Welcome back to week two of our 2011 bracket watch. When we started this last week, UConn was sitting pretty, projected as a 2 seed in all four of our brackets. This week? Things have only gotten better as two of the projections have bumped the Huskies up to the 1 line. Of course, the road to a 1 or 2 seed for UConn is going to be a long, hard one, but after last night's win, it's starting to at least seem conceivable. So while this is for fun now, it could turn into something very real. As for the matchups themselves, UConn has some really good matchups this week. Some are certainly better than others, but I'd take any of these four in a heartbeat. On to the projections.
ESPN Bracketology
Region: East (Newark)
Seed: 2
First-round location: Washington, D.C.
Opponent: Long Island
Top 4 Seeds in region: 1) Ohio St. 2) UConn 3) Texas A+M 4) Notre Dame
Man do I love seeing Texas A+M show up on our side of the bracket. The Aggies are 17-2, but KenPom has them at 31st in the country and from the (admittedly small amount of) reserach I've done on them, they don't scare me. And though it wasn't a different team, UConn crushed A+M in '09, so Calhoun knows how to take them on. I'm not as wild about OSU and Notre Dame on the other side of the bracket, but if you're going to the Elite 8, you're going to have to play some really good teams.
The rest of the projections are after the jump.
SB Nation Blogging The Bracket
Region: East (Newark)
Seed: 2
First-round location: Washington, D.C.
Opponent: Austin Peay
Top 4 Seeds in region: 1) Duke 2) UConn 3) Purdue 4) Texas A+M
I'd be more than okay with this. Purdue is a solid team, but certainly beatable (just ask West Virginia). What I'd really like though is a shot at Duke. Are they one of, if not the most dangerous teams in the country? Yes. But I already feel like I'm playing with house money this year, so we might as well aim high. Plus, it'd set up a nice parallel to 1990 when UConn (who was the 1 seed) lost to Duke (the 2) in an Elite 8 matchup in New Jersey.
Sports Illustrated Bracket Watch
Region: West (Anaheim)
Seed: 1
First-round location: Washington, D.C.
Opponent: Play-in (Maine/Lamar)
Top 4 Seeds in region: 1) UConn 2) San Diego St. 3) Texas 4) Wisconsin
My feelings here are the exact opposite of the ESPN bracket. I'd love to get SDSU or Texas in the Elite 8 (though, as I mentioned last week, SDSU would be a road game, which I don't like). Wisconsin scares me though. They're a dangerous team that's loaded with upperclassmen. I want no part of the Badgers.
CBS Predicting the 2011 NCAA Tournament Field
Region: Southeast (New Orleans)
Seed: 1
First-round location: Washington, D.C.
Opponent: Play-in (Long Beach/ Bethune Cookman)
Top 4 Seeds in region: 1) UConn 2) Texas 3) BYU 4) Kentucky
Yes please. Sure, I'd like to avoid Kentucky again, but it would be hard to get a better set of four teams to play against. That's not the best part though. Take a look at that 8 seed. Boston College, baby, Boston College. Man what I wouldn't give to end their season.