PPI Rankings - December 28, 2009

#1 Kentucky
#2 Texas
#3 Syracuse
#4 Kansas
#5 New Mexico
#6 West Virginia
#7 Kansas State
#8 Purdue
#9 Clemson
#10 UAB
#11 Georgetown
#12 Brigham Young
#13 Villanova
#14 Saint Mary's
#15 Duke
#16 UNLV
#17 Wisconsin
#18 Butler
#19 Northwestern
#20 Florida State
#21 Rhode Island
#22 Cornell
#23 Miami (FL)
#24 Pittsburgh
#25 Mississippi
Others receiving votes: Connecticut, Texas Tech, Temple, Oklahoma State, Washington, Missouri State, Mississippi State, Western Carolina, Charlotte, St. John's, Wichita State, Dayton, Old Dominion, Texas A&M, North Carolina

Projected Big East Tourney Bracket - December 25, 2009

At Christmas Day and a day before the start of the Big East schedule (West Virginia @ Seton Hall tomorrow 3:30 PM CBS), here is the projected Big East Tourney bracket:

Tuesday
Game 1: #9 Notre Dame v. #16 DePaul
Game 2: #12 Marquette v. #13 Providence
Game 3: #10 Louisville v. #15 Rutgers
Game 4: #11 Cincinnati v. #14 Seton Hall

Wednesday
Game 5: #8 South Florida v. Notre Dame-DePaul winner
Game 6: #5 Pittsburgh v. Marquette-Providence winner
Game 7: #7 Connecticut v. Louisville-Rutgers winner
Game 8: #6 St. John's v. Cincinnati-Seton Hall winner

Thursday
Game 9: #1 Syracuse v. Game 5 winner
Game 10: #4 Villanova v. Game 6 winner
Game 11: #2 Georgetown v. Game 7 winner
Game 12: #3 West Virginia v. Game 8 winner

Friday
Game 13: Game 9 v. Game 10 winner
Game 14: Game 11 v. Game 12 winner

Saturday
Game 15: Game 13 v. Game 14 winner

PPI Rankings - December 21, 2009

#1 Kentucky
#2 New Mexico
#3 Kansas State
#4 Purdue
#5 Syracuse
#6 Texas
#7 Kansas
#8 Villanova
#9 Duke
#10 Clemson
#11 Butler
#12 UAB
#13 West Virginia
#14 Georgetown
#15 Missouri State
#16 Rhode Island
#17 Saint Mary's
#18 Florida State
#19 Mississippi
#20 Temple
#21 Charlotte
#22 Western Carolina
#23 Miami (FL)
#24 St. John's
#25 Northwestern
Others receiving votes: Wisconsin, UNLV, Mississippi State, Texas Tech, Brigham Young, Florida, Texas A&M, Wichita State, Pittsburgh, Louisiana Tech, Cornell, Richmond, Oklahoma State, South Florida, Michigan State

PPI Rankings - December 14, 2009

#1 Kentucky
#2 New Mexico
#3 Purdue
#4 Syracuse
#5 Texas
#6 Kansas
#7 Kansas State
#8 Georgetown
#9 Villanova
#10 West Virginia
#11 Butler
#12 Western Carolina
#13 Rhode Island
#14 Texas Tech
#15 Florida
#16 Missouri State
#17 Charlotte
#18 Mississippi
#19 Duke
#20 Wisconsin
#21 Temple
#22 St. John's
#23 Clemson
#24 Texas A&M
#25 UNLV
Others receiving votes: Brigham Young, Pittsburgh, North Carolina State, Cornell, Miami (FL), Tennessee, Illinois, Northwestern, Dayton, Wichita State, Xavier, Saint Mary's, Michigan State, Minnesota, UAB

PPI Rankings - December 7, 2009

Below is the first release of the PPI Rankings for the 2009-10 year:

#1 Kentucky
#2 New Mexico
#3 Villanova
#4 Texas
#5 Syracuse
#6 Purdue
#7 Florida
#8 Mississippi
#9 Duke
#10 Butler
#11 Kansas
#12 UNLV
#13 Pittsburgh
#14 Charlotte
#15 Cornell
#16 Richmond
#17 West Virginia
#18 Texas Tech
#19 Missouri State
#20 North Carolina State
#21 Wisconsin
#22 Georgetown
#23 Clemson
#24 Louisiana Tech
#25 UAB
Others receiving votes: Texas A&M, St. John's, Northwestern, Tennessee, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Miami (FL), Vanderbilt, North Carolina, Xavier, Oklahoma State, Connecticut, Kansas State, Coastal Carolina, Saint Mary's

Big East Power Poll - 11/21/09

Here are my Big East PPI Rankings as of 11/21 - keep in mind that teams like Louisville who have played only one game will move up as they play more games.

#1 Syracuse: What a performance in MSG. First, they destroy California and then they do the same to UNC after coming out of the locker room in the second half with a head of steam. The early observation is that they are a ton better defensively than last year and transfer Wesley Johnson is the real deal.
#2 South Florida: While they lost a nailbiter to South Carolina, they destroyed Virgina and defeated mid-major Davidson. It will be interesting to see whether the recruiting scandal is going to be a distraction.
#3 Villanova: In Puerto Rico, Villanova needed a late 3 to beat George Mason, but they played better in the second round against A-10 standout Dayton. Villanova plays Ole Miss on Sunday in the Finals.
#4 Pittsburgh: Three quick wins for Pittsburgh coming out of the gate, including vs. Wofford who won @ Georgia.
#5 Georgetown: Georgetown squeaked out a defensive struggle against Temple after winning big @ Tulane. Greg Monroe needs to be more assertive asking for the ball and with the ball.
#6 Seton Hall: Seton Hall may be the sleeper of the Big East with 3 straight wins including an underrated win @ Cornell. As many don't know, Cornell won at Alabama and at UMass to start the year.
#7 DePaul: CNN Breaking News! DePaul is undefeated! However, this is likely to end against SEC favorite Tennessee tomorrow.
#8 Connecticut: Very unimpressive to start the year - they need to improve on their perimeter defense, 3-point shooting, and most importantly, their rebounding. Surprisingly, I think this team misses Jeff Adrien more than Hasheem Thabeet. Reinforcements are on the way as 6'11" Ater Majok is eligible on 12/20 and C Jonathan Mandeldove returns later from academic ineligibility.
#9 Louisville
#10 St. John's
#11 Notre Dame
#12 Rutgers
#13 West Virginia
#14 Cincinnati
#15 Marquette
#16 Louisville

