Texas Tech Moves Up in Latest ESPN Bracketology
Joe Lunardi’s newest ESPN.com ‘Bracketology’ had the Texas Tech Red Raiders move into a No. 3 seed, while the Kansas Jayhawks dropped to a No. 6 seed.
Lunardi’s latest 68-team bracket, released on Feb. 9, has seven Big 12 teams in the field, second only to the Big 12’s nine seeds.
Texas Tech was coming off a two-win week, while the Jayhawks were coming off a 1-1 week that saw it fall out of the AP Top 25 and the USA Today Coaches Top 25 for the first time since 2009.
Baylor, which remains undefeated but is on a COVID-19 pause, also remained the Big 12’s only No. 1 seed, and No. 2 seed overall, in Lunardi’s field. The Bears would face the winner of a game between South Dakota or Prairie View A&M for their first-round game in Region 2.
Baylor has now postponed its next three games, meaning the Bears are not expected to play until Saturday, Feb. 20 against Oklahoma State.
From there, Lunardi had the following six teams seeded:
Texas Tech slid into a No. 3 seed in Region 3, with Lunardi projecting a first-round game with UC Irvine.
Texas remained a No. 3 seed even though the Longhorns lost twice last week, but they moved into Region 1 where Lunardi anticipated a first-round game against Siena.
READ MORE: Jayhawks Drop to a 7-Seed in CBS Bracketology
READ MORE: Jayhawks’ Streak of 238 Weeks in USA Today Top 25 Ends
Oklahoma remained a No. 4 seed and moved into Region 4, where the Sooners would play Liberty in the first round, according to Lunardi.
West Virginia remained a No. 5 seed and moved into Region 3, where the Mountaineers would play Toledo in the first round.
Kansas slid into a No. 6 seed in Region 4 and would face St. Bonaventure in the first round, according to Lunardi. Oddly, the matchup is of a pair of teams that fell, seed-wise, in Lunardi’s latest projection.
Oklahoma State is the last Big 12 team in the field, sporting a No. 8 seed in Region 1. There, the Cowboys would face San Diego State, setting up a potential second-round game with Gonzaga.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard. Send him a tweet with your question to be included in this week’s Big 12 Basketball Mailbag, which appears each Friday during the conference season.
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