Bracketology: Can Oklahoma secure a No. 1 seed in NCAA Tournament?
With another upset win, can Oklahoma basketball make a run for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament? This Bracketology update assesses the Sooners’ chances
The quest for the top seeds in March Madness will certainly be interesting down the stretch. There admittedly isn’t much change from last week in the teams under consideration with one major exception: Oklahoma.
The Sooners shot into the Top 10 of the polls after a three-game winning streak against Top 10 foes put the country on notice. The streak came to an end on Monday against Texas Tech but the statement that Oklahoma made merited inclusion in this week’s edition of Bracketology.
Let’s break down the current No. 1 seeds, where there is still no change at the top of the board.
Top overall seed – Gonzaga Bulldogs
The march towards perfection continues for Gonzaga, which swept a road trip to San Diego and Pepperdine to improve to 17-0 on the season. Aside from a trip to BYU to end the regular season, there appear to be few chances for the Bulldogs to realistically lose before the conference tournament.
Gonzaga has a matchup against Loyola-Marymount on tap for its only action of the week after Saturday’s date with Santa Clara was postponed due to COVID-19 issues. There are rumors that Mark Few is looking for an impromptu non-conference game to fill that slot which would add an exciting challenge if it comes to fruition.
Second overall seed – Baylor Bears
Just like Gonzaga, the Bears are on a march towards perfection. The road to an undefeated season is tougher for Baylor thanks to the rugged Big 12, which is the deepest conference pound-for-pound in the country.
Road dates with Texas, West Virginia, Oklahoma and Kansas still loom as obstacles for Baylor. Losses will likely be coming but the overall strength of the Bears’ resume leaves them as the clear 1B behind Gonzaga’s 1A at this point.
Third overall seed – Villanova Wildcats
The Wildcats move up one slot here to third overall, which reflects their ranking in the latest AP poll. A clean week with a nice road win at Seton Hall helped Villanova improve to a perfect 6-0 in Big East play.
Jay Wright’s team has another road game on tap against St. John’s before closing the week with a home date against Xavier on Super Bowl Sunday. A two-win week here should be good enough for Villanova to hold serve on the seed list.
Fourth overall seed – Michigan Wolverines
The Wolverines fell through no fault of their own as a COVID pause has them sidelined for another week. The overall body of work that Michigan has put together is worthy of the top line and they’ll stay here out of respect for that.
In the mix for a No. 1 seed
The biggest threat to land on the top line is Houston, which is dominating the AAC and has lost once this season by a point to Tulsa. The Cougars have a road trip to last-place Eastern Carolina this week and should easily pick up a win.
Texas lost a tough one to Oklahoma by a point and had its game against Kentucky canceled due to COVID-19 issues for the Wildcats. Games with Baylor and Oklahoma State this week will offer a clear look at whether the Longhorns have the staying power to remain in the hunt for a No. 1 seed.
Iowa played just once last week and lost to Illinois, which is nothing to be ashamed of since the Fighting Illini are a very good team in the Big Ten. Avoiding further losses is critical if the Hawkeyes want to avoid losing ground here.
The last team in the mix is Oklahoma, which leapfrogs Alabama after beating the Crimson Tide last Saturday. The loss to the Red Raiders slowed the Sooners’ momentum but they can get back on the saddle by topping lowly Iowa State on Saturday.
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