2012 Schmolik 64 Update (2/20/12)

Hello, college basketball fans!

Welcome to the first update for the 2012 Schmolik 64. At the end of the regular season, I will pick a complete NCAA bracket with the teams I think belong in the NCAA field and where they should be seeded. Up to then, there will be updates to see where your team stands if the season ended today (Records as of Sun. Feb. 19, 2012).

Until Championship Week, I will only seed the top 12 seeds. The bottom four seeds are usually reserved for one bid conferences in which usually only the conference champion goes from those conferences. Similar to last year, I will reserve two No. 12 seed lines for the "First Four".

You should interpret these as being among the last teams to get into the field (although there could be exceptions based upon bracketing rules which prevent the actual last four from making the field).

Until the final bracket, the No. 1 seeds will not be given ranks (although geographic placement will be considered) and no semifinal matchups will be provided.

I know there are 68 teams now but if I had my way there would still be just 64 teams and when I started the Schmolik 64 there were just 64 teams.

Here's the bracket update for Feb. 20, 2012.

Dates:

Opening Weekend: Thur/Sat March 15-17, Fri/Sun March 16-18

Regionals: Thur/Sat March 22-24, Fri/Sun March 23-25

SOUTH REGIONAL (Atlanta, GA - Fri/Sun)

Louisville, KY - Thur/Sat

(1) Kentucky (26-1) vs. (16)

(8) St. Louis (21-5) vs. (9) Connecticut (16-10)

Portland, OR - Thur/Sat

(5) New Mexico (21-4) vs. (12) Long Beach State (17-7)

(4) Wisconsin (20-7) vs. (13)

Albuquerque, NM - Thur/Sat

(6) Louisville (21-6) vs. (11) California (22-6)

(3) Baylor (21-5) vs. (14)

Greensboro, NC - Fri/Sun

(7) Gonzaga (21-5) vs. (10) Northwestern (16-10)

(2) Duke (23-4) vs. (15)

WEST REGIONAL (Phoenix, AZ - Thur/Sat)

Columbus, OH - Fri/Sun

(1) Michigan State (21-5) vs. (16)

(8) Harvard (22-3) vs. (9) Kansas State (18-8)

Portland, OR - Thur/Sat

(5) St. Mary's (21-5) vs. (12) First Four: Alabama (17-9) vs. Seton Hall (18-9)

(4) Florida State (19-7) vs. (13)

Pittsburgh, PA - Thur/Sat

(6) Southern Miss (20-5) vs. (11) Mississippi State (19-8)

(3) Georgetown (19-5) vs. (14)

Omaha, NE - Fri/Sun

(7) Wichita State (23-4) vs. (10) Miami (16-9)

(2) Kansas (22-5) vs. (15)


EAST REGIONAL (Boston, MA - Thur/Sat)

Pittsburgh, PA - Thur/Sat

(1) Syracuse (27-1) vs. (16)

(8) Iowa State (19-8) vs. (9) Creighton (23-5)

Albuquerque, NM - Thur/Sat

(5) Indiana (20-7) vs. (12) Middle Tennessee (23-4)

(4) UNLV (20-6) vs. (13)

Nashville, TN - Fri/Sun

(6) Notre Dame (19-8) vs. (11) Xavier (17-9)

(3) Michigan (19-7) vs. (14)

Greensboro, NC - Fri/Sun

(7) Vanderbilt (19-8) vs. (10) Memphis (19-8)

(2) North Carolina (23-4) vs. (15)

MIDWEST REGIONAL (St. Louis - Fri/Sun)

Omaha, NE - Fri/Sun

(1) Missouri (25-2) vs. (16)

(8) Virginia (20-6) vs. (9) Purdue (17-10)

Nashville, TN - Fri/Sun

(5) Temple (21-5) vs. (12) First Four: Colorado State (15-9) vs. South Florida (16-10)

(4) Florida (21-6) vs. (13)

Columbus, OH - Fri/Sun

(6) Murray State (23-1) vs. (11) NC State (18-9)

(3) Marquette (22-5) vs. (14)

Louisville, KY - Thur/Sat

(7) San Diego State (18-6) vs. (10) Texas (17-10)

(2) Ohio State (22-5) vs. (15)

Final Four: South vs. West, East vs. Midwest

By conference:

Big East (8)

Big Ten (7)

ACC (6)

Big 12 (6)

SEC (5)

MWC (4)

A-10 (3)

C-USA, MVC, WCC (2 each)

Big W, Ivy, OVC, Pac-12, Sun Belt (1 each)

Remaining Automatics: 16

Party Crashers/Additional At Large: 2

Compare my bracket to CBS Sports Bracketology and many others at Bracket Project's Bracket Matrix.

Remember to comment! If you think a team or teams that are out should be in or vice versa, let me hear from you!