Bracketology: Auburn stays on top, but another No. 1 seed spot is up for grabs if Tennessee slips up

A new bracket is up Wednesday with a new team in it, but a familiar team remaining as the No. 1 overall seed despite losing Tuesday night.

At the top of the bracket, Auburn lost at Texas A&M 83-72, but the Tigers are still the overall No. 1 seed in the latest Bracketology. The only thing keeping me from thinking it’s a lock that they will stay there is that I don’t know who they could play in the SEC Tournament. They will still be the overall No. 1 if they lose to Alabama on Saturday. That is how overwhelming their tournament résumé is.

The Aggies moved up to the top of the No. 3-line after the win. There could be a lot of shuffling among the No. 2-3 seeds as the conference tournaments play out.

Alabama’s end-of-season grind continues when Florida visits Tuscaloosa. Besides Wednesday’s game, the Crimson Tide’s final seven games of the regular season are a home-and-home with Auburn, at Tennessee and Missouri, and home games with Kentucky and Mississippi State. Alabama won those last two. They finish the regular season at Auburn on Saturday. 

The winner of the Tide-Gators showdown will move up from a No. 2 seed and jump Tennessee for the fourth No. 1 seed if the Volunteers lose later Wednesday at Ole Miss. Tennessee will hold on to a No. 1 seed with a win.

If you think some of these results should result in more dramatic moves, keep in mind that each one is one of about 30 games that teams have played so far. The further we get into the season, the less impact each game has on the overall profile. The ones that typically do result in more noticeable moves are ones that fill a hole or otherwise correct a problem in a team’s resume. Those kinds of things tend to happen more toward the bottom of the bracket.

Bracketology top seeds

Check out Palm’s bracket and full field of 68 at the Bracketology hub. 

Bottom of bracket sees changes

On a busy and productive night for NCAA Tournament bubble teams, Ohio State beat Nebraska 116-114 in double-overtime to push itself back into the field. Xavier is the team that fell out.

Texas picked up a much needed 87-82 overtime win at Mississippi State as well to breathe new life into a chase for an at-large bid that looked like it was dying. The Longhorns still have work to do though. They are the fifth team out of the field of 68 as of Wednesday.

BYU continued its scorching run of play, knocking off Iowa State in Ames 88-85 in overtime. Neither team moved off their seed line, but both are now on the edge of moving – up from a No. 8 seed in BYU’s case and down from a No. 4 seed for the Cyclones.

That is the seventh straight win for the Cougars, which also includes victories at Arizona and a 34-point pasting of Kansas at home.

Preseason No. 1 Kansas lost at Houston on Monday. That is two losses in a row for the Jayhawks, both to other top teams in the Big 12. They get a chance for a meaningful victory in their regular-season finale when Arizona visits on Saturday.