- Ky McKeon
Folks, it's the end of November and that can only mean one thing: UNNECESSARILY EARLY BRACKETOLOGY! Fortunate for the 3MW organization, Ky (third person) and Jim are both EXPERT bracketologists. Since Jim and I are two men of strong and differing opinions, we thought it'd be fun to "duel" each other and pick apart one another's bracket. Of course, since I'm writing this little article, there mayyyyyy be some biased takes towards my own bracketology.
As we are in the early part of the season, our brackets are based off a combination of resume and opinions on how teams will fare for the remainder of the year. Please "@" us on Twitter (@_3MW_) and express your frustrations accordingly.
Jim's Bracket
Ky's Bracket
Jim's Bubble
Ky's Bubble
Jim's S-Curve
Ky's S-Curve
Reactions
The Field of 68
Jim and I have the same field of 68 except for four teams, three of which are at-large bids. Mr. Root decided to include Utah, Butler, and NC State, while I went with my heart and chose Maryland, Oregon, and Penn State. Jim gave me some fair guff for having the Nittany Lions in over the Wolfpack, especially after NC State handled them at home this week. On the flip side, I challenge Jim that his Butler inclusion is an eye sore, an eye sore I say! Our 4th difference is on the MEAC auto-bid... Jim took Morgan State while I took NC Central.
The Seeds
1-Line: Jim and I have the same 1-seeds in Duke, Kansas, Villanova, and Michigan State. Arguments could be made for several teams at this point, but these four stood out to the boyz.
2-Line: Jim and I have similar brackets, but we differ by 2 seeds or more on a few squads. The 2-line is one of our most contentious areas. Jim is sticking to his guns on Miami by vaulting the Canes to a 2-seed after their impressive win at Minnesota. I'm not as sold on Miami, and thus have them at a 5-seed, our largest difference of opinion.
Other Discrepancies: Jim and I disagree by 2 seed lines on six teams outside of Miami. They are: Gonzaga, Louisville, Alabama, Texas Tech, TCU, UCLA, and Tennessee. I have no issue with Jim's Zags and Cards love on the 4-line, but I have beef putting UCLA on the 8-line; they don't have the resume nor the positive outlook (in my opinion) to warrant that high of a seed. I'm also surprised at Jim's lack of love for the mighty Big 12, under-seeding TCU and Texas Tech. The Raiderrrrrz *Chris Berman voice* have come out firing on all cylinders and the Frogs look to be a top 4 conference team.
Power Conference Bid Count:
Bracketology is subjective, especially at this stage, but getting an early glimpse of what the field for the best event in sports might look like always tickles our fancy here at the Weave (except Matt, he couldn't care less). We'll continue updating our brackets throughout the year as we strive to become the champions of bracketology.