clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Preseason KenPom Bracketology

It's way too early to do this, but that hasn't kept the resident bracketologist from diving in.

I know the season hasn't technically even started yet, but - with the announcement of the KenPom preseason rankings - I can hear you all clamoring with the same question: "What if the season ended today?" It's a valid query. Everyone wants to know if his or her team's 0-0 record is worthy of consideration for an at-large entry to the tournament or if the auto bid is the only remaining road to potential glory (or first-round exit on national TV). Well, fret no more, friends. I've taken KenPom's numbers and run them through the bracketology machine (which is just a spreadsheet that I created a macro for). Here, in all its glory, is the first run of KenPom Bracketology for the 2016 season.

First the s-curve:

The KenPom s-curve 10/26
1 DUKE KENTUCKY Virginia KANSAS
2 GONZAGA North Carolina ARIZONA VILLANOVA
3 WISCONSIN Baylor Oklahoma Utah
4 Notre Dame WICHITA ST. CINCINNATI Indiana
5 Michigan Michigan St. Iowa St. Vanderbilt
6 Maryland SMU Purdue Miami FL
7 Louisville Oregon Georgetown West Virginia
8 Connecticut Xavier Pittsburgh Butler
9 Syracuse Texas VALPARAISO Iowa
10 SAN DIEGO ST. Texas A&M UCLA Florida St.
11 North Carolina St. Ohio St. Oregon St. Florida
12 South Carolina California DAVIDSON Tulsa
12 STEPHEN F. AUSTIN AKRON
13 UAB PRINCETON IONA NORTH DAKOTA ST.
14 BELMONT HOFSTRA HAWAII STONY BROOK
15 LOUISIANA LAFAYETTE NORTH FLORIDA LEHIGH CHATTANOOGA
16 MOUNT ST. MARY'S MONTANA NEW MEXICO ST. COASTAL CAROLINA
16 NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL TEXAS SOUTHERN
First 4 out LSU Rhode Island Northwestern Georgia
Next 4 out VCU Marquette USC Clemson

And the bracket itself:

-KenPom loves the ACC, giving them 10 bids. These things tend to smooth out over time; the Big 10 was getting ten bids when we started doing this last year and was down to a handful on Selection Sunday.
-The Big East has four teams in the top of the bracket, then a big gap to Marquette on the bubble. This kind of runs in line with most people's opinion on the league right now, but it would be nice to see a couple more teams step up as the season rolls.
-Of the 25 one-bid leagues, only the A10 places anyone on the bubble.
-NJIT really threw a wrench in things as an independent last year; now they're only 30 spots from grabbing that Atlantic Sun auto bid.
-Man am I ready for March. I love grabbing a couple pounds of hot wings and posting up in front of the TV for the first Thursday of the tournament. The season needs to start already.