2008-09 Final Rankings

NCAA Basketball is 6 days away! Last year was a very entertaining year, with Michigan State taking out some big-time teams on the way to the Final Four in its home state. When all was said and done, North Carolina won the NCAA Tourney. Although they've since lost many players to the NBA, as always, they restock and retool. With the season less than a week away, here were the final standings of the 2008-09 season, based on the culmination of both the regular season, conference tourneys, and March Madness. I have included their relative power rating, with the #1 team (in this case, North Carolina) assigned a 100.00 rating and other teams compared to the top team.

#1 No. Carolina 100.00
#2 Memphis 94.74
#3 Louisville 92.94
#4 Michigan State 89.67
#5 Connecticut 89.42
#6 Duke 86.90
#7 Pittsburgh 85.71
#8 Villanova 85.32
#9 Missouri 83.52
#10 Oklahoma 83.45
#11 Kansas 80.30
#12 Syracuse 80.25
#13 Purdue 76.67
#14 Gonzaga 75.82
#15 Xavier 75.70
#16 Washington 75.62
#17 UCLA 73.40
#18 LSU 73.07
#19 Arizona State 72.78
#20 We. Virginia 71.80
#21 Penn State 70.18
#22 Wake Forest 70.17
#23 Marquette 69.35
#24 Texas 69.15
#25 Creighton 68.65
Others: Oklahoma State, Baylor, San Diego State, Tennessee, Utah, Texas A&M, Arizona, Siena, Illinois, Florida State, USC, Butler, Auburn, Tulsa, Florida

PPI and Prem's Bracket

PPI Sweet 16: Louisville, Wake Forest, Kansas, Michigan St., UConn, Washington, Missouri, Memphis, Pittsburgh, Xavier, Villanova, Duke, No. Carolina, Gonzaga, Syracuse, Oklahoma

Prem's Sweet 16: Louisville, Utah, West Virginia, Michigan State, UConn, Washington, Missouri, Memphis, Pittsburgh, Wisconsin, UCLA, Duke, No. Carolina, Gonzaga, Arizona St., Oklahoma

PPI Elite 8: Louisville, Michigan State, UConn, Memphis, Pittsburgh, Duke, No. Carolina, Oklahoma

Prem's Elite 8: Louisville, Michigan State, UConn, Memphis, Pittsburgh, UCLA, Gonzaga, Oklahoma

PPI Final 4: Louisville, Memphis, Duke, No. Carolina

Prem's Final 4: Michigan State, Memphis, Pittsburgh, Oklahoma

PPI Championship: Memphis vs. UNC

Prem's Championship: Memphis vs. Oklahoma

PPI Winner: Memphis
Prem's Winner: Memphis

Fact of the Day

Mr. Anderson (my cat pictured on left), that was aptly named after Rashad Anderson, UConn sharpshooter, has only once been under the same roof as me to witness a UConn NCAA victory (2005 - UConn vs. Central Florida). We will attempt to end this streak today in the game vs. Chattanooga at 3:00 PM.

LSU & Butler were underseeded

#8 LSU is off to a 9-2 lead on Butler. While the SEC has underperformed this year, the PPI had LSU has the highest possible 6 seed and Butler as a low 7 seed. These teams should not be playing each other. Meanwhile, BC as a #7 seed is very high - they were far too inconsistent to be seeded as such, although they did beat conference leaders UNC & Duke.

Friday Projections - Prem vs. PPI

#3 Syracuse over #14 Stephen F. Austin
#9 Tennessee over #8 Oklahoma St. (Prem has #8 Oklahoma St.)
#6 Marquette over #11 Utah St. (Prem has #11 Utah St.)
#3 Kansas over #14 No. Dakota St. (Prem has #14 No. Dakota St.)
#6 Arizona St. over #11 Temple
#1 Pittsburgh over #16 Ea. Tenn St.
#6 West Virginia over #11 Dayton
#3 Missouri over #14 Cornell
#5 Utah over #12 Arizona
#1 Louisville over #16 Morehead St.
#10 USC over #7 Boston College
#4 Xavier over #13 Portland St.
#4 Wake Forest over #13 Cleveland St. (Prem has #13 Cleveland St.)
#9 Siena over #8 Ohio State
#2 Michigan State over #15 Robert Morris
#5 Florida State over #12 Wisconsin (Prem has #12 Wisconsin)

Thursday Projections - PPI vs. (Prem)

Here we go:

#8 LSU over #9 Butler
#1 Memphis over #16 Cal State Northridge
#8 BYU over #9 Texas A&M (Prem has #9 Texas A&M)
#5 Purdue over #12 Northern Iowa (Prem has #12 Northern Iowa)
#1 UNC over #16 Radford
#7 California over #10 Maryland
#1 Connecticut over #16 Chattanooga
#4 Washington over #13 Miss St.
#7 Texas over #10 Minnesota
#7 Clemson over #10 Michigan (Prem has #10 Michigan)
#3 Villanova over #14 American
#4 Gonzaga over #13 Akron
#2 Duke over #15 Binghamton
#2 Oklahoma over #15 Morgan State

Who's In? (Pre-Selection Show)

