2016-2017 Pre-season Bracket

With less than 3 weeks to go until the season tips off, it's time to get back to bracketology.  Before I give my pre-season bracket, let's take a look at my pre-season projections from last year and see how they stacked up to the final bracket.

1's: Kansas, Villanova, Arizona, Virginia - not too bad here, two correctly seeded and a third the eventual champ, and a #6.
2's: North Carolina, Kentucky, Baylor, Maryland - still close to the right track with a 1-seed, a 4, and two 5's.
3's: Iowa State, Gonzaga, Duke, Wisconsin - here's where things start to go wrong, but still all teams that made the tourney: two 4's, a 7 and an 11.
4's: Texas, Wichita State, Georgetown, Notre Dame - swing and a miss with Georgetown, otherwise two 6's, and an 11
5's: Arkansas, West Virginia, Michigan State, Oregon - nobody close here, one not even a bubble team and three badly under-seeded powerhouses
6's: Oklahoma, Louisville, Oklahoma State, Tulsa - to be fair, I would have gotten 3 of 4 if not for Louisville's self-imposed ban.  OK State whiffed on their season, and unlike all other bracketologists, I believed in Tulsa from the very beginning!
7's: Boise State, San Diego State, Utah, VCU - ouch, missed 3 of 4 here, and Utah outperformed everybody's expectations, not just mine!
8's: Temple, Butler, Xavier, Cincinnati - surprisingly close on this line with two 9's and a 10 (and Xavier a #2)
9's: Colorado State, North Carolina State, Connecticut, Davidson - just one of 4 made it, but on the right seed-line!
10's: Northern Iowa, Valparaiso, Indiana, Pittsburgh - should have been 4 for 4 if not for Valpo's conference tourney choke
11's: Purdue, Texas A&M, LSU, Old Dominion - those first two ended up pretty good, and the last two not so much...
12's: Providence, Stanford, Saint John's, Miami (FL), Ole Miss, Iona - 3 for 5 here as we move out of the at-large field
13's: Georgia State, Stephen F. Austin, Murray State, Central Michigan
14's: Harvard, High Point, Wofford, North Carolina Central
15's: Northeastern, UC Irvine, Albany, South Dakota State
16's: Florida Gulf Coast, Eastern Washington, Lafayette, New Mexico State, Alabama State, Saint Francis (PA)

FFO: Illinois, Ohio State, UCLA, Georgia
NFO: Memphis, Dayton, Syracuse, Massachusetts

I believe I counted 39 correctly selected teams, which I think is pretty good for not having played any games yet.  Let's see how these pre-season picks look this coming March.

1's: Villanova, North Carolina, Xavier, Oregon
2's: California, Iowa State, Louisville, Michigan State
3's: Kansas, Miami (FL), Virginia Commonwealth, West Virginia
4's: SMU, Dayton, Oklahoma, Texas
5's: Butler, Virginia, Wisconsin, Purdue
6's: Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, Notre Dame
7's: San Diego State, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut
8's: Indiana, Utah, Pittsburgh, Princeton
9's: Seton Hall, Michigan, Maryland, Alabama
10's: Duke, Temple, Providence, Georgia Tech
11's: Vanderbilt, Houston, Gonzaga, Illinois, Oregon State
12's: Baylor, Cincinnati, Monmouth, Arkansas-Little Rock, Valparaiso
13's: UNC Wilmington, UAB, East Tennessee State, South Dakota State
14's: Wichita State, Akron, Stephen F. Austin, Stony Brook
15's: Texas Southern, Morehead State, Winthrop, Long Beach State
16's: Cal State Bakersfield, Weber State, Boston University, Norfolk State, Wagner, North Florida

FFO: Kentucky, Syracuse, Saint Joseph's, Clemson
NFO: USC, Saint Bonaventure, Georgetown, Georgia

