January 12, 2009 Bracket

Before I post this, I must say it's been a much tougher call this year to pick which 65 are going to be in. The selection committee is going to have a whale of a time determining which mid-major conferences should have multiple bids OR how many bids do you give to the major conferences? When I decide, I look at the RPI, the SOS, and the overall record. STILL, it's tough...so if some teams are in and some teams are out, it's truly by fractions. It's that close.
At the bottom of the bracket, I'll list the other teams that I considered. I don't call them "bubble" teams, I just put them on a "watch" list. That means they could be in next time, or they could be out. It just depends on their performance.
Enough rambling, here's the bracket.

EAST REGION (Boston)
#1 Pittsburgh (15-0) vs. #16 Winner of Hampton (7-7)/Alabama State (6-7)
#8 Florida State (13-3) vs. #9 Washington (11-4)
#5 Florida (14-2) vs. #12 Kansas (11-4)
#4 Minnesota (15-1) vs. #13 Drake (13-4)
#6 Oklahoma State (12-3) vs. #11 Siena (12-5)
#3 Syracuse (16-1) vs. #14 Binghamton (10-5)
#7 Gonzaga (10-4) vs. #10 Michigan (13-3)
#2 North Carolina (14-2) vs. #15 Navy (12-4)

MIDWEST REGION (Indianapolis)
#1 Michigan State (13-2) vs. #16 Harvard (9-6)
#8 UCLA (13-2) vs. #9 George Mason (12-3)
#5 Tennessee (10-4) vs. #12 Miami University (8-5)
#4 Georgetown (11-3) vs. #13 VMI (13-2)
#6 Texas (12-3) vs. #11 Dayton (14-2)
#3 Wake Forest (14-0) vs. #14 East Tennessee State (11-4)
#7 Villanova (13-3) vs. #10 Ohio State (11-3)
#2 Butler (14-1) vs. #15 North Dakota State (10-5)

SOUTH REGION (Memphis)
#1 Clemson (16-0) vs. #16 Middle Tennessee (11-5)
#8 West Virginia (11-4) vs. #9 Stanford (11-3)
#5 Wisconsin (12-4) vs. #12 Kentucky (12-4)
#4 Memphis (12-3) vs. #13 Boise State (12-3)
#6 Louisville (11-3) vs. #11 UNLV (13-3)
#3 Oklahoma (15-1) vs. #14 Lamar (10-4)
#7 Davidson (11-3) vs. #10 Illinois State (14-2)
#2 Xavier (13-2) vs. #15 Austin Peay (9-7)

WEST REGION (Glendale)
#1 Duke (14-1) vs. #16 Robert Morris (10-7)
#8 Illinois (14-2) vs. #9 Texas A&M (14-2)
#5 Marquette (15-2) vs. #12 Utah State (15-1)
#4 Arizona State (14-2) vs. #13 Arkansas (12-2)
#6 St. Mary's (15-1) vs. #11 San Diego State (12-3)
#3 California (15-2) vs. #14 Long Beach State (9-7)
#7 BYU (13-2) vs. #10 Baylor (13-2)
#2 Connecticut (14-1) vs. #15 Weber State (9-7)

Also Considered "Watch List":
Miami (12-3) RPI: 41
Boston College (13-4) RPI: 61
Maryland (12-3) RPI: 72
Notre Dame (12-3) RPI: 62
Providence (11-5) RPI: 79
Purdue (12-4) RPI: 67
Penn State (13-4) RPI: 81
Missouri (13-3) RPI: 56
Northeastern (10-5) RPI: 66
VCU (11-5) RPI: 64
UAB (9-6) RPI: 43
Evansville (11-4) RPI: 40
Bradley (10-6) RPI: 58
Creighton (13-4) RPI: 71
Utah (10-6) RPI: 22
Arizona (11-5) RPI: 59
Western Kentucky (10-6) RPI: 69

See how hard this is?!
Next Bracket: Monday, January 19