ACC (5): Duke, No. Carolina, Wake Forest, Florida State, Clemson
America East (1): Binghamton
Atlantic 10 (3): Temple, Xavier, Dayton
Atlantic Sun (1): Ea. Tenn St.
Big 12 (6): Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M
Big East (7): Louisville, Pittsburgh, Connecticut, Syracuse, Villanova, We. Virginia, Marquette
Big Sky (1): Portland St.
Big South (1): Radford
Big Ten (4): Purdue, Michigan State, Illinois, Ohio State
Big West (1): Cal State Northridge
Colonial (1): VA Commonwealth
Conference USA (2): Memphis, Tulsa
Horizon (2): Cleveland St., Butler
Ivy (1): Cornell
MAAC (1): Siena
MAC (1): Akron
MEAC (1): Morgan State
Mountain West (3): Utah, Brigham Young, San Diego State
MVC (3): No. Iowa, Creighton, Illinois St.
Northeast (1): Robert Morris
OVC (1): Morehead St.
PAC-10 (5): USC, Washington, Arizona State, UCLA, California
Patriot (1): American University
SEC (5): Miss St., LSU, Tennessee, Auburn, Florida
Southern (1): Chattanooga
Southland (1): Stephen F. Austin
Summit (1): No. Dakota State
Sun Belt (1): We. Kentucky
SWAC (1): Alabama State
WAC (1): Utah St.
West Coast (1): Gonzaga
Last 4 In: Dayton, Texas A&M, California, Florida
First 4 Out: UAB, New Mexico, St. Mary's, Michigan
Next 4 Out: Minnesota, Niagara, Wisconsin, Arizona
Other Bubble Teams: So. Carolina, Boston College, Maryland, Kentucky, Houston, Baylor, Davidson, Virginia Tech

Who's In (as of 3/10/09)

ACC (5): No. Carolina, Duke, Wake Forest, Clemson, Florida State
America East (1): Binghamton
Atlantic 10 (2): Xavier, Dayton
Atlantic Sun (1): Ea. Tenn St.
Big 12 (6): Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, Texas
Big East (7): Pittsburgh, Connecticut, Louisville, Villanova, We. Virginia, Syracuse, Marquette
Big Sky (1): Portland St.
Big South (1): Radford
Big Ten (5): Michigan State, Illinois, Purdue, Wisconsin, Ohio State
Big West (1): Pacific
Colonial (1): VA Commonwealth
Conference USA (3): Memphis, Tulsa, UAB
Horizon (2): Cleveland St., Butler
Ivy (1): Cornell
MAAC (2): Siena, Niagara
MAC (1): Miami (OH)
MEAC (1): Morgan State
Mountain West (3): Brigham Young, Utah, New Mexico
MVC (3): No. Iowa, Creighton, Illinois St.
Northeast (1): Robert Morris
OVC (1): Morehead St.
PAC-10 (4): Washington, UCLA, Arizona State, California
Patriot (1): American University
SEC (4): LSU, Tennessee, Auburn, Florida
Southern (1): Chattanooga
Southland (1): Stephen F. Austin
Summit (1): No. Dakota State
Sun Belt (1): We. Kentucky
SWAC (1): Alabama State
WAC (1): Utah St.
West Coast (1): Gonzaga

Last 4 In: Niagara, Ohio State, UAB, Wisconsin
First 4 Out: So. Carolina, St. Mary's, Arizona, Utah St.
Next 4 Out: UTEP, Vanderbilt, Michigan, San Diego State
Other Bubble Teams: Davidson, Minnesota, Notre Dame, Boston College, Temple, Kansas State, UNLV, Rhode Island

Who's In? (as of 3/6/09)

ACC (5): No. Carolina, Duke, Wake Forest, Clemson, Florida State
America East (1): Vermont
Atlantic 10 (2): Xavier, Dayton
Atlantic Sun (1): Ea. Tenn St.
Big 12 (6): Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M
Big East (7): Connecticut, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Villanova, We. Virginia, Marquette, Syracuse
Big Sky (1): Weber St.
Big South (1): Virginia Military
Big Ten (6): Michigan State, Illinois, Purdue, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Minnesota
Big West (1): Cal State Northridge
Colonial (1): VA Commonwealth
Conference USA (3): Memphis, Tulsa, UAB
Horizon (1): Butler
Ivy (1): Cornell
MAAC (2): Siena, Niagara
MAC (1): Miami (OH)
MEAC (1): Morgan State
Mountain West (3): Brigham Young, Utah, New Mexico
MVC (3): Creighton, Illinois St., No. Iowa
Northeast (1): Robert Morris
OVC (1): Morehead St.
PAC-10 (4): Washington, UCLA, Arizona State, California
Patriot (1): American University
SEC (4): LSU, Tennessee, Auburn, Florida
Southern (1): Davidson
Southland (1): Stephen F. Austin
Summit (1): No. Dakota State
Sun Belt (1): We. Kentucky
SWAC (1): Alabama State
WAC (1): Utah St.
West Coast (1): Gonzaga
Last 4 In:Niagara, Florida, Minnesota, Auburn
First 4 Out: St. Mary's, Arizona, Rhode Island, So. Carolina
Next 4 Out:UNLV, Penn State, Boston College, Notre Dame
Other Bubble Teams: Kentucky, UTEP, Vanderbilt, Kansas State, San Diego State, Providence, Michigan, Temple

Who's In (as of 3/4/09)?

ACC (5): No. Carolina, Duke, Wake Forest, Clemson, Florida State
America East (1): Vermont
Atlantic 10 (2): Xavier, Dayton
Atlantic Sun (1): Ea. Tenn St.
Big 12 (6): Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M
Big East (7): Connecticut, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Villanova, We. Virginia, Marquette, Syracuse
Big Sky (1): Weber St.
Big South (1): Virginia Military
Big Ten (6): Michigan State, Illinois, Purdue, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Minnesota
Big West (1): Cal State Northridge
Colonial (1): VA Commonwealth
Conference USA (3): Memphis, Tulsa, UAB
Horizon (1): Butler
Ivy (1): Cornell
MAAC (2): Siena, Niagara
MAC (1): Miami (OH)
MEAC (1): Morgan State
Mountain West (3): Brigham Young, Utah, New Mexico
MVC (2): Creighton, Illinois St.
Northeast (1): Robert Morris
OVC (1): Tennessee-Martin
PAC-10 (5): Washington, UCLA, Arizona State, California, Arizona
Patriot (1): American University
SEC (4): LSU, Tennessee, Auburn, Florida
Southern (1): Davidson
Southland (1): Stephen F. Austin
Summit (1): No. Dakota State
Sun Belt (1): We. Kentucky
SWAC (1): Alabama State
WAC (1): Utah St.
West Coast (1): Gonzaga
Last 4 In: Illinois St., Arizona, Niagara, Florida
First 4 Out: St. Mary's, Rhode Island, So. Carolina, No. Iowa
Next 4 Out:UNLV, Boston College, Kentucky, UTEP
Other Bubble Teams: Vanderbilt, Kansas State, Providence, San Diego State, Michigan, Northwestern, VA Commonwealth, Penn State

