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Below are my projections for for this year's NCAA Tournament bracket, which will be announced Monday morning at 9:00 AM MST on ESPNU.
National Seeds:
1. LSU
2. UCLA
3. Louisville
4. Miami (Florida)
5. Illinois
6. Florida
7. TCU
8. Missouri State
LSU should edge out UCLA for the top national seed. Neither team had a very good final week of the regular season, but the Tigers top five RPI rank and higher win total gives them a slight edge. What's clear is this; those two clubs are going to be the clear favorites to win the national championship.
I have Missouri State edging out Vanderbilt for the final spot, but their resumes are nearly interchangeable. The Bears won their conference tournament championship game on Sunday and finished three spots higher than the Commodores in the RPI.
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Field of 64 Projections (May 25) |
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Baton Rouge Regional 1. LSU (1) 4. Texas Southern* 2. Radford* 3. Louisiana-Lafayette* |
Houston Regional
1. Houston 4. Houston Baptist* 2. Rice 3. Southeastern Louisiana |
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Los Angeles Regional
1. UCLA* (2) 4. Cal State Bakersfield* 2. Notre Dame 3. Michigan* |
Lake Elsinore Regional 1. UC Santa Barbara 4. Pepperdine* 2. USC 3. Wright State* |
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Louisville Regional
1. Louisville (3) 4. Morehead State* 2. Indiana 3. UNC Wilmington* |
Nashville Regional 1. Vanderbilt 4. Lipscomb* 2. South Alabama 3. Virginia |
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Coral Gables Regional 1. Miami (Florida) (4) 4. Florida International* 2. Coastal Carolina 3. Mississippi |
Dallas Regional
1. Dallas Baptist 4. VCU* 2. College of Charleston 3. St. John's* |
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Champaign Regional
1. Illinois (5) 4. Ohio* 2. Coastal Carolina 3. NC State |
Stillwater Regional 1. Oklahoma State 4. Stony Brook* 2. Arizona State 3. Oral Roberts* |
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Gainesville Regional
1. Florida* (6) 4. Florida A&M* 2. Florida Atlantic 3. Mercer* |
Tallahassee Regional 1. Florida State* 4. Navy* 2. East Carolina* 3. Auburn |
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Fort Worth Regional
1. TCU (7) 4. Canisius* 2. Oregon State 3. Columbia* |
College Station Regional 1. Texas A&M 4. Texas* 2. Iowa 3. Oregon |
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Springfield Regional
1. Missouri State* (8) 4. Sacred Heart* 2. Arkansas 3. Clemson |
Fullerton Regional
1. Cal State Fullerton* 4. San Diego State* 2. California 3. Maryland |
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LAST FOUR IN: Auburn, Clemson, Oregon, Southeastern Louisiana FIRST FOUR OUT: Bradley, Southern Miss, Tulane, Michigan State |
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