Mens college basketball’s second season is about to begin….
Here’s the list of who got on the ‘bubble’…..
South Regional: Virginia Is Tournament’s Top Seed
With two fewer losses than any other team in Division I and the esteemed Atlantic Coast Conference’s regular season and tournament championship’s, Virginia (31-2) is the top overall seed in the tournament.
NO EASY ROAD FOR VIRGINIA: Coach Tony Bennett’s team lost only two games all season and capped off a fantastic year with the A.C.C. tournament championship on Saturday. They are favorites to reach the Final Four for the first time since 1984. But the committee did not do them many favors in the South region. Cincinnati, the No. 2 seed, boasts the second-ranked defense in the nation (behind the Cavaliers). And then there is Arizona (No. 4 seed) and Kentucky (No. 5), both explosive and talented groups that seem to be peaking at the right time.
HOT MATCHUP: Two of the nation’s hottest teams face each other in the first round in the South. Kentucky, winner of the SEC tournament, drew Davidson, winner of the Atlantic-10 conference, in what will most certainly be one of the most anticipated matchups of the week, in Boise, Idaho.
UPSET SPECIAL: You could argue that No. 11 Loyola-Chicago had a much easier road to the Missouri Valley Conference title without Wichita State around. But the Ramblers have won 10 in a row. No. 6 Miami, which had been hot before the ACC tournament, better look out.
TEXAS SNEAKS IN: After going 11-22 a year ago, the No. 10 Longhorns found themselves on the bubble this season. But the committee gave Coach Shaka Smart another opportunity to make some March magic. Freshman shot-blocking extraordinaire Mo Bamba will be asked to slow down seventh-seeded Nevada, the ninth-most efficient offense in the country.
N.C.A.A. Men’s Tournament Bracket