Who's In? (as of 2/28/09)

ACC (5): No. Carolina, Duke, Wake Forest, Clemson, Florida State
America East (1): Vermont
Atlantic 10 (3): Xavier, Dayton, Rhode Island
Atlantic Sun (1): Ea. Tenn St.
Big 12 (6): Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M
Big East (7): Connecticut, Pittsburgh, Louisville, We. Virginia, Villanova, Marquette, Syracuse
Big Sky (1): Weber St.
Big South (1): Virginia Military
Big Ten (4): Michigan State, Illinois, Purdue, Wisconsin
Big West (1): Cal State Northridge
Colonial (1): VA Commonwealth
Conference USA (3): Memphis, UAB, Tulsa
Horizon (1): Butler
Ivy (1): Cornell
MAAC (2): Siena, Niagara
MAC (1): Miami (OH)
MEAC (1): Morgan State
Mountain West (3): Brigham Young, Utah, New Mexico
MVC (2): Creighton, Illinois State
Northeast (1): Robert Morris
OVC (1): Tennessee-Martin
PAC-10 (5): Washington, UCLA, Arizona State, California, Arizona
Patriot (1): American University
SEC (4): LSU, Tennessee, Florida, Kentucky
Southern (1): Davidson
Southland (1): Stephen F. Austin
Summit (1): No. Dakota State
Sun Belt (1): We. Kentucky
SWAC (1): Alabama State
WAC (1): Utah St.
West Coast (2): Gonzaga, St. Mary's
Last 4 In:Rhode Island, St. Mary's, Illinois St., New Mexico
First 4 Out: So. Carolina, No. Iowa, Boston College, Ohio State
Next 4 Out:Minnesota, UNLV, Auburn, Kansas State
Other Bubble Teams: Providence, Michigan, VA Commonwealth, Penn State, Virginia Tech, Miami (FL), Cincinnati, Maryland

Who's In? (as of 2/28/09)

ACC (5): No. Carolina, Duke, Wake Forest, Clemson, Florida State
America East (1): Vermont
Atlantic 10 (2): Xavier, Dayton
Atlantic Sun (1): Ea. Tenn St.
Big 12 (6): Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M
Big East (7): Connecticut, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Villanova, Marquette, We. Virginia, Syracuse
Big Sky (1): Weber St.
Big South (1): Virginia Military
Big Ten (4): Michigan State, Illinois, Purdue, Wisconsin
Big West (1): Cal State Northridge
Colonial (1): VA Commonwealth
Conference USA (3): Memphis, UAB, Tulsa
Horizon (1): Butler
Ivy (1): Cornell
MAAC (2): Siena, Niagara
MAC (1): Miami (OH)
MEAC (1): Morgan State
Mountain West (3): Brigham Young, Utah, New Mexico
MVC (2): Creighton, Illinois State
Northeast (1): Robert Morris
OVC (1): Tennessee-Martin
PAC-10 (5): Washington, UCLA, Arizona State, California, Arizona
Patriot (1): American University
SEC (5): LSU, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, Southern Illinois
Southern (1): Davidson
Southland (1): Stephen F. Austin
Summit (1): No. Dakota State
Sun Belt (1): We. Kentucky
SWAC (1): Alabama State
WAC (1): Utah St.
West Coast (2): Gonzaga, St. Mary's

Last 4 In:New Mexico, Ohio State, UAB, Boston College
Last 4 Out:No. Iowa, Boston College, Ohio State, Minnesota
Next 4 Out:UNLV, Auburn, Kansas State, Rhode Island
Other Bubble Teams: Michigan, Cincinnati, Penn State, Virginia Tech, Miami (FL), San Diego State, Notre Dame

Sleeper Alert - Siena (MAAC)

At PPI headquarters, we hope that Siena from the MAAC conference wins their conference tournament because it seems that this team is getting no love. Siena is currently #35 in the PPI after losing to other MAAC standout Niagara by 15 points yesterday. As of right now, the PPI believes that both of these teams should be in the field of 65. However, ESPN does not agree. They just performed a mock exercise where four teams were left for one spot in the tourney: Siena, Michigan, Virginia Tech, and Providence. They eliminated Siena from consideration first and then Providence. We believe that Michigan, Virginia Tech, and Providence still need to do work to get in the tourney, whereas Siena has done enough (as of right now, even with the loss last night). If Siena makes the tournament, look for this team to do damage; if you recall last year, the team destroyed Vanderbilt in the first round of the NCAA in an upset.

NCAA Bracket Projection - 2/26/09

BOSTON REGIONAL

Philadelphia
#1 Connecticut/BIG EAST vs. #16 Morgan State/MEAC
#8 Florida vs. #9 Oklahoma State
Boise
#4 Wake Forest vs. #13 VA Commonwealth/COLONIAL
#5 Arizona State vs. #12 Ohio State
Miami
#3 Missouri vs. #14 Miami (OH)/MAC
#6 Purdue vs. #11 St. Mary's
Greensboro
#2 Duke vs. #15 Radford/BIG SOUTH
#7 Utah/MOUNTAIN WEST vs. #10 So. Carolina

MEMPHIS REGIONAL
Greensboro
#1 No. Carolina/ACC vs. #16 Robert Morris/NORTHEAST
#8 Texas vs. #9 Siena/MAAC
Boise
#4 Illinois vs. #13 Vermont/AMERICA EAST
#5 We. Virginia vs. #12 UAB
Philadelphia
#3 Villanova vs. #14 Weber St./BIG SKY
#6 Butler/HORIZON vs. #11 Wisconsin
Minneapolis
#2 Kansas vs. #15 Cornell/IVY
#7 California vs. #10 Illinois State

