2009 NCAA Tournament Projections
Written March 3, 2009 by Jack Jones
With just two weeks away one of the best handicappers we have for making basketball picks, Mr. East, is taking a look at who should be in and who should be out of the 2009 NCAA tournament. Selection Sunday is now just a little under two weeks away adn while many teams have already punched their tickets there are plenty more that are close and have work to do. Here are his takes on who is in, who is on the bubble, and who is likely out. Conference Champions: America East – Vermont Atlantic Coast Conference – North Carolina Atlantic Sun – Jacksonville Atlantic 10 – Xavier Big East – Connecticut Big Sky – Weber State Big South – Radford Big Ten – Michigan State Big 12 – Kansas Big West – CS Northridge Colonial – Virginia Commonwealth Conference USA – Memphis Horizon – Butler Ivy – Cornell Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference – Siena Mid American – Buffalo Mid-Eastern Atheltic – Morgan State Missouri Valley – Creighton Mountain West – Utah Northeast – Robert Morris Ohio Valley – Tennessee-Martin Pac-10 – Washington Patriot – American SEC – LSU Southern – Davidson Southland – Stephen F. Austin Summitt – North Dakota State Sun Belt – Western Kentucky Southwestern Athletic – Alabama State West Coast – Gonzaga WAC – Utah State At-Large In: ACC Duke Wake Forest Florida State Clemson Big East Louisville Marquette Syracuse Pittsburgh Villanova West Virginia Big Ten Illinois Wisconsin Purdue Big 12 Oklahoma Texas Missouri Oklahoma State Kansas State Pac-10 UCLA California Arizona Arizona State SEC Florida Tennessee Kentucky Mountain West BYU San Diego State New Mexico That leaves six spots left for what Mr. East thinks will be 15 teams that are still on the bubble with a chance to get in. Likely In South Carolina Ohio State Minnesota South Carolina is 20-7 on the season with an RPI of 50. The Gamecocks will most likely have to play themselves out of the tournament. At 18-9 overall and 8-8 in the Big Ten the Buckeyes need to pick up some wins. They have a marginal RPI of 46 but should have a strong chance at getting picked by the committee. The Gophers are 20-8 overall and 8-8 in the Big Ten with an RPI of 47. Very similar resume to the Buckeyes so need to keep winning to make sure they get chosen. Deciding Their Own Fate UNLV St. Mary’s Texas A&M Boston College Penn State You have to think that Boston College has a good chance with an RPI of 61 but there are no guarantees. Penn State has a lot of work to do since their RPI is a terrible 79. The Aggies are in OK shape but will need a few more victories to secure their bid. The Running Rebels have an RPI of 48, but still need to finish strong. Close Bubble Teams Miami Georgetown UAB The Hurricanes have an RPI of 26 but have only 17 wins and are 6-8 in the ACC. The Hoyas have a terrible record at 15-12, but played the toughest schedule in the country. UAB is 20-9 in a bad conference, but their RPI of 32 puts them in the hunt. Teams on the Way Outside Virginia Tech Maryland Providence Auburn Houston Dayton There can be lots of arguments made for an against a lot of these teams and the conference tournaments are going to have a lot to say about who gets in and who stays home for the NCAA tournament. Our last category here shows the teams that will receive an at-large bid even if they don’t win their conference tournaments, but that would add an extra automatic bid for a team that shouldn’t be in the Big Dance. Gonzaga Utah State Butler Creighton Davidson Also, here are Mr. East’s current four No. 1 Seeds: Pittsburgh UConn North Carolina Oklahoma If you are looking for some help in beating the college basketball odds make sure you check out the NCAA basketball picks offered by East. He will help you make the most out of your NCAA tournament betting!
If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:
- SEC Tournament Predictions & NCAA Projections
- Odds to Win the 2009 NCAA Tournament
- 2009 NCAA Tournament Upset Predictions
- 2009 NCAA Tournament Odds: South Region
- Rhode Island NCAA Tournament Projections
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