With Selection Sunday less than two weeks away, it’s time to dive deeper into burning questions before the reveal of the bracket. It’s tracking to be inventible that Auburn will earn the No. 1 overall seed later this month because it has the best resumé in the sport. It would take a late-season collapse for another team to jump the Tigers for the No. 1 overall seed.
With Auburn trending toward being the top team, the question then becomes who will be the other three No. 1 seeds? As of Monday, Duke, Houston and Tennessee are the other three No. 1 seeds in the latest Bracketology projections by CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm. Alabama was the final No. 1 seed in the bracket before losing to Tennessee on a last-second 3-pointer by Jahmai Mashack last weekend.
In Palm’s Bracketology projections, Alabama, Michigan State, Wisconsin and Florida are listed on the No. 2 line. Big East regular season champion St. John’s is a No. 3 seed alongside Purdue, Texas A&M and Michigan. Could any of those teams jump to a No. 1 seed during the next 13 days?
We asked Palm four burning questions to address — and then offered our opinion on his opinion.
1. What would it take for Duke to fall off the 1 line?
What Palm says: I’m not sure two would be enough unless they were major upsets. Lose to Wake at home Monday night and someone similar or worse in the ACCT, and then we can entertain the discussion. Also, someone would have to step up and take it as well.
What we think: The last part of Palm’s answer is the key here. The Blue Devils should feel good about their chances of earning a No. 1 seed. In my opinion, the only way Duke is not a No. 1 seed is if it loses one of its final two games in the regular season and has an early exit in the ACC Tournament. It’s far more likely that Duke finishes as the No. 2 overall seed in the bracket, which means it would be on the other side from Auburn.
2. If Michigan State wins…
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