PHOENIX REGIONAL
Dayton
#1 Pittsburgh vs. #16 Belmont/ATLANTIC SUN
#8 Brigham Young vs. #9 Kentucky
Portland
#4 Washington/PAC 10 vs. #13 We. Kentucky/SUN BELT
#5 Creighton vs. #12 Boston College
Miami
#3 LSU/SEC vs. #14 No. Dakota State/SUMMIT
#6 Clemson vs. #11 Dayton
Kansas City
#2 Oklahoma/BIG 12 vs. #15 Tennessee-Martin/OVC
#7 Syracuse vs. #10 Arizona

INDIANAPOLIS REGIONAL
Kansas City
#1 Memphis/CONFERENCE USA vs. #16 Play In Game: Alabama State/SWAC v. Long Beach State/BIG WEST
#8 Florida State vs. #9 Utah State/WAC
Portland
#4 Xavier/ATLANTIC 10 vs. #13 Davidson/SOUTHERN
#5 Marquette vs. #12 New Mexico
Minneapolis
#3 Michigan State/BIG TEN vs. #14 Sam Houston St./SOUTHLAND
#6 Gonzaga/WEST COAST vs. #11 Tennessee
Dayton
#2 Louisville vs. #15 American University/PATRIOT
#7 UCLA vs. #10 Texas A&M

Who's In? (as of 2/26/09)

ACC (6): No. Carolina, Duke, Wake Forest, Clemson, Florida State, Boston College
America East (1): Vermont
Atlantic 10 (2): Xavier, Dayton
Atlantic Sun (1): Belmont
Big 12 (6): Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M
Big East (7): Connecticut, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Villanova, Marquette, We. Virginia, Syracuse
Big Sky (1): Weber St.
Big South (1): Radford
Big Ten (5): Michigan State, Illinois, Purdue, Wisconsin, Ohio State
Big West (1): Long Beach State
Colonial (1): VA Commonwealth
Conference USA (2): Memphis, UAB
Horizon (1): Butler
Ivy (1): Cornell
MAAC (1): Siena
MAC (1): Miami (OH)
MEAC (1): Morgan State
Mountain West (3): Utah, Brigham Young, New Mexico
MVC (2): Creighton, Illinois State
Northeast (1): Robert Morris
OVC (1): Tennessee-Martin
PAC-10 (5): Washington, Arizona State, UCLA, California, Arizona
Patriot (1): American University
SEC (5): LSU, Florida, Kentucky, So. Carolina, Tennessee
Southern (1): Davidson
Southland (1): Sam Houston St.
Summit (1): No. Dakota State
Sun Belt (1): We. Kentucky
SWAC (1): Alabama State
WAC (1): Utah St.
West Coast (2): Gonzaga, St. Mary's

Last Four In: New Mexico, Ohio State, UAB, Boston College
First Four Out: Tulsa, Minnesota, UNLV, Rhode Island
Next Four Out: Michigan, No. Iowa, Niagara, Cincinnati

NCAA Bracket Projection - 2/22/09

BOSTON REGIONAL
Dayton
#1 Pittsburgh/BIG EAST vs. #16 Belmont/ATLANTIC SUN
#8 Texas v. #9 Kentucky
Boise
#4 Arizona State/PAC 10 vs. #13 VA Commonwealth/COLONIAL
#5 Wake Forest vs. #12 Tennessee
Minneapolis
#3 Marquette vs. #14 Weber State/BIG SKY
#6 Xavier/ATLANTIC 10 vs. #11 St. Mary's
Greensboro
#2 Duke vs. #15 Cornell/IVY
#7 Utah/MOUNTAIN WEST vs. #10 Wisconsin

INDIANAPOLIS REGIONAL
Kansas City
#1 Memphis/CONFERENCE USA vs. #16 Robert Morris/NORTHEAST
#8 Arizona vs. #9 Utah State/WAC
Portland
#4 LSU/SEC vs. #13 Vermont/AMERICA EAST
#5 Creighton/MVC vs. #12 Boston College
Miami
#3 Villanova vs. #14 Miami (OH)/MAC
#6 Butler/HORIZON vs. #11 UAB
Dayton
#2 Michigan State/BIG TEN vs. #15 Radford/BIG SOUTH
#7 Florida State vs. #10 Oklahoma State

PHOENIX REGIONAL
Philadelphia
#1 Connecticut vs. #16 Morgan State/MEAC
#8 California vs. #9 Illinois State
Boise
#4 Clemson vs. #13 We. Kentucky/SUN BELT
#5 Illinois vs. #12 Davidson/BIG SOUTH
Miami
#3 We. Virginia vs. #14 No. Dakota State/SUMMIT
#6 Purdue vs. #11 UNLV
Kansas City
#2 Oklahoma vs. #15 Tennessee-Martin/OVC
#7 Florida vs. #10 Dayton

MEMPHIS REGIONAL
Greensboro
#1 No. Carolina/ACC vs. #16 Play In: Alabama State/SWAC v. Long Beach State/BIG WEST
#8 Siena/MAAC vs. #9 Syracuse
Portland
#4 Washington vs. #13 New Mexico
#5 Missouri vs. #12 Texas A&M
Philadelphia
#3 Louisville vs. #14 American U./PATRIOT
#6 Gonzaga/WEST COAST vs. #11 Minnesota
Minneapolis
#2 Kansas vs. #15 Sam Houston St./SOUTHLAND
#7 UCLA vs. #10 Brigham Young

Who's In? (as of 2/22/09)

