Welcome to Part 3 of Championship Week Bracketology here at ClutchPoints! To start off, I'd like to offer a sincere congratulations to the Morehead State Eagles, the Ohio Valley Conference champions and the first team to punch their ticket to the 2024 NCAA Tournament. As you'll very soon see, the Eagles — who are making their first March Madness appearance since 2021 — are currently on the 15-line. After a rough first four seasons coaching Morehead State, Preston Spradlin has turned the Eagles into the class of the OVC.
As for what you can expect here today:
- The Bracket, updated this morning to account for all of the action on Saturday
- The Bracket Breakdown and Bubble Watch
- A look at the three Conference Tournament's that will be concluding today, and the beginning of the rundown of the 32 teams that will have punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament by winning their Conference Tourney's
- The One Man NBA Selection Committee, which will be an abbreviated version of a column I used to write back in the day
- The schedule for Bracketology here at ClutchPoints for the remainder of Championship Week
Bracketology Bracket
Bracketology Breakdown
Top Seeds: Purdue Boilermakers (Midwest Region), Connecticut Huskies (East Region), Houston Cougars (South Region), Tennessee Volunteers (West Region)
Multi-Bid Leagues: AAC (2), ACC (3), Atlantic 10 (2), Big 12 (9), Big East (6), Big Ten (6), Mountain West (6), Pac-12 (3), SEC (7), WCC (2)
Bracketology Bubble Watch
Last Four Byes: Mississippi State, Colorado State, Seton Hall, TCU
Last Four In: St. John's, Villanova, Colorado, New Mexico
First Four Out: Virginia, Providence, Iowa, Wake Forest
Next Four Out: Drake, Texas A&M, Pittsburgh, Memphis
Next Five Alive: Kansas State, Utah, James Madison, Virginia Tech, UNLV
Sunday's Conference Championship Games
Big South Conference Tournament Championship
-Longwood vs. UNC-Asheville — 12:00 PM EST, ESPN2
Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament Championship
-Austin Peay vs. Stetson — 2:00 PM EST, ESPN2
Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Championship
-Drake vs. Indiana State — 2:00 PM EST, CBS
Tickets Punched
Morehead State (Ohio Valley Conference)
The One-Man NBA Selection Committee
So, here's the skinny on the the One-Man NBA Selection Committee: Unlike their collegiate counterparts, the seedings in the NBA Playoffs are determined exclusively by record — and by the recently introduced Play-In Tournament — and while that makes perfect sense given the uniformity in terms of schedule and number of games played, every March I think about if there were a committee, not too dissimilar from the NCAA Selection Committee, that seeded created the bracket for the NBA Playoffs. It's a fun though experiment that I'm sure others have engaged in… right?
Wait, am I the only one?
Okay, whatever. Well, unlike the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee, I always tend to factor in entertainment value into my selections because I'm selfish and that's how I want to do it. Yes, records matter. The Boston Celtics are clearly the best team in the Eastern Conference. They'll be a 1-seed. The Denver Nuggets may not have the best record in the Western Conference at the moment, but they're the defending champions, they've beaten Boston twice, and they're clearly the favorite to come out of the Western Conference so long as the Face of the NBA and the league's best player, Nikola Jokic, remains healthy.
Will I be removing my own personal biases? Of course not! But I'm looking out for the good of the collective NBA fanbase here, so cut me a break. If we're looking to replicate March Madness in April and May, allow me to be the catalyst of such madness.
Without further ado…
Eastern Conference
1. Boston Celtics vs. 8. Miami Heat
4. New York Knicks vs. 5. Philadelphia 76ers
3. Cleveland Cavaliers vs. 6. Orlando Magic
2. Milwaukee Bucks vs. 7. Indiana Pacers
-I say why wait on Boston/Miami? This is the best rivalry in the Eastern Conference, and no matter how dominant Boston has been this season, a 1st Round series versus the Heat would certainly have Boston fans feeling more uncomfortable than they'd hope for in Round 1.
-Let's just get both of these teams back fully healthy — I'm talking to you, Joel Embiid, Julius Randle, OG Anunoby — and let these two proud franchises engage in what feels like it would definitely be a seven-game blood bath.
-No possible 1st Round series feels more like annual NBA TV 1st Round series than Cleveland and Orlando, and who am I to disrupt such a prestigious tradition?
-The Bucks and Pacers have already played a few doozies this year, and there's bad blood between the two sides. This could be the most entertaining 2 vs. 7 series in the Eastern Conference since Chicago/Boston way back in 2009.
Western Conference
1. Denver Nuggets vs. 8. Los Angeles Lakers
4. Minnesota Timberwolves vs. 5. Dallas Mavericks
3. Los Angeles Clippers vs. 6. Phoenix Suns
2. Oklahoma City Thunder vs. 7. Golden State Warriors
-I'm sure some readers will scoff at the inclusion of the Lakers and Warriors over upstarts like the Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Pelicans. I don't know what to tell you. I was clear that personal biases would come into play here, and I'm far more intrigued by the idea of seeing the Lakers and Warriors in the postseason one more time than I am of the alternative… even if both teams are bound to be casualties of a short series.
-I'm positive that Luka Doncic vs. Anthony Edwards would be one of the greatest alpha vs. alpha 1st round matchups we've seen in a long, long time.
-Just look at the star power that would be on the floor in this matchup… Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Devin Booker, Paul George, Bradley Beal (if healthy) and James Harden. I legitimately have no idea who I'd pick in this matchup.
Championship Week Bracketology Schedule
Monday March 4th – Championship Week Part 1
Thursday March 7th – Championship Week Part 2
Sunday March 10th – Championship Week Part 3
Monday March 11th – Championship Week Part 4
-Major Conference Tournament Predictions
Thursday March 14th – Championship Week Part 5
-Who remains alive on the Bubble?
Saturday March 16th – Championship Week Part 6
-The Championship Week Saturday Entertainment Index
Sunday March 17th (AM) – Selection Sunday Part 1
-Sorting Through Championship Saturday
Sunday March 17th (PM) – Selection Sunday Part 2
-The Final Bracketology Projections
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