Actual Bracket

1's: #1 Kansas, #4 Oregon, #2 North Carolina, #3 Virginia
2's: Villanova, Oklahoma, Xavier, Michigan State
3's: Miami (FL), Texas A&M, West Virginia, Utah
4's: California, Duke, Kentucky, Iowa State
5's: Maryland, Baylor, Indiana, Purdue
6's: Arizona, Texas, Notre Dame, Seton Hall
7's: Iowa, Oregon State, Wisconsin, Dayton
8's: Colorado, Saint Joseph's, USC, Texas Tech
9's: Connecticut, Cincinnati, Providence, Butler
10's: Temple, Virginia Commonwealth, Pittsburgh, Syracuse
11's: Vanderbilt, Wichita State, Northern Iowa, Michigan, Tulsa, Gonzaga
12's: South Dakota State, Yale, Chattanooga, Arkansas-Little Rock
13's: Hawaii, UNC Wilmington, Stony Brook, Iona
14's: Buffalo, Green Bay, Stephen F. Austin, Fresno State
15's: UNC Asheville, Cal State Bakersfield, Weber State, Middle Tennessee
16's: Austin Peay, Holy Cross, Southern, Florida Gulf Coast, Fairleigh Dickinson, Hampton

South Region: 77 pts
West Region: 85 pts
East Region: 92 pts
Midwest Region: 82 pts

UPDATE: I'm not sure what went wrong as I was adding up the above point totals during the selection show, but I counted two extra points somewhere along the way.  True score is 334, good for about 20th out of 144 brackets, and about 12.6 points above the average.

Total Paymon score: 334

March 13, 2016 - Final Bracket

1's: Kansas, Villanova, Oregon, North Carolina
2's: Oklahoma, Virginia, Xavier, Michigan State
3's: Utah, West Virginia, Miami (FL), Kentucky
4's: California, Duke, Iowa State, Texas A&M
5's: Purdue, Arizona, Seton Hall, Maryland
6's: Baylor, Texas, Indiana, Iowa
7's: Notre Dame, Colorado, Connecticut, Saint Joseph's
8's: Oregon State, Texas Tech, Dayton, USC
9's: Virginia Commonwealth, Wisconsin, Butler, Cincinnati
10's:Temple, Saint Bonaventure, Pittsburgh, Tulsa
11's: Michigan, Providence, Saint Mary's College, Syracuse, Gonzaga, Arkansas-Little Rock
12's: South Dakota State, Yale, UNC-Wilmington, Chattanooga
13's: Stony Brook, Stephen F. Austin, Fresno State, Northern Iowa
14's: Middle Tennessee, Iona, Hawaii, Buffalo
15's: Weber State, Green Bay, Cal State Bakersfield, UNC Asheville
16's: Hampton, Southern, Fairleigh Dickinson, Florida Gulf Coast, Austin Peay, Holy Cross

March 10, 2016

1's: Kansas, Villanova, Virginia, Oklahoma
2's: Oregon, Xavier, Utah, Michigan State
3's: West Virginia, Miami (FL), North Carolina, Duke
4's: California, Iowa State, Texas, Purdue
5's: Maryland, Texas A&M, Indiana, Arizona
6's: Iowa, Baylor, Kentucky, Colorado
7's: Oregon State, Dayton, Notre Dame, Seton Hall
8's: USC, Texas Tech, Wisconsin, Butler
9's: Saint Joseph's, Cincinnati, Providence, Connecticut
10's: Saint Bonaventure, Pittsburgh, Temple, Michigan
11's: Tulsa, Vanderbilt, Syracuse, Saint Mary's College, Gonzaga, San Diego State
12's: Akron, South Dakota State, Yale, UNC-Wilmington
13's: Northern Iowa, UC Irvine, Arkansas-Little Rock, Chattanooga
14's: Stony Brook, Iona, Stephen F. Austin, UAB
15's: New Mexico State, Green Bay, Weber State, UNC Asheville
16's: Hampton, Texas Southern, Fairleigh Dickinson, Florida Gulf Coast, Austin Peay, Holy Cross

FFO: South Carolina, Virginia Commonwealth, Florida