Is Maryland a sure-fire NCAA tournament team? Nope. Still too much work to do.
Would the Terps be in if the season ended today? Quite possibly.
SEE RELATED:
There’s arguments for and against. But at this stage, Maryland is on the right side of the line for the pool of candidates for postseason inclusion.
Meanwhile, Pittsburgh solidified its grasp on a No. 1 seed over the last week, which has to make the committee happy. It would be ideal if a No. 1 seed landed in play-in game home Dayton for the first weekend, and the Panthers look like the surest best of anyone to earn the honor of facing the last team into the round of 64.
A full bracket rundown:
EAST REGION
Dayton, Ohio
(1) BIG EAST/Pittsburgh vs. (16) SWAC/Alabama State-ATLANTIC SUN/Jacksonville
(8) Arizona vs. (9) Florida
Boise, Idaho
(4) Purdue vs. (13) CAA/Virginia Commonwealth
(5) ATLANTIC 10/Xavier vs, (12) Oklahoma State
Minneapolis
(3) Louisville vs. (14) SUMMIT/North Dakota State
(6) Texas vs. (11) South Carolina
Greensboro, N.C.
(2) Duke vs. (15) SOUTHLAND/Stephen F. Austin”
(7) UCLA vs. (10) Brigham Young
SOUTH REGION
Greensboro, N.C.
(1) ACC/North Carolina vs. (16) OHIO VALLEY/UT Martin
(8) HORIZON/Butler vs. (9) Wisconsin
Portland, Ore.
(4) Marquette vs. (13) SOUTHERN/Davidson
(5) PAC-10/Washington vs. (12) Kentucky
Minneapolis
(3) Missouri vs. (14) BIG SKY/Weber State
(6) West Virginia vs. (11) Maryland
Dayton, Ohio
(2) BIG TEN/Michigan State vs. (15) NORTHEAST/Robert Morris
(7) California vs. (10) WAC/Utah State
MIDWEST REGION
Kansas City, Mo.
(1) Oklahoma vs. (16) BIG WEST/Long Beach State
(8) Dayton vs. (9) Boston College
Portland, Ore.
(4) Arizona State vs. (13) SUN BELT/Western Kentucky
(5) Illinois vs. (12) UNLV
Miami
(3) Clemson vs. (14) MAC/Buffalo
(6) SEC/Louisiana State vs. (11) MAAC/Siena
Philadelphia
(2) Villanova vs. (15) BIG SOUTH/Radford
(7) MOUNTAIN WEST/Utah vs. (10) Minnesota
WEST REGION
Philadelphia
(1) Connecticut vs. (16) MEAC/Morgan State
(8) Ohio State vs. (9) Texas A&M
Boise, Idaho
(4) Wake Forest vs. (13) PATRIOT/American
(5) WCC/Gonzaga vs. (12) MVC/Creighton
Kansas City, Mo.
(3) BIG 12/Kansas vs. (14) AMERICA EAST/Vermont
(6) Florida State vs. (11) Penn State
Miami
(2) CONFERENCE USA/Memphis vs. (15) IVY/Cornell
(7) Syracuse vs. (10) Tennessee
Last four in: UNLV, Penn State, Oklahoma State, Maryland
Last four out: Kansas State, Michigan, Cincinnati, Southern California
Next four out: Miami, San Diego State, Virginia Tech, Saint Mary’s
Multi-bid leagues: Big East (7), ACC (7), Big Ten (7), Big 12 (6), Pac-10 (5), SEC (5), Mountain West (3), A-10 (2)
Moving in: Jacksonville, Maryland, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, UNLV, Vermont
Moving out: Belmont, Binghamton, Cincinnati, San Diego State, Southern California, Virginia Tech
—- Patrick Stevens
