Welcome to the final February edition of Bracketology here at ClutchPoints! Read that opening sentence back real quick and then check your calendar, and you'll be happy to see that since this is the final February edition of Bracketology, that means that very, very soon, it's March. And March means Madness. And March Madness means yours truly, Sonny Brackets, is in his element. A few fun facts:
-As a high schooler, I spent the majority of my study hall periods from December to March each year reading ESPN's Bracketology and Bubble Watch columns. It got to the point where the teachers who oversaw the study hall period reserved the one single computer in the room for me. Eventually, once I started my own blog as a high school senior, I began working on my own Bracketology projections.
-Every year since 2003, I've come down with a mysterious illness the night before the opening Thursday of the tournament. It's the strangest thing, but it basically keeps me prisoner on my couch for the entire weekend. Fortunately, each year by Monday morning, I feel absolutely fine.
-No matter how much time and effort I put into agonizing over each of the 68 teams in the field, I am historically bad at March Madness bracket pools. It's almost uncanny. Meanwhile, my Mom, who doesn't watch a single second of college basketball until the tournament begins, has won the extended family and friends bracket pool I've run each year since 2011 three times, the most of anyone who has participated.
And that's why they call it March Madness, friends!
One note before we move forward: Because we've got less than three weeks until Selection Sunday, in replacement of my And One! prediction of the week, I've included an extra section of intriguing games of the week that apply specifically to teams that find themselves on the bubble and in need of wins to bolster their resume.
Bracketology Bracket
Bracketology Breakdown
Top Seeds: Connecticut Huskies (East Region), Purdue Boilermakers (Midwest Region), Houston Cougars (South Region), Arizona Wildcats (West Region)
Multi-Bid Leagues: AAC (2), Atlantic 10 (2), ACC (5), Big 12 (9), Big East (5), Big Ten (6), Mountain West (6), Pac-12 (2), SEC (7), WCC (2)
Bracketology Bubble Watch
Last Four Byes: Northwestern, Virginia, Nevada, Seton Hall
Last Four In: Nebraska, Wake Forest, Gonzaga, Providence
First Four Out: Colorado, Texas A&M, Butler, Ole Miss
Next Four Out: Utah, Pittsburgh, Villanova, Kansas State
Five Most Intriguing BUBBLE Games of the Week
St. John's at Butler – Wed. Feb. 28th, 8:30 PM ET, CBS Sports
Nebraska at Ohio State – Thu. Feb. 29th, 6:30 PM ET, FS1
Villanova at Providence – Sat. Mar. 2nd, Noon ET, FOX
New Mexico at Boise State – Sat. Mar. 2nd, 8:00 PM ET, CBS Sports
Gonzaga at St. Mary's – Sat. Mar. 2nd, 10:00 PM ET, ESPN
Five Most Intriguing Games of the Week
Auburn at Tennessee – Wed. Feb. 28th, 7:00 PM ET, ESPN2
Kansas at Baylor – Sat. Mar. 2nd, 1:00 PM ET, ABC
Marquette at Creighton – Sat. Mar. 2nd, 2:00 PM ET, FOX
Tennessee at Alabama – Sat. Mar. 2nd, 8:00 PM ET, ESPN
Seton Hall at Connecticut – Sun. Mar. 3rd, Noon ET, CBS
Past And One! Predictions
11/6/23 – Maryland will win the Asheville Championship early season tournament (INCORRECT)
11/13/23 – 50 Point Scorer during the week (INCORRECT)
11/20/23 – I will eat entirely too much food on Thanksgiving (CORRECT)
11/27/23 – SEC will win the ACC/SEC Challenge (TIE)
12/11/23 – Connecticut to beat Gonzaga by 10+ points (CORRECT)
12/18/23 – Oklahoma to defeat North Carolina and FAU to defeat Arizona (INCORRECT)
12/26/23 – Mid-Major Conference Leader pulls upset over Power 5 Opponent (CORRECT)
1/1/24 – James Madison will be the final undefeated team in the country (INCORRECT)
1/8/24 – Washington Huskies to defeat the Michigan Wolverines for the National Championship (INCORRECT)
1/15/24 – Conference Championship Gauntlet — Duke, Connecticut, Purdue, Kansas, Arizona, Auburn to win their conference tournaments (TBD)
1/22/24 – UAB to defeat Memphis (CORRECT)
1/29/24 – Duke at North Carolina decided by 5 or fewer points (INCORRECT)
2/5/24 – High Point will take a 22-game winning streak into NCAA Tournament (INCORRECT)
2/11/24 – Kansas City Chiefs to defeat the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII (CORRECT)
2/19/24 – Mark Sears or Antonio Reeves to score 30+ points on Saturday (INCORRECT)
OVERALL RECORD: 5-8-1 (with the 1/15/24 prediction To Be Determined in March)
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