ACC (6): No. Carolina, Duke, Clemson, Wake Forest, Florida State, Boston College
America East (1): Vermont
Atlantic 10 (2): Xavier, Dayton
Atlantic Sun (1): Belmont
Big 12 (6): Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M
Big East (7): Pittsburgh, Connecticut, Louisville, Villanova, Marquette, We. Virginia, Syracuse
Big Sky (1): Weber St.
Big South (1): Radford
Big Ten (5): Michigan State, Illinois, Purdue, Wisconsin, Minnesota
Big West (1): Long Beach State
Colonial (1): VA Commonwealth
Conference USA (2): Memphis, UAB
Horizon (1): Butler
Ivy (1): Cornell
MAAC (1): Siena
MAC (1): Miami (OH)
MEAC (1): Morgan State
Mountain West (4): Utah, Brigham Young, UNLV, New Mexico
MVC (2): Creighton, Illinois St.
Northeast (1): Robert Morris
OVC (1): Tennessee-Martin
PAC-10 (5): Arizona State, Washington, UCLA, California, Arizona
Patriot (1): American University
SEC (4): LSU, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee
Southern (1): Davidson
Southland (1): Sam Houston St.
Summit (1): No. Dakota State
Sun Belt (1): We. Kentucky
SWAC (1): Alabama State
WAC (1): Utah St.
West Coast (2): Gonzaga, St. Mary's

PPI Rankings: 2/22/09

#1 No. Carolina
#2 Memphis
#3 Pittsburgh
#4 Connecticut
#5 Oklahoma
#6 Duke
#7 Michigan State
#8 Kansas
#9 Louisville
#10 Villanova
#11 Marquette
#12 We. Virginia
#13 Arizona State
#14 Clemson
#15 LSU
#16 Washington
#17 Missouri
#18 Creighton
#19 Illinois
#20 Wake Forest
#21 Purdue
#22 Xavier
#23 Butler
#24 Gonzaga
#25 UCLA
Others receiving votes: Florida State, Utah, Florida, California, Texas, Siena, Arizona, Syracuse, Kentucky, Illinois St., Utah St., Wisconsin, Dayton, Brigham Young, Oklahoma State

NCAA Bracket Projection - 2/13/09

BOSTON REGIONAL
Philadelphia
#1 Connecticut/BIG EAST vs. #16 Morgan State/MEAC
#8 Florida vs. #9 Ohio State
Portland
#4 Kansas vs. #13 VA Commonwealth/COLONIAL
#5 Washington vs. #12 Virginia Tech
Minneapolis
#3 Butler/HORIZON vs. #14Weber State/BIG SKY
#6 UCLA vs. #11 Illinois St.
Greensboro
#2 Duke vs. #15 Cornell/IVY
#7 Purdue vs. #10 UNLV

PHOENIX REGIONAL
Kansas City
#1 Oklahoma/BIG 12 vs. #16 Ea. Tenn St./ATLANTIC SUN
#8 Dayton vs. #9 California
Boise
#4 Louisville vs. #13Vermont/AMERICA EAST
#5 Wake Forest vs. #12 Kentucky
Miami
#3 We. Virginia vs. #14 We. Kentucky/SUN BELT
#6 LSU vs. #11 Boston College
Minneapolis
#2Michigan State/BIG 10 vs. #15 American U./PATRIOT
#7 Utah/MOUNTAIN WEST vs. #10 No. Iowa

INDIANAPOLIS REGIONAL
Kansas City
#1 Memphis/CONFERENCE USA vs. #16 Robert Morris/NORTHEAST
#8 Illinois vs. #9 Florida State
Boise
#4 Arizona State/PAC 10 vs. #13 Miami (OH)/MAC
#5 Marquette vs. #12 Tulsa
Miami
#3 Clemson vs. #14 No. Dakota State/SUMMIT
#6 Gonzaga/WEST COAST vs. #11 Wisconsin
Dayton
#2 Pittsburgh vs. #15 Tennessee-Martin/OVC
#7 Davidson/SOUTHERN vs. #10 Siena/MAAC

MEMPHIS REGIONAL
Greensboro
#1 No. Carolina/ACC vs. #16 Alabama State/SWAC-Pacific/BIG WEST
#8 Syracuse vs. #9 Arizona
Portland
#4 Missouri vs. #13 Cincinnati
#5 Illinois vs. #12 UAB
Dayton
#3 Xavier/ATLANTIC 10 vs. #14 Stephen F. Austin/SOUTHLAND
#6 Creighton/MVC vs. #11 Tennessee
Philadelphia
#2 Villanova vs. #15 Virginia Military/BIG SOUTH
#7 Utah State/WAC vs. #10 Minnesota

Who's In? (as of 2/13/09)

ACC (7): No. Carolina, Duke, Clemson, Wake Forest, Florida State, Boston College, Virginia Tech
America East (1): Vermont
Atlantic 10 (2): Xavier, Dayton
Atlantic Sun (1): Ea. Tenn St.
Big 12 (4): Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Texas
Big East (8): Connecticut, Pittsburgh, Villanova, We. Virginia, Louisville, Marquette, Syracuse, Cincinnati
Big Sky (1): Weber St.
Big South (1): Virginia Military
Big Ten (6): Michigan State, Illinois, Purdue, Ohio State, Minnesota, Wisconsin
Big West1Pacific
Colonial (1): VA Commonwealth
Conference USA (3): Memphis, Tulsa, UAB
Horizon (1): Butler
Ivy (1): Cornell
MAAC (1): Siena
MAC (1): Miami (OH)
MEAC (1): Morgan State
Mountain West (2): Utah, UNLV
MVC (3): Creighton, No. Iowa, Illinois State
Northeast (1): Robert Morris
OVC (1): Tennessee-Martin
PAC-10 (5): Arizona State, Washington, UCLA, Arizona, California
Patriot (1): American University
SEC (4): LSU, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky
Southern (1): Davidson
Southland (1): Stephen F. Austin
Summit (1): No. Dakota State
Sun Belt (1): We. Kentucky
SWAC (1): Alabama State
WAC (1): Utah St.
West Coast (1): Gonzaga

Last 4 In: Cincinnati, UAB, Kentucky, Virginia Tech
Last 4 Out: Kansas State, Brigham Young, New Mexico, Miss St.
Next 4 Out: So. Carolina, USC, San Diego State, Niagara

PPI Top 25 - 2/13/09

#1 No. Carolina
#2 Connecticut
#3 Oklahoma
#4 Memphis
#5 Pittsburgh
#6 Michigan State
#7 Duke
#8 Villanova
#9 Xavier
#10 Butler
#11 We. Virginia
#12 Clemson
#13 Arizona State
#14 Louisville
#15 Kansas
#16 Missouri
#17 Illinois
#18 Washington
#19 Marquette
#20 Wake Forest
#21 Gonzaga
#22 LSU
#23 UCLA
#24 Creighton
#25 Utah St.
Others receiving votes: Purdue, Utah, Davidson, Syracuse, Dayton, Florida, Texas, Arizona, California, Florida State, Ohio State, Siena, Minnesota, No. Iowa, UNLV

Who's In the NCAA Tourney (As of 2/8/09)?

