Two weeks remain in the regular season before the NCAA Tournament will begin. As is commonplace in March, there was a lot of movement during the past week in the seed list. The bubble is getting crowded, and seeds 4 through 6 are looking for teams worthy of that seed. See below our risers and fallers of the week.
Risers of the Week:
Kansas: Going 1-1 on the week usually wouldn't move a team up a seed, but the Jayhawks accomplished what no other team had been able to do this year – defeat Baylor. Kansas has risen from a 4 to a 3 seed, as it has racked up many quality wins and moved into the top 15 in NET ranking. With the regular season winding down, the Jayhawks now sit at 3rd in the Big 12.
Arkansas: The Razorbacks started the week as a 6 seed but jumped up to a 4 after beating Alabama and LSU. Arkansas has won its last 6 games and has gone 9-1 over its last 10. The team's metrics also now rank in the top 20.
Oklahoma State: After a 2-0 week with wins over Texas Tech and Oklahoma on the road, the Cowboys have jumped from an 8 seed up to a 6 seed. Oklahoma State's NET ranking and other metrics have been on the rise, and the team is now tied for the top 4 in the Big 12.
Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets were out of the field at the beginning of the week but have made their way into the tournament. Georgia Tech went 2-0 on the week, winning at Virginia and against Syracuse. Despite a rough two-game start to the year, the Yellow Jackets have accumulated some quality wins in the ACC and risen their NET ranking within the top 40.
Fallers of the Week:
Oklahoma: The Sooners began the week as a 3 seed but dropped to the lower end of the 4 seeds after going 0-2 on the week, including a loss to Kansas State. While Oklahoma's NET ranking dropped outside of the top 25, the team has still racked up many top tier wins this season to stay in the 3 seed hunt.
Tennessee: At the start of the week, the Volunteers were a 5 seed, but they have dropped to a 7 seed after a loss to Auburn who was playing without freshman guard Sharife Cooper. Tennessee's NET ranking fell outside the top 20, but the team still has a decent SEC standing and some good wins on the season. Down the stretch, it is certainly still possible for the Volunteers to earn a better seed.
USC: The Trojans started the week in the 4-5 seed range but have dropped down to a 6 after losing two straight games by an average of 14 points. USC averaged less than 70 PPG over its 3 games last week, but despite the downfall, there are still opportunities ahead in the Pac-12 for the Trojans to get back to a top 4 seed.
Belmont: The Bruins were a 12 seed to begin the week but have dropped to a 13 after going 0-2 on the week against sub-100 teams. While Belmont's NET ranking has now fallen outside the top 80, the Bruins are still the heavy favorites to win the Ohio Valley conference tournament.
DM @Tbracketology with questions. We are closing in on tournament time!
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