Yep, it's that time of the year. And as far as college basketball goes in the state of Michigan, it's never been better. Michigan (No. 5) and Michigan State (No. 6) are ranked within the top six of the AP Poll for the fourth straight week. Prior to this season, that had never happened at any point since the since the poll was created in 1948.
It's a blessing for the local sports scene, where the four pro teams haven't exactly been beacons of hope.
Last week brought two more wins each for the Wolverines and the Spartans, albeit with a loss for Michigan State on Sunday at the hands of Purdue. (More on that later.) For both teams, it's starting to feel like anything less than a national championship would constitute a disappointment.
That might be looking ahead, but like we said -- it's that time of the year. The season is nearing the all-important month of February, and March is taking shape on the horizon. Before we know it, we'll be tipping off the NCAA Tournament.
So, what will it look like? Who's in? Who's out? For those answers, we turn to our resident college basketball expert Kyle Beery, who's projected the field if the tournament started today. Keep that last part in mind while sizing things up.
And check back each Monday of the rest of the season for the latest projection.
(Teams earning an automatic bid -- conference champions -- are denoted by their respective conference.)
Last 4 byes/at-large bids: Minnesota, UCF, Baylor, Texas
Last 4 in (First Four in Dayton): Seton Hall, VCU, Florida, Indiana
First 4 out: Arizona State, Creighton, Butler, San Francisco
(Next 4 out): Utah State, Arizona, Temple, Clemson
EAST REGIONAL – Washington, D.C.
Columbia, S.C.
- 1. Virginia (ACC) vs. 16. Prairie View A&M (SWAC)/Norfolk State (MEAC)
- 8. Ohio State vs. 9. Ole Miss
Salt Lake City, Utah
- 4. Purdue vs. 13. Yale (Ivy)
- 5. Marquette vs. 12. Hofstra (CAA)
Tulsa, Okla.
- 3. Houston (AAC) vs. 14. South Dakota State (Summit)
- 6. Oklahoma vs. 11. Florida/Indiana
Jacksonville, Fla.
- 7. Cincinnati vs. 10. St. John's
- 2. Kentucky vs. 15. George Mason (A-10)
Regional Rundown
- Top Dogs: Virginia (18-1, 6-1 ACC)
- The Cavs suffered their lone setback of the season on the road against a phenomenal Duke team, but they still have the slightly better resume than the Blue Devils. Forget a loss to 16-seed UMBC last spring; this is a different team.
- On the rise: Purdue (14-6, 7-2 Big Ten)
- The Boilermakers got hands-down their best win of the season on Sunday. While that has them trending upwards, a lack of stand-out non-conference wins could prevent them from rising much higher than the four-line.
- Falling: Indiana (12-8, 3-6 Big Ten)
- Since a promising 12-2 start to the season, Archie Miller's Hoosiers have gone into free-fall. They own just one win in 2019 and have lost six straight. They're clinging to a last-four-in spot right now, thanks to a pretty weak bubble at the time being and a pair of nice non-conference wins over Marquette and Louisville.
- Mid-major to watch: Hofstra (19-3, 9-0 CAA)
- The nation's longest winning streak belongs to Hofstra at 16 games. The Pride ranks in the top 20 in offense in KenPom and guard Justin Wright-Foreman is third in the country in scoring average (26 PPG).
SOUTH REGIONAL – Louisville, Ky.
Columbia, S.C.
- 1. Duke vs. 16. Sam Houston State (Southland)/Robert Morris (NEC)
- 8. Kansas State vs. 9. Nebraska
Des Moines, Iowa
- 4. Texas Tech vs. 13 Vermont (AE)
- 5. Wisconsin vs. 12. Seton Hall/VCU
San Jose, Calif.
- 3. Nevada (MWC) vs. 14. North Texas (C-USA)
- 6. Mississippi State vs. 11. Minnesota
Des Moines, Iowa
- 7. NC State vs. 10. Alabama
- 2. Michigan State (Big Ten) vs. 15. Loyola-Chicago (MVC)
Regional Rundown
- Top Dogs: Duke (17-2, 6-1 ACC)
- The Blue Devils rebounded nicely from the loss against Clemson, beating Virginia in a massive showdown. The only reason they're just behind UVA is a slightly worse record vs. Q1 + Q2, including that home loss to Clemson. Duke and UVA will be 1A and 1B for the foreseeable future.
- On the rise: Wisconsin (14-6, 6-3 Big Ten)
- The Badgers didn't get off to the greatest start this season, but knocking off Michigan did wonders for their resume. A three-game win streak has Wisconsin in much better shape than two-three weeks ago.
