March 2 Bracket

It's getting close and some things are starting to clarify a bit. I didn't penalize NC and Duke for their recent losses, but it bears watching.

I was asked whether a team was "safe" this week. I'm using the bubble-watch-style columns to determine this, but I'd say at this point any 9-seed or higher is probably safe. 10's and lower are in varying degrees of danger. You have to keep winning. And in some cases, winning might not be enough. St. Bonaventure could win three more games and get to the A-10 final and lose it, but still get passed by some ACC or Big 12 teams that pick off a top team or two in the conference tourney.

Probably an update Sunday, an update Thursday, and then it's the final submission to the Bracket Matrix on Selection Sunday, and we'll see what all this practice results in.