Projecting the bracket: Ohio State, OU on cut line

31.01.2023, 17:42 sportingnews.com

The first weekend of February is here, and it brings some serious college basketball rivalries on the schedule. Duke meets North Carolina. Purdue plays Indiana. Gonzaga and St. Mary's are hooking up on the West Coast. It’s time to start projecting our Field of 68 for the 2023 men’s basketball tournament. We will unveil a new projected tournament field each week ahead of Selection Sunday on March 12. This year’s Final Four is April 1-3 at NRG Stadium in Houston. SN will update our tournament projections each day the week leading up to Selection Sunday. The Boilermakers are one of four SN picks to be a No. 1 seed in their initial field. They join Houston and a pair of SEC schools in Tennessee and Alabama. MORE: Meet the man chasing Pete Maravich's scoring record We also will break down the tournament bubble each week. Right now our first four out features Ohio State, Oklahoma, Utah and Virginia Tech. Who is our Field of 68? Here is a closer look: * - Projected automatic bid **- First Four game Net - NCAA's Net rankings KenPom - Pomeroy Ratings Resume: Net: 1, KenPom: 2 The Cougars have an impressive resume, but they also don’t have a ranked team left on the schedule. Resume: Net: 3, KenPom: 4 Boilermakers have piled up an impressive 7-1 record in Quad 1. Resume: Net: 4, KenPom: 5 A 93-69 loss to Oklahoma was startling, but an unbeaten record in the SEC keeps the Crimson Tide here. Resume: Net: 2, KenPom: 1 The Vols have won four straight since the 63-56 loss to Kentucky on Jan. 14. Resume: Net: 8, KenPom: 9 Jayhawks broke a three-game losing streak by beating Kentucky, and they get a return game Tuesday with Kansas State. Resume: Net: 16, KenPom: 25 Wildcats have been impressive, but KenPom the ratings metrics do not favor them as much as the other Big 12 powers. Resume: Net: 10, KenPom: 12 Wildcats are 7-2 in Quad 1 and have a real case to be a No. 1 seed. Resume: Net: 5, KenPom: 3 Bruins are on a two-game skid that has them close to dropping another seed line. Resume: Net: 9, KenPom: 10 The loss at Tennessee was a missed opportunity, but Monday's win against Baylor inches the Longhorns closer to a No. 2 seed. Resume: Net: 15, KenPom: 13 The Cavaliers stand as the highest-ranked ACC team. Virginia is 3-3 in Quad 1. Resume: Net: 11, KenPom: 17 Back-to-back losses to Texas Tech and Missouri hurt, but the Cyclones can validate high rankings with a victory against Kansas on Saturday. Resume: Net: 27, KenPom: 22 The Musketeers are the top Big East team, and Wednesday’s showdown with Providence is a chance to bounce back from a loss to Creighton. Resume: Net: 12, KenPom: 8 Marquette is on a three-game winning streak. The rematch with Xavier on Feb. 15 will be huge. Resume: Net: 13 KenPom: 14 The Bears have had ups-and-downs, but they still have a 7-6 record against Quad 1 after Monday's loss to Texas. Resume: Net: 17, KenPom: 15 Guard Mike Miles’ injury is not season-ending, but the Horned Frogs will have to negotiate a tough stretch ahead in the Big 12 without him. Resume: Net: 14, KenPom: 16. There aren’t too many opportunities for Quad 1 games, where the Bulldogs are 3-3 this season. Resume: Net: 7, KenPom: 6 The Huskies have the highest combined Net/KenPom ranking of any Big East team. Resume: Net: 20, KenPom: 19 The Hoosiers have won five in a row and have a chance to move up against rival Purdue on Saturday. Resume: Net: 26, KenPom: 23 The Illini don’t