Bracketology, Just Because: South Alabama and Illinois State

Doritos. Nacho cheesy goodness. The way to any Selection Committee members' heart

In the edict for those of us on the Intertubes that use words to describe college basketball in informed (hopefully) and entertaining (rarely) ways, the right to create a bracket is indelible. It's right there with making fun of Dick Vitale and finding Erin Andrews attractive in the "Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness" portion of our Constitution. And even though you can go basically anywhere else to get one of these bad boys (including here, here, here and here), I'm going to post my projected bracket every Tuesday and Friday until Selection Sunday anyway, with each including a extra special bonus*: a profile of a Bubble team or two.
*bonus may not be extra or special

Since it's basically impossible to post an entire bracket in a Blogger post without burning the retinas of readers, you can check it out in beautiful yet annoying spreadsheet form by clicking the link below. (Hypothetical conference champs, the yellow cells, based on conference tourney seedings; confirmed auto-bids in teal or whatever that is).

Bracketology, March 13

I'm gonna be doing this every day until Selection Sunday now that the conference tourneys have started. This is going to probably be the most difficult field to project in a long time given the weakness of the Bubble. By my count there are 16 teams fighting for seven spots with some early-round upsets in the conference tournament or unexpected auto-bidders providing the potential to cloud it even more. For the record, here are the teams:

True Bubble: Massachusetts, Arkansas, Ohio State, Oregon, Arizona State, South Alabama, Mississippi -- they are in at this second, with UMass the "safest" and Ole Miss the least safe. Then you got -- Villanova, New Mexico, Illinois State, Dayton, UAB, St. Joe's, Virginia Tech, VCU, Maryland -- with the Cats the first out and Maryland needing a very deep run.

Bubble Profiles
Previously:
March 11, Arizona State and Mississippi
March 7, Ohio State and Florida
March 4, Maryland and New Mexico
February 29, St. Joe's and Kentucky
February 26, Rhode Island and UAB

IN: South Alabama
Record: 26-6 (16-2, Sun Belt), 7-4 road, 3-2 vs. RPI Top 50, 4-3 vs. Top 100
RPI: 39
Key Wins: San Diego, Mississippi State, Western Kentucky (2)
Key Losses: Middle Tennessee State (2), Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, North Texas
The RPI is dwindling to the point where the Jags might be in now but will probably need help to stay in. After all, they can't play their way in because, you know, they don't have any games left. A semifinal Sun Belt tourney loss to Middle Tennessee State, the second of the year to the league's No. 5 seed, ended South Alabama's auto-bid hopes and gave it to its rival, Western Kentucky, which it beat twice this year. It's a shame because South Alabama did almost everything it should have as a low-major and if it had just gotten by MTSU and still lost to the Hilltoppers in the Final, I think the Jags would be pretty safe. The win over San Diego, in Anaheim, looks a lot better now that the Toreros are dancing and beating Mississippi State was huge. But on top of the bad losses, I'm not sure they can overcome the very near wins against two SEC squads, losing by three at Ole Miss despite battling back from 19-point halftime deficit and losing at Vanderbilt in double overtime. With the RPI in the 20s like it was a few days ago, maybe it would be different, but as it continues to plummet, the Jags should slowly drift out to pasture.

How To Stay/Get In: Pray... Or poison the following people: Chris Warren, Scottie Reynolds, Brian Roberts, James Harden, Jamar Butler and/or Bryce Taylor.

OUT: Illinois State
Record: 24-9 (13-5, Missouri Valley), 7-5 road, 0-5 vs. Top 50, 5-5 vs. Top 100
RPI: 35
Key Wins: Creighton (2), Southern Illinois (2), Wright State
Key Losses: Indiana, Kent State, Drake (3), Eastern Michigan, Indiana State

I'm completely baffled that this team is still in the discussion, so I am writing about this team only to voice my displeasure; their season is over and I have them out, but I cannot be silent. Inexplicably, Joey Brackets LOVES this team, along with New Mexico, for no apparent reason. I respect Mr. Lunardi, but I'm rather convinced anyone with access to KenPom.com (read: everyone) could reach an almost equivalent accuracy as his bracket projections. This team has NO Top 50 wins! And he has them safely in at 62. Even with Lunardi and that belligerent demonbird mascot on your side, you cannot hide from the truth Illinois State. This is another RPI that will start plummeting given Sunday's season-ending destruction at the hands of Drake, which basically made the Redbirds its bitch this season with a three-game sweep. Perhaps if they had held their own, and, you know, not lost by 30, the Birds would feel a little better. But when you rarely play on TV, haven't beaten anyone better than you, are playing with an auto-bid on the line and get a third crack at a Top 20, in-conference team, you should at least pass the eye test. That looked like an NIT team, even if Osiris Eldridge can leap over each and every Korver. Korver-leaping does not a Tourney team make. An 8-2 record in the last 10 might provide something to gripe about when they are left on the outside but it looks like the Valley is a one-bid.

How To Stay/Get In: Take a Committee member hostage.... Or just take away his Doritos.