Introducing Cinderella: Georgia State and Ron Hunter are back!

Conference: Sun Belt

Coach: Ron Hunter

Record: 24-10, 12-6 (2nd Sun Belt)

Rankings and Ratings:

– Kenpom: 96
– RPI: 130
– AP/USA TODAY: Not ranked

Seeding: Georgia State did not play a single Quadrant 1 opponent this season. Not one. Their league is strong enough and they won enough games that they likely won’t end up in a play-in game, but there is a non-zero chance that they end up at a No. 16 seed.

Names you need to know: D’Marcus Simonds. He’s the program’s leading scorer and one of the most talented mid-major players in the country. If he ever finds a way to learn how to shoot the ball consistently he will play in the NBA. He’s that good.

Stats you need to know: 20.9 points, 5.8 boards, 4.5 assists, 1.7 steals. Those are the numbers that Simonds averaged this season. He had 27 points in the Sun Belt title game against UT Arlington. He’s a monster, and he can absolutely carry the Panthers to a win over a higher-seeded team.

Big wins, bad losses: The Panthers didn’t play a great schedule, but they did beat a good Montana team earlier this year. They also picked off Tulane, who was improved this season.

How’d they get here?: After losing four of their last six regular season games, the Panthers put together an impressive run to the Sun Belt automatic bid. They along the way they beat Troy, who had swept them during the regular season, and a pair of title contenders in Georgia Southern and UT Arlington.

Outlook: It depends on where they get seeded and who they are forced to play. If the Panthers can sneak onto the No. 15 seed line, I don’t think it’s crazy to think that a team that plays a lot of zone can pick off someone like, say, Cincinnati or Tennessee.

How do I know you?: Georgia State head coach Ron Hunter produced my favorite moment in NCAA tournament history a few seasons back. In 2015, Hunter, while coaching a team that had his son on it, tore his achilles while celebrating the automatic bid. Then, in the first round of the NCAA tournament, his son hit a game-winner against Baylor that knocked him out of his chair:

Davidson finished off their run in impressive fashion, knocking off Rhode Island in the Atlantic 10 tournament title game to earn the league’s automatic bid.

The Wildcats also picked off St. Bonaventure in the semifinals, meaning that en route to the title, Davidson picked off both of the teams from the conference that are going to be able to land at-large bids.

Put another way, Davidson is now the third NCAA tournament team from the Atlantic 10, meaning that someone on the bubble — Louisville? Arizona State? Saint Mary’s? Oklahoma? — just had their dream of playing in the NCAA tournament come to an end.

And this is something to take note of, because the Wildcats are dangerous enough that they might be able to win a game or two in the tournament. Peyton Aldridge and Kellan Grady are both capable of popping off for 30 points in a given night, and when they get it going, the Wildcats can score with anyone.

Trying to win your pool? Or just figuring out where your team is playing? Print a blank NCAA tournament bracket and follow along when the 2018 men’s NCAA tournament begins in earnest on Thursday, March 15.

Be sure to check back with CBT throughout the week for news and analysis that’ll help you win your pool.

To print the bracket, click on the image below or use this link to access a PDF version of the bracket.

Conference: Ivy

Coach: Steve Donahue

Record: 24-8, 12-2 (t-1st)

Rankings and Ratings:

– Kenpom: 127
– RPI: 115
– AP/USA TODAY: Not ranked

Seeding: The Ivy League has, generally speaking, been one of the strongest mid-major conferences in the country in recent years. It is not this season, as Princeton found themselves in a rebuilding year while Yale dealt with injuries all season long. Penn has the look of a team that is going to end up on the No. 15 seed line.

Names you need to know: Ryan Betley is Penn’s leading scorer, but the best player on the Quakers is probably A.J. Brodeur, a 6-foot-7 forward that Donahue began recruiting when he was the head coach at Boston College.

Stats you need to know: When Donahue was at Cornell, the Quakers were one of college basketball’s most efficient offenses. And while they have been a top two offense in the Ivy League this season, this year’s team is built around their defense. Penn is a top 75 team nationally in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency metric.

Big wins, bad losses: Penn has a couple of non-conference wins that will sound better than they ended up being this season. They picked off Monmouth in a game that went four overtimes, they beat Dayton in Dayton and they knocked off St. Joseph’s in a Big 5 game.

How’d they get here?: Penn looked like they were going to cruise into the Ivy League regular season title but, on the final weekend of the regular season, they lost at Yale and fell to the No. 2 seed in the Ivy League tournament. But since the event was held at the Palestra — Penn’s home court — they were able to pick off Harvard in the title game by three.

Outlook: I don’t expect too much out of Penn this year, but there is precedent here to talk about. The last time Donahue was in the NCAA tournament with Cornell in 2010, they reached the Sweet 16. In the seven seasons since then, the Ivy League has won three NCAA tournament first round games and three of their four losses came by just two points. The “worst” first round loss the Ivy League has suffered in that span was a nine point loss that No. 12 seed Harvard took against Vanderbilt in 2012

How do I know you?: It’s been 11 years since Penn returned to Ivy League glory, but they are back in the NCAA tournament. From 1993-2007, Penn reached the NCAA tournament 11 times.

