Men’s Bracketology 1/13/2025

Saturday’s big games were highlighted by the top teams in the country surviving road tests. Iowa State, Alabama, Tennessee and Florida all picked up quality wins away from home, solidifying their positions at the top of the bracket. I strongly debated the last two 1 seeds but ultimately Tennessee is the odd team out that fell to the 2 line.

The unprecedented strength of the SEC has been well documented this year. However, this is starting to hurt some of the weaker teams in the conference. Arkansas is a good example- the Hogs have started SEC play 0-3 and are now projected for a 17-14 finish, which is likely not enough to get them into the field. John Calipari’s squad is my first team out today.

1: Auburn, Duke, Iowa State, Alabama

2: Tennessee, Florida, Marquette, Oregon

3: Kentucky, Kansas, Mississippi State, Memphis

4: Gonzaga, Texas A&M, Houston, Purdue

5: Illinois, Michigan State, Michigan, Utah State

6: Connecticut, Baylor, Ole Miss, Wisconsin

7: St. John’s, Arizona, West Virginia, Maryland

8: Georgia, Louisville, Missouri, Pittsburgh

9: Oklahoma, Nebraska, San Diego State, UCLA

10: North Carolina, Ohio State, Arizona State, Vanderbilt

11: Clemson, (Iowa/New Mexico), (St. Mary’s/Texas Tech), Drake

12: UC Irvine, VCU, McNeese, Liberty

13: Yale, Lipscomb, South Alabama, Grand Canyon

14: Samford, High Point, North Dakota State, Charleston

15: Akron, Purdue Fort Wayne, UMass Lowell, Norfolk State

16: Northern Colorado, Merrimack, (Central Connecticut/Southern), (Bucknell/SIU Edwardsville)

First Four Out: Arkansas, Indiana, UCF, SMU

Next Four Out: Creighton, Cincinnati, Texas, Colorado

Also Considered: Georgetown, BYU, Penn State, Villanova

Moving In: Iowa, New Mexico, VCU, North Dakota State, SIU Edwardsville

Moving Out: Indiana, Arkansas, St. Bonaventure, South Dakota State, Southeast Missouri State