- Falling: Michigan State (18-3, 9-1 Big Ten)
- It wasn't a far fall at all, but losing at Purdue to snap a 13- game win-streak knocked the Spartans just off the top line. It's not a big deal, as slip-ups – especially on the road during a three-game week—in the Big Ten are bound to happen. There's plenty of time for MSU to still prove worthy of a No. 1 seed.
- Mid-Major to watch: Nevada (19-1, 6-1 MWC)
- It's the obvious answer out of this region, but the Wolf Pack are legit Final Four contenders this season under two conditions – the defense needs to improve a little bit, and they need to stop digging such massive holes early in games. It made for a great story last March against Cincinnati, but it offered a brutal reality against New Mexico earlier this month.
MIDWEST REGIONAL – Kansas City, MO
Columbus, Ohio
- 1. Tennessee (SEC) vs. 16. Rider (MAAC)
- 8. Iowa vs. 9. Syracuse
Hartford, Conn.
- 4. Virginia Tech vs. 13. Texas State (Sun Belt)
- 5. Villanova (Big East) vs. 12. Lipscomb (A-Sun)
Tulsa, Okla.
- 3. Kansas (Big 12) vs. 14. UC Irvine (Big West)
- 6. Buffalo (MAC) vs. 11. UCF
Jacksonville, Fla.
- 7. Maryland vs. 10. Texas
- 2. North Carolina vs. 15. Bucknell (Patriot)
Regional Rundown
- Top Dogs: Tennessee (18-1, 6-0 SEC)
- The Vols survived a scare from rival Vanderbilt last week and held onto their top-line standing, thanks to a monster performance from Grant Williams (40 points, 20-for-20 FTs). He's in the running for POTY runner-up honors behind Zion Williamson, who figures to run away with the award.
- On the rise: North Carolina (15-4, 5-1 ACC)
- After a loss at Michigan, Roy Williams said this is the worst job he's done in his 31 years at UNC. Since then, the Tar Heels are 9-2 with the losses coming against Kentucky and Louisville (which, granted, was an ugly 20-point home loss). Since losing to the Cards, UNC has looked untouchable. Is it only a matter of time before they lay another stinker?
- Falling: Maryland (16-5, 7-3 Big Ten)
- Maryland took a seven-game winning streak into East Lansing last week and looked mostly unimpressive. They followed it up with a surefire rebound game against Illinois, only to look completely out of sorts. In a matter of one week, the Terps went from shooting up the AP poll to plummeting down it.
- Mid-Major to watch: Lipscomb (18-4, 7-0 A-Sun)
- Aside from Buffalo being one of the country's best stories under former Romulus High School coach Nate Oats, this region's best mid-major has to be Lipscomb. Ranked top-50 in KenPom, with a top-20 defense, they could pull off an upset come March.
WEST REGIONAL – Anaheim, CA
Columbus, Ohio
- 1. Michigan vs. 16. CSU Bakersfield (WAC)
- 8. Auburn vs. 9. Washington (Pac-12)
San Jose, Calif.
- 4. LSU vs. 13. Northern Kentucky
- 5. Iowa State vs. 12. Murray State (OVC)
Hartford, Conn.
- 3. Louisville vs. 14. Radford (Big South)
- 6. TCU vs. 11. Wofford (SOCON)
Salt Lake City, Utah
- 7. Florida State vs. 10. Baylor
- 2. Gonzaga (WCC) vs. 15. Northern Colorado (Big Sky)
Regional Rundown
- Top dogs: Michigan (19-1, 8-3 Big Ten)
- Prior to Sunday, I had Michigan as the top No. 2 seed, right on the heels of the rival Spartans. MSU's setback benefitted the Wolverines, who still only have one loss, which really isn't a bad one. The only problem with their resume is beyond UNC and Villanova, they don't have a ton of overly impressive wins stacked up. A pair of matchups with MSU in the season's final four games could make or break either team's case for a 1-seed.
- On the rise: Louisville (15-5, 6-1 ACC)
- Chris Mack's first year with his new team is exceeding expectations. The Cardinals are on a five-game win streak, which was jumpstarted by that 20-point win in Chapel Hill. They'll get the "proof shot" on that game when the Heels come to town Saturday.
- Falling: Auburn (13-6, 2-4 SEC)
- The Tigers were in the picture for a top-four seed early on, but three straight losses – albeit two on the road and two against ranked teams – has them trending the wrong way in a hurry.
- Mid-major to watch: Gonzaga (19-2, 6-0 WCC)
- Surely, you know about Gonzaga by now. They are really good. Get over the idea that Mark Few only stacks wins in the regular season against crummy teams and then flops in March. That's no longer true – they made a title game two years ago and could very well get back this year. They also played a heck of a non-con schedule, including a win over Duke in Maui. Back-to-back losses against Tennessee and UNC came without Killian Tillie, their best and most experienced player.