While plenty of questions remain for a handful of teams on the bubble, this much we know: Virginia will be the overall No. 1 seed when the 2018 NCAA tournament bracket is revealed tonight. The Cavaliers completed a remarkable season Saturday night by beating North Carolina in the ACC title game. That appears to leave the No. 1 line as it was yesterday – Virginia, Villanova, Kansas, and Xavier.

The underlying story today is Davidson, who beat Rhode Island in the Atlantic 10 championship. Davidson is now our second bubble thief.

We’ve reached another Selection Sunday. Here’s to an incredible journey through the Madness of March.

UPDATED: March 11, 2018 | 4:30 p.m. ET

FIRST FOUR PAIRINGS – Dayton (First Round)

Oklahoma vs. Arizona State | South Region
Texas vs. USC | Midwest Region
CS-FULLERTON vs. LIU-BROOKLYN | East Region
NC-CENTRAL vs. TX-SOUTHERN | South Region

BRACKET PROJECTION …

SOUTH – Atlanta		EAST – Boston
Charlotte		Pittsburgh
1) VIRGINIA		1) VILLANOVA
16) NC-CENTRAL / TX-SOUTHERN		16) CS-FULLERTON / LIU-BROOKLYN
8) Providence		8) Virginia Tech
9) Alabama		9) Kansas State

Boise		San Diego
5) Houston		5) Clemson
12) DAVIDSON		12) MURRAY STATE
4) Texas Tech		4) KENTUCKY
13) CHARLESTON		13) BUFFALO

Nashville		Wichita
6) Ohio State		6) Miami-FL
11) Texas / Arizona St		11) LOYOLA-CHICAGO
3) Tennessee		3) West Virginia
14) BUCKNELL		14) WRIGHT STATE

Detroit		Detroit
7) TCU		7) Rhode Island
10) Creighton		10) UCLA
2) Cincinnati		2) Purdue
15) PENNSYLVANIA		15) IONA

WEST – Los Angeles		MIDWEST – Omaha
Pittsburgh		Wichita
1) Xavier		1) KANSAS
16) RADFORD		16) UMBC
8) Missouri		8) Nevada
9) Florida State		9) NC State

San Diego		Boise
5) GONZAGA		5) Wichita State
12) SOUTH DAKOTA ST		12) SAN DIEGO ST
4) ARIZONA		4) Auburn
13) MARSHALL		13) UNC-GREENSBORO

Dallas		Dallas
6) Arkansas		6) Florida
11) NEW MEXICO ST		11) Oklahoma / USC
3) MICHIGAN		3) Michigan State
14) S.F. AUSTIN		14) MONTANA

Charlotte		Nashville
7) Seton Hall		7) Texas AM
10) St. Bonaventure		10) Butler
2) North Carolina		2) Duke
15) LIPSCOMB		15) GEORGIA STATE

NOTES on the BRACKET: Virginia is the No. 1 overall seed – followed by Villanova, Kansas, and Xavier

Last Four Byes (at large): Butler, Creighton, St. Bonaventure, UCLA

Last Four IN (at large): Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona State, USC

First Four OUT (at large): Saint Mary’s, Louisville, Marquette, Middle Tennessee

Next four teams OUT (at large): Oklahoma State, Syracuse, Notre Dame, Baylor

Conference: Big West

Coach: Dedrique Taylor

Record: 20-11, 10-6

Rankings and Ratings:

– Kenpom: 153
– RPI: 131
– AP/USA TODAY: Not ranked

Seeding: Fullerton finished in fourth in the Big West, meaning that they are likely going to end up being one of the lower-seeded teams in the field. If I had to guess, I think they’ll end up as a No. 16 seed but avoid the play-in game.

Names you need to know: Fullerton’s best player is a junior guard from Brooklyn named Kyle Allman. At 6-foot-3, he was one of the best scorers in the Big West, averaging better than 19 points per night. Khalil Ahmad and Jackson Rowe round out Fullerton’s big three.

Stats you need to know: Fullerton was the second-most efficient offense in the Big West this season, but the reason for that is how often they are able to get to the foul line. They, quite literally, have the highest free throw rate in all of college basketball. They turn the ball over too much, they don’t get offensive boards and they can’t really shoot threes, but they will get to the line.

Big wins, bad losses: The Titans have wins over Harvard and Utah Valley on their résumé, but that’s really it in terms of notable results.

How’d they get here?: Fullerton finished fourth in the Big East, but they knocked off both UC Davis and UC Irvine, who were probably the top two teams in the league this season, in the Big West tournament.

Outlook: This is a team that we expect to be on the No. 16 seed line. Don’t expect too much.

How do I know you?: You probably don’t know all that much about the Fullerton basketball team, but their baseball team is nasty and routinely makes the college world series.

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