Are You Ready for Some Extremely Premature NCAA Tournament Bracketology?
Even though we're still more than three months away from the tipoff of the 2019 NCAA Tournament, some basketball 'experts' are polishing off their crystal balls and attempting to predict next March's 64-team field.
Case in point, WatchStadium.com is taking a stab at throwing together a bracket even though most teams have yet to play ten games this season.
Their field of 64 has the usual suspects as number-one seeds: Kansas (Midwest), Virginia (South), Gonzaga (West), and Duke (East).
South Dakota State shows up in the bracket as the number-12 seed in the Midwest. The Jackrabbits would have to win the Summit League Tournament championship to grab the automatic berth, but considering they've been to the 'Big Dance' five times since 2012 and each of the last three seasons, it's not too far-fetched.
The 12-seed would match SDSU's best draw in school history. The Jacks were slotted 12th in 2016 and last season.
Ironically, WatchStadium has State in a first-round match-up with Ohio State, the same team that beat SDSU in the tournament last season. That game would take place in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
While the actual bracket will no doubt change dramatically between now and selection Sunday (March 17, 2019), one thing is certain - the Final Four is making a return trip to Minneapolis for the first time since 2001.