it to the Big Dance given the Patriot League plays all of its games on the campus of the higher seeded team.
On to the bracket.
Last Four In: Saint Mary’s, Boise St, Cincinnati, Creighton
Last Four Out: Kentucky, Mississippi, Alabama, Indiana St
This bracket is good for games played through 2/24
MIDWEST
1.Indiana16.Norfolk St/Charleston Southern Dayton, OH
8.Pittsburgh9.Missouri
5.Oregon12.Louisiana Tech Austin
4.Oklahoma St13.Boise St/Saint Mary’s
6.Saint Louis11.Minnesota Philadelphia
3.Georgetown14.Davidson
7.NC State10.Iowa St Salt Lake City
2.New Mexico15.Stony Brook
WEST
1.Miami(FL)16.Northeastern/Southern Lexington, KY
8.Wichita St9.California
5.Ohio St12.La Salle Austin
4.Syracuse13.Harvard
6.Butler11.Arizona St Auburn Hills, MI
3.Michigan St14.Stephen F. Austin
7.UNLV10.Villanova San Jose
2.Gonzaga15.Long Beach St
SOUTH
1.Michigan16.Montana Auburn Hills, MI
8.North Carolina9.Colorado
5.Marquette12.Belmont Kansas City
4.Kansas St13.Akron
6.Notre Dame11.Middle Tennessee St Salt Lake City
3.Arizona14.South Dakota St
7.VCU10.Colorado St Lexington, KY
2.Florida15.Niagara
EAST
1.Duke16.Robert Morris Philadelphia
8.San Diego St9.Oklahoma
5.UCLA12.Creighton/Cincinnati San Jose
4.Wisconsin13.Bucknell
6.Memphis11.Virginia Dayton, OH
3.Louisville14.Valparaiso
7.Illinois10.Temple Kansas City
2.Kansas15.Mercer
Bracketville USA 
Hello-
Thanks for these excellent brackets. However to include Saint Mary’s, Boise St, Cincinnati, Creighton above Virginia and include Kentucky, Mississippi, Alabama, Indiana St as ahead of UVa is a travesty. 🙂
I hope you’ll be updating this fine bracket on Friday when Virginia takes Duke down in Cville tomorrow night at 9pm on ESPN.
I am shocked UVa isn’t already in your bracket having shown we can go toe to toe at Miami, dispatched the Terps at College Park, took down the Pack and Heels at the JPJ, and paid back the Jackets (who beat us in January in Atlanta) by 28 this past Sunday. We also dispatched the badgers at Kohl early on – pretty much without our point guard jontel evans – and beat Tennessee as well. yes we have some sucky losses – but all due to said PG absence (and other players) and losses at George Mason and Delaware were Nov 9 and 13 respectively (closing in on 4 months ago) with ZERO POINT GUARDS of three we had coming into season (evans, teven jones, malcom brogdon). And yes – these are excuses – when this team that doesn’t exist any more – lost to Delaware we then lost out on two high RPI games at the MSG in the preseason NIT and instead got two wins over lowly rated North Texas and Lamaar – yes our fault – but not intentional weak sister scheduling.
The loss to ODU on neutral site in December was a perfect storm of no Jontel Evans, Joe Harris with the flu, a super motivated in-state mid major, a red hot 3 baller, and horrible officiating. yes, excuses all.
Anyway we are not that team anymore. I wonder if you’ve watched us recently? I do hope you’ll be watching tomorrow night at 9pm eastern on ESPN when the clearly NCAA caliber Cavaliers take on duke. thanks.
Since January – the losses at Clem, Wake and GT just cannot be looked at as terrible losses – see Wake over Miami, and Clem 1 possession from beating mia and ncsu. We scored 82 at the Deane Dome but were beaten by a red hot UNC, and came down to final 6 seconds tied at Miami last week. If you will go find that game and watch it – you’ll see we are clearly an NCAA team. (without our disastrous rpi bombing Delaware/NIT debacle I’m confident our RPI would be in the 40’s or 50’s at worst. Do you follow Ken Pomeroy? We’re only ranked 17 there – and 27 in the ESPN BPI power ratings.
anyway, thanks for your work. I look forward to the wahoos inclusion in your esteemed bracket at its next update.
Thanks for all the work.
DCWahoo
I invite you to take a closer look at the East Region. I believe you missed your Wahoos on first glance.
OMG. In my morning rants I have smeared your good name and brackets! You are brilliant – of course you have UVa in!
My most sincere apologies!!!!!!
DCWahoo