ACC (7): No. Carolina, Duke, Wake Forest, Clemson, Florida State, Boston College, Virginia Tech
America East (1): Vermont
Atlantic 10 (2): Xavier, Dayton
Atlantic Sun (1): Ea. Tenn St.
Big 12 (4): Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Texas
Big East (7): Connecticut, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Marquette, Villanova, We. Virginia, Syracuse
Big Sky (1): Weber St.
Big South (1): Virginia Military
Big Ten (5): Michigan State, Illinois, Purdue, Ohio State, Minnesota
Big West (1): Long Beach State
Colonial (1): VA Commonwealth
Conference USA (3): Memphis, Tulsa, UAB
Horizon (1): Butler
Ivy (1): Cornell
MAAC (1): Siena
MAC (1): Miami (OH)
MEAC (1): Morgan State
Mountain West (3): Utah, UNLV, San Diego State
MVC (2): Creighton, No. Iowa
Northeast (1): Robert Morris
OVC (1): Tennessee-Martin
PAC-10 (6): Arizona State, UCLA, Washington, California, Arizona, USC
Patriot (1): American University
SEC (5): LSU, Florida, Tennessee, Miss St., So. Carolina
Southern (1): Davidson
Southland (1): Stephen F. Austin
Summit (1): No. Dakota State
Sun Belt (1): We. Kentucky
SWAC (1): Alabama State
WAC (1): Utah St.
West Coast (1): Gonzaga

PPI Rankings 2/8/09

#1 No. Carolina
#2 Connecticut
#3 Oklahoma
#4 Memphis
#5 Pittsburgh
#6 Duke
#7 Michigan State
#8 Xavier
#9 Louisville
#10 Kansas
#11 Butler
#12 Wake Forest
#13 Marquette
#14 Villanova
#15 Arizona State
#16 UCLA
#17 Missouri
#18 We. Virginia
#19 Clemson
#20 Washington
#21 Illinois
#22 Gonzaga
#23 LSU
#24 Creighton
#25 Syracuse
Others receiving votes: Utah St., Florida, California, Purdue, Utah, Ohio State, Davidson, Florida State, Dayton, Arizona, Texas, Minnesota, Boston College, Tulsa, UNLV

PPI Rankings - 2/1/09

#1 No. Carolina
#2 Oklahoma
#3 Connecticut
#4 Duke
#5 Pittsburgh
#6 Memphis
#7 Xavier
#8 Michigan State
#9 Louisville
#10 Marquette
#11 Wake Forest
#12 Butler
#13 We. Virginia
#14 Illinois
#15 Kansas
#16 Washington
#17 Clemson
#18 Purdue
#19 Arizona State
#20 Villanova
#21 Florida
#22 Missouri
#23 Syracuse
#24 UCLA
#25 Gonzaga
Others receiving votes: Utah St., Texas, Davidson, Minnesota, Dayton, LSU, UNLV, Siena, Creighton, USC, Kentucky, California, Boston College, Ohio State, Illinois St.

PPI Rankings - 1/25/09

#1 Duke
#2 Pittsburgh
#3 No. Carolina
#4 Oklahoma
#5 Connecticut
#6 Xavier
#7 Memphis
#8 Michigan State
#9 Wake Forest
#10 Louisville
#11 Butler
#12 Arizona State
#13 We. Virginia
#14 Marquette
#15 Illinois
#16 Syracuse
#17 Clemson
#18 Kansas
#19 Florida
#20 Washington
#21 Missouri
#22 Texas
#23 Kentucky
#24 St. Mary's
#25 California
Others receiving votes: Utah St., UNLV, Purdue, Davidson, Villanova, Minnesota, Virginia Tech, Gonzaga, Siena, Florida State, Illinois St., Dayton, Creighton, Oklahoma State, UCLA

Who's In? (As of 1/23/09)

ACC (7): No. Carolina, Duke, Wake Forest, Clemson, Virginia Tech, Florida State, Miami (FL)
America East (1): Vermont
Atlantic 10 (2): Xavier, Dayton
Atlantic Sun (1): Ea. Tenn St.
Big 12 (7): Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, Texas, Baylor, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M
Big East (8): Pittsburgh, Connecticut, We. Virginia, Syracuse, Marquette, Louisville, Villanova, Georgetown
Big Sky (1): Portland St.
Big South (1): Virginia Military
Big Ten (5): Michigan State, Illinois, Purdue, Minnesota, Ohio State
Big West (1): Long Beach State
Colonial (1): VA Commonwealth
Conference USA (1): Memphis
Horizon (1): Butler
Ivy (1): Cornell
MAAC (1): Siena
MAC (1): Miami (OH)
MEAC (1): Morgan State
Mountain West (2): UNLV, Utah
MVC (2): Creighton, Illinois St.
Northeast (1): Robert Morris
OVC (1): Austin Peay
PAC-10 (5): Arizona State, Washington, California, UCLA, Stanford
Patriot (1): American University
SEC (4): Florida, Kentucky, LSU, Tennessee
Southern (1): Davidson
Southland (1): Stephen F. Austin
Summit (1): No. Dakota State
Sun Belt (1): We. Kentucky
SWAC (1): Alabama State
WAC (1): Utah St.
West Coast (2): St. Mary's, Gonzaga