have a ranked team on the schedule until a Feb. 18 date against Indiana. Look for Illinois to surge up. Resume: Net: 32, KenPom: 30 The rankings aren’t indicative of a good Friars’ team. That 3-4 record against Quad 1 needs to improve. Resume: Net: 45, KenPom: 39 The Canes are part of that second tier of ACC teams whose seed could fluctuate a great deal for the next few weeks. Resume: Net: 6, KenPom: 7 St. Mary’s has just one Quad 1 victory, which weighs down an otherwise impeccable resume. Resume: Net: 30, KenPom: 45 The Lobos also will be in this range provided they build on a 3-1 record against Quad 1. Resume: Net: 24, KenPom: 28. The Blue Devils are 3-6 in Quad 1, but they are 12-0 outside it. This is the right spot heading into the first matchup with North Carolina on Saturday. Resume: Net: 44, KenPom: 51 A victory against Iowa State bumps the Tigers up a line, but they need to be better than .500 in SEC play. Resume: Net: 47, KenPom: 44 The Spartans have been up and down, and a 4-6 record against Quad 1 teams sounds about right. Resume: Net: 33, KenPom: 31 The Tar Heels are on a four-game winning streak ahead of Saturday’s with Duke. Resume: Net: 31, KenPom: 29 Auburn hit a rough patch with losses to Texas A&M and West Virginia last week. Resume: Net: 20, KenPom: 17 Rutgers has dropped two of three, but home games against Minnesota and Michigan State are solid opportunities this week. Resume: Net: 58, KenPom: 59. It's a low Net ranking for the Tigers, but they have been strong in conference play. Flip Clemson with Duke if you want. MORE: Clemson player suffers NSFW injury Resume: Net: 23, KenPom: 24 This is a usual landing spot for the Aztecs, who are 14-0 outside of Quad 1. Resume: Net: 36, KenPom: 34 If you don’t think they are going to seed Kentucky a line higher than expected, then we can’t help you. Resume: Net: 18, KenPom: 11 Resume: Net: 22, KenPom: 26 Resume: Net: 38, KenPom: 32 Resume: Net: 41, KenPom: 36 Resume: Net: 40, KenPom: 43 Resume: Net: 42 KenPom: 41 Resume: Net: 39 KenPom: 52 Resume: Net: 19, KenPom: 38 Resume: Net: 35, KenPom: 35 Resume: Net: 55, KenPom: 42 Resume: Net: 28, KenPom: 21 Resume: Net: 25, KenPom: 20 Resume: Net: 37, KenPom: 56 Resume: Net: 52, KenPom: 40 Resume: Net: 46, KenPom 47 Resume: Net: 53, KenPom: 63 Resume: Net: 61, KenPom: 77 Resume: Net: 85, KenPom: 79 Resume: Net: 60, KenPom: 69 Resume: Net: 84, KenPom: 88 Resume: Net: 98, KenPom: 90 Resume: Net: 94, KenPom: 102 Resume: Net: 105, KenPom: 115 Resume: Net: 109, KenPom: 111 Resume: Net: 108, KenPom: 118 Resume: Net: 106, KenPom: 116 Resume: Net: 136, KenPom: 150 Resume: Net: 143, KenPom: 144 Resume: Net: 147, KenPom: 137 Resume: Net: 233, KenPom: 265 Resume: Net: 181, KenPom: 164 Resume: Net: 161, KenPom: 202 Resume: Net: 215, KenPom: 230 Resume: Net: 231, KenPom: 260 Resume: Net: 247, KenPom: 264 Resume: Net: 298 , KenPom: 311 Resume: Net: 29, KenPom: 27 The Buckeyes have great ratings, but they have lost seven of eight games. Resume: Net: 56, KenPom: 37 The Sooners scored a huge win against Alabama in the SEC-Big 12 challenge. Now they need to turn it up in conference play. Resume: Net: 45 KenPom: 40 The Utes have a solid Net/KenPom combination, but they are not getting much love across most bracket projections. The Utes have a 4-8 record in Quads 1-2. Resume: 51, KenPom: 50 The Hokies are the team in the bottom half of the ACC that could make a February surge. Ranked games against Miami and Virginia this week are a chance to prove it.