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Monday, March 12, 2001
12-step program to at-large bid




Remember, what I think doesn't matter anymore. Selection Sunday is finally here. Let's see how these final projections stack up with the actual NCAA bracket for the 2001 Division I men's basketball championship.

A reminder: Teams listed in italics have secured an automatic bid to the 2001 NCAA Tournament. Teams preceded by their conference name in ALL CAPS are the current league (or RPI) leaders of those conferences. These teams are projected to qualify via their league's automatic bid.

Projections as of March 11:


MIDWEST REGION
March 16: Dayton, Ohio
University of Dayton Arena
1. Michigan State 16. Winthrop vs. Northwestern State
(NCAA play-in game)
8. Creighton 9. St. Joseph's
5. Syracuse 12. Georgia
4. Maryland 13. Indiana State
March 16: Kansas City, Mo.
Kemper Arena
3. Oklahoma 14. Southern Utah
6. Wisconsin 11. Gonzaga
7. Arkansas 10. Butler
2. Arizona 15. Eastern Illinois
REGIONAL FINAL
March 23-25: Alamodome, San Antonio


SOUTH REGION
March 16: New Orleans, La.
Superdome
1. North Carolina 16. Alabama State
8. Tennessee 9. Providence
5. UCLA 12. Hofstra
4. Kansas 13. Kent State
March 16: Memphis, Tenn.
The Pyramid
3. Florida 14. George Mason
6. Notre Dame 11. Oklahoma State
7. Wake Forest 10. Charlotte
2. Illinois 15. Hampton
REGIONAL FINAL
March 23-25: Georgia Dome, Atlanta


EAST REGION
March 15: Greensboro, N.C.
Greensboro Coliseum
1. Duke 16. UNC Greensboro
8. Georgetown 9. Alabama
5. Indiana 12. California
4. Texas 13. Hawaii
March 15: Uniondale, N.Y.
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
3. Mississippi 14. Holy Cross
6. USC 11. Xavier
7. Ohio State 10. Georgia State
2. Boston College 15. Princeton
REGIONAL FINAL
March 22-24: First Union Center, Philadelphia


WEST REGION
March 15: San Diego, Calif.
Aztec Bowl Arena
1. Stanford 16. Monmouth
8. Fresno State 9. Temple
5. Virginia 12. Utah State
4. Big Ten No. 3 (Indiana/Iowa) 13. Western Kentucky
March 15: Boise, Idaho
Boise State University Pavilion
3. Iowa State 14. Cal-State Northridge
6. Georgia Tech 11. BYU
7. Penn State 10. Cincinnati
2. Kentucky 15. Iona
REGIONAL FINAL
March 22-24: Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, Calif.

FINAL FOUR
Humphrey Metrodome
Minneapolis, Minn.
Semifinals: March 31 (East vs. West; Midwest vs. South)
Championship Game: April 2

Bracket Bits
  • Please note that Georgia Tech cannot be placed in the South Region, where it is an institutional host at the Georgia Dome for the regional semifinals and finals. Also, due to its religious affiliation, Brigham Young must be assigned to Thursday/Saturday sites.

  • Last Four In: Xavier, Georgia, Oklahoma State, California.

  • Last Four Out: Missouri, Richmond, Villanova, Connecticut.

  • Who's hot? The following projected post-season teams are 10-0 or 9-1 in their last 10 games: Hofstra (10-0), Alabama State (9-1), Arizona (9-1), Butler (9-1), Cal State Northridge (9-1), Charlotte (9-1), Creighton (9-1), Georgia State (9-1), Gonzaga (9-1), Hampton (9-1), McNeese State (9-1), Richmond (9-1), Southern Utah (9-1), Texas (9-1), Western Kentucky (9-1).

  • Who's not? With less-than-great records in their last 10 games: Minnesota (2-8), Purdue (2-8), Georgia (3-7), Alabama (4-6), Iowa (4-6), Seton Hall (4-6), South Carolina (4-6), South Florida (4-6), Tennessee (4-6).

  • The committee continues to emphasize a team's play away from home. Check out the following R+N (road+neutral) records: Stanford (15-0), Duke (15-2), Hofstra (15-2), Hampton (14-5), North Carolina (13-3), St. Joseph's (13-6), Georgia State (12-4), Oklahoma (12-5), Cincinnati (12-6), Illinois (12-7), Kent (12-7), Temple (12-7), Western Kentucky (11-4), Gonzaga (11-5), Kansas (11-5), Southern Utah (11-5), Utah State (11-5), Pepperdine (11-6), Toledo (11-6), Monmouth (11-7), Valparaiso (11-7), Charlotte (11-8), UC Irvine (10-3), Florida (10-4), Georgetown (10-4), Richmond (10-4), Mississippi (10-5), Alabama State (10-6), Holy Cross (10-6), Southern Mississippi (10-6), Creighton (10-7), Tennessee (10-7), Iona (10-8), Kentucky (10-8), Santa Clara (10-8), Northwestern State (10-9).

  • Road (non-)warriors: Connecticut (2-10), Miami (4-9), Mississippi State (4-9), Arkansas (4-8), Hawaii (4-8), Georgia Tech (5-9), Seton Hall (5-9), Baylor (5-8), Minnesota (5-8), South Carolina (5-8), Utah (5-8), California (5-7), West Virginia (5-7).

  • Movin' Up: (as determined by RPI): Alabama State, Baylor, BYU, Cal State Northridge, Charlotte, George Mason, Gonzaga, Hampton, Hawaii, Hofstra, Holy Cross, Indiana State, Iona, Kent, Massachusetts, Monmouth, Northwestern State, Oklahoma, Pittsburgh, Seton Hall, UNC-Greensboro.

  • Goin' Down: Cleveland State, Marquette, Marshall, Minnesota, Ohio University, St. Bonaventure, Toledo, UC Irvine, West Virginia, Xavier.

  • Multiple-conference breakdown: Big Ten (7), SEC (7), ACC (6), Big 12 (5), Big East (5), Pac-10 (5), Atlantic 10 (3), C-USA (2), Missouri Valley (2), WAC (2).

  • Quality wins? Here are teams with the most victories against RPI Top 25 competition: Michigan State (8-3), Kentucky (8-5), North Carolina (7-4), Indiana (7-5), Stanford (6-2), Arizona (6-3), Duke (6-3), Mississippi (6-3), Illinois (6-5), Florida (5-4), UCLA (5-4), Iowa (5-6).

  • Paper tigers? The following teams have unhealthy win totals against sub-150 competition: Hampton (24), Monmouth (20), Alabama State (19), Georgia State (18), Gonzaga (18), Southern Utah (18), Hofstra (17), Holy Cross (17), Northwestern State (17), Western Kentucky (17), UNC-Greensboro (16), Winthrop (16), Cal State Northridge (15), Eastern Illinois (14), Utah State (14), Iona (13), Kent (13), George Mason (12), Princeton (12), Creighton (11), Virginia (11), BYU (10), Georgetown (10), Indiana State (10).

    Joe Lunardi is a regular in-season contributor for ESPN.com and the editor of www.bracketology.net. Write to Joe at jlunardi@home.com.

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