Last 4 In: Utah, Texas A&M, Ohio State, Oklahoma State
Last 4 Out: Wisconsin, Penn State, Providence, USC
Next 4 Out: Brigham Young, Miss St., No. Iowa, UAB

PPI Rankings - as of 1/18/09

#1 No. Carolina
#2 Duke
#3 Wake Forest
#4 Oklahoma
#5 Pittsburgh
#6 Connecticut
#7 Michigan State
#8 Memphis
#9 Syracuse
#10 Arizona State
#11 Marquette
#12 Xavier
#13 Butler
#14 Clemson
#15 California
#16 Louisville
#17 We. Virginia
#18 Illinois
#19 Florida
#20 Texas
#21 Washington
#22 Gonzaga
#23 Minnesota
#24 Illinois St.
#25 St. Mary's
Others receiving votes: Utah St., Missouri, Davidson, Villanova, Georgetown, Kentucky, Florida State, Kansas, Purdue, Siena, Oklahoma State, Creighton, Dayton, Ohio State, UCLA

PPI Rankings - 1/11/09

#1 Pittsburgh
#2 Duke
#3 No. Carolina
#4 Connecticut
#5 Syracuse
#6 Michigan State
#7 Clemson
#8 Arizona State
#9 California
#10 Oklahoma
#11 Wake Forest
#12 Marquette
#13 Memphis
#14 Xavier
#15 Butler
#16 West Virginia
#17 Saint Mary's
#18 Louisville (biggest mover)
#19 Illinois
#20 Minnesota
#21 Creighton
#22 Oklahoma State
#23 Texas
#24 UCLA
#25 Gonzaga
Other receiving votes: Illinois State, Wisconsin, Utah State, Villanova, Florida, UNLV, Georgetown, Missouri, Washington, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Michigan, Stanford, Brigham Young, Notre Dame

PPI Projections - 1/12/09 & Analysis Forthcoming

Picks vs. Spread:
Oklahoma -4.5 vs. Texas
Citadel +2.5 vs. Chattanooga
Applachian State +12 vs. Davidson
Southeast Missouri State +12 vs. Tennessee-Martin

Analysis of the Big East conference forthcoming...

PPI Projections - 1/7/09

Games vs. Spread
Hofstra -5.5 vs. Delaware
St. Bonaventure -3.5 @ Fordham
Syracuse -13 vs. DePaul
North Carolina-Wilmington +4 vs. William & Mary
Northeastern -3 @ Georgia State
James Madison +10 @ Old Dominion
Towson +7 vs. George Mason
Ea. Carolina -7 vs. Tulane
Indiana +8.5 vs. Michigan
Drake -14 vs. Indiana State
Evansville -8 vs. Missouri State

PPI Projections - 1/6/09

Picks vs. Spread (Today 5-2, Overall 68-52-3, 56.5%)
Georgia +8 @ Georgia Tech
Creighton -13 vs. Northern Iowa
Illinois State -2.5 @ Bradley
Arkansas +4.5 vs. Texas
Penn State +3 vs. Purdue
UTEP +8 @ New Mexico
Siena +12 @ Kansas

PPI Projections - 1/5/09

Picks vs. Spread (Today 1-6-1, Overall 63-50-3, 55.6%)
Hofstra +8 @ Northeastern
Niagara -13 vs. Loyola (MD)
Kent State +8.5 @ Temple
Wisconsin-Milwaukee -7.5 vs. Valparaiso
We. Kentucky +7 @ Mississippi State
Morehead State +1 @ Tennessee State
UC Davis +3 @ Cal State Northridge
Hawaii -6 vs. Louisiana Tech

PPI Rankings - 1/4/09

Back from Vegas and lots of movement around the PPI. North Carolina gets taken out by Boston College, Arizona State goes down, and Loyola Marymount gets their first win.

PPI RANKINGS:
#1 Pittsburgh
#2 North Carolina
#3 Duke
#4 Wake Forest
#5 Arizona State
#6 Oklahoma
#7 Clemson
#8 Syracuse
#9 West Virginia
#10 Michigan State
#11 Illinois State
#12 Connecticut
#13 Xavier
#14 California
#15 Memphis
#16 Marquette
#17 Saint Mary's
#18 Illinois
#19 Butler
#20 UNLV
#21 Creighton
#22 Boston College
#23 Texas
#24 Stanford
#25 Missouri
Others receiving votes: Texas A&M, UCLA, Villanova, Wisconsin, Niagara, Georgetown, Oklahoma State, Louisville, Dayton, Florida, Florida State, Washington, Minnesota, Tennessee, Brigham Young

Game Projections - 1/3/09

Back on the East Coast - time for some projections:

Picks vs. Spread (Today 17-12; Overall 61-44-3, 57.9%)
Pittsburgh +3.5 @ Georgetown
Rice +10.5 @ Richmond
Georgia +8 vs. Missouri
St. John's +8.5 vs. Notre Dame
Ball State +6.5 vs. Saint Joseph's
Xavier -3 @ Virginia
Seton Hall +9 vs. West Virginia
Furman +6.5 vs. Western Carolina
North Carolina State +11 @ Florida
Old Dominion -4.5 @ Georgia State
Wyoming +14.5 @ Utah
Indiana +14 @ Iowa
Vanderbilt +1.5 @ Massachusetts
Denver +8 @ Louisiana-Lafayette
James Madison +4 @ Towson
Niagara -12.5 vs. Manhattan
W Kentucky -7.5 vs. Arkansas-Little Rock
Wake Forest +3 @ Brigham Young
Butler -9 @ Valparaiso
Arkansas State -11.5 vs. New Orleans
Southeast Missouri State +14 @ Tennessee Tech
Jacksonville State -11.5 vs. Eastern Illinois
Troy -4 vs. Florida International
Morehead State +7.5 @ Austin Peay
Montana State +4 @ Montana
Weber State -6 vs. Northern Colorado
Fresno State +1 vs. New Mexico State
Idaho +12 @ Nevada
UNLV -5.5 vs. New Mexico