What a time to be a Nebraska basketball fan, huh? After an impressive 9-0 start to non-conference play, Fred Hoiberg and company had to put their feet to the fire at the start of Big Ten play.
The Cornhuskers passed with flying colors, routing Wisconsin at home and upsetting Illinois on the road to get to 11-0 and put themselves in position to be a top-four seed.
Arizona continued to roll with impressive wins over Auburn and Alabama, doing just enough to take the No. 1 overall seed from Michigan. Those two are firmly ahead of the pack at the moment, especially after Purdue's loss to Iowa State. Tommy Lloyd and company are finally starting to get the best out of Brayden Burries, which is a terrifying thought for the rest of the Big 12.
The final team that made a big statement recently was Arkansas. John Calipari has his squad clicking, using its athleticism and length to trouble some of the better teams in the nation. Since the last edition of Bracketology here at ClutchPoints, the Razorbacks knocked off Louisville and Texas Tech to get to 8-2 on the season.
Arkansas was a big riser in the latest Bracketology with the non-conference slate winding down. Who else made the bracket?
Bold = Automatic Qualifier
Note – Without many conference games underway, the AQ for each conference is awarded to the highest-rated team from each league according to KenPom.
West Region
1. Arizona
16. Southern/Norfolk State
8. Indiana
9. SMU
5. Auburn
12. Belmont
4. Nebraska
13. Utah Valley
6. Georgia
11. Villanova/Wisconsin
3. Michigan State
14. St. Thomas
7. Texas Tech
10. Saint Louis
2. Vanderbilt
15. Troy
Midwest Region
1. Michigan
16. Southeast Missouri/Long Island
8. St. Mary's
9. NC State
5. St. John's
12. Yale
4. Arkansas
13. UC San Diego
6. USC
11. UCF/LSU
3. Louisville
14. Lipscomb
7. Kentucky
10. Miami (FL)
2. UConn
15. Wright State
East Region
1. Duke
16. Vermont
8. Tennessee
9. Utah State
5. Kansas
12. Memphis
4. Alabama
13. High Point
6. Virginia
11. Ohio State
3. BYU
14. East Tennessee State
7. Florida
10. Baylor
2. Purdue
15. Siena
South Region
1. Iowa State
16. Colgate
8. UCLA
9. Seton Hall
5. North Carolina
12. McNeese
4. Illinois
13. UNC Wilmington
6. Iowa
11. Akron
3. Houston
14. Liberty
7. Clemson
10. Butler
2. Gonzaga
15. Northern Colorado
Bubble Watch
Last Four Byes: Miami (FL), Butler, Baylor, Ohio State
Last Four In: UCF, LSU, Villanova, Wisconsin
First Four Out: Oklahoma State, TCU, Missouri, Arizona State
Next Four Out: Wake Forest, Colorado, Boise State, Virginia Tech
Multi-bid leagues
Big Ten – 11
SEC – 9
Big 12 – 8
ACC – 8
Big East – 5
WCC – 2
Games of the Week
Tuesday, Dec. 16 – Louisville at Tennessee
Wednesday, Dec. 17 – Vanderbilt at Memphis
Saturday, Dec. 20 – St. John's vs. Kentucky
Saturday, Dec. 20 – Ohio State vs. North Carolina
Saturday, Dec. 20 – Houston vs. Arkansas
Saturday, Dec. 20 – Auburn vs. Purdue
Saturday, Dec. 20 – Duke vs. Texas Tech
Biggest storylines of the week
Kentucky snapped out of its free fall, and quieted the Mark Pope job security noise, with an impressive win over Indiana on Saturday at Rupp Arena. However, Indiana is still getting its feet wet under Darian DeVries, and how good the Hoosiers actually are remains to be seen. On Saturday, Kentucky gets an even bigger test on a neutral floor against Rick Pitino and St. John's.
After a very impressive showing at the Players Era Festival, Tennessee has been sliding recently and is coming off of back-to-back losses to Syracuse and Illinois. Now, the Vols are back home to welcome an explosive Louisville squad as they look to get back on track.
Arkansas is getting hot in the non-conference, but there's an argument to be made that a neutral site game against Houston will be its biggest test on this current win streak.
Duke plays Texas Tech on Saturday, which means Cam Boozer and JT Toppin are going head to head in a matchup of two Wooden Award favorites. Enjoy that, and the rest of the week ahead as the non-conference slate winds down.
