Bracketology update for January 30

This weekend saw plenty of shake-ups as the Big XII/SEC challenge saw No. 2 Alabama go down. The Crimson Tide were just one of seven ranked teams to lose on Saturday, and several more teams had close calls. As January wraps up and we approach conference tournament time, let’s take a look at where teams stand for the NCAA tournament in March.

We’ll use the updated brackets of several analysts to break down the current standings: ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, CBS’ Jerry Palm, Blogging the Bracket’s Chris Dobbertean, and the Washington Post’s Patrick Stevens. Who’s going dancing?

No. 1 seeds

Update — Kansas State got blown out by Kansas on Tuesday night on the road. The Wildcats entered that game as a No. 3 seed per Lunardi on ESPN. Palm had K-State as a No. 1 seed for whatever reason, but that likely won’t hold up after the loss to Kansas. Big 12 teams in general are just going to eat each other alive the rest of the season. That could lead to under-seeding.

Despite Alabama’s blowout loss, Lunardi still has them as one of the top seeds, along with AP No. 1 Purdue, Tennessee, and Houston. Tennessee beat No. 10 Texas over the weekend, while Houston pulled out a close one over Cincinnati. Palm has Arizona and Kansas State in as the top seeds over Tennessee and Houston.

Last Four In

Kentucky’s loss to Kansas has unfortunately put them back in this position. They seemed to be out of the woods after a tough start to the season, but that Big XII/SEC challenge bit them, as it did several other teams. They’re joined in the last four in by Pittsburgh, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M in Lunardi’s bracket. A&M had a big win over Auburn, and Oklahoma came out of nowhere to crush No. 2 Alabama. Creighton and Northwestern are also looking promising.

First Four Out

Nevada’s loss to UNLV has kept them just outside the bubble in Lunardi’s bracket. Wisconsin and Arizona State have both fallen to the first four out, as well. ASU hasn’t quite fallen below .500 in conference play yet, but Wisconsin has. Penn State is looking upwards in this category after wins over Nebraska, Indiana, and Michigan. Maryland is right on the bubble here, leaning out in Palm’s bracket, as are West Virginia and Wake Forest.

Projected bids per conference from Joe Lunardi

Big Ten - 9
Big 12 - 7
ACC - 7
SEC - 6
Big East - 5
Pac-12 - 4
Mountain West - 3
West Coast - 2
American - 2

Projected bids per conference from Jerry Palm

Big Ten - 8
Big 12 - 7
ACC - 8
SEC - 6
Big East - 5
Pac-12 - 3
Mountain West - 4
West Coast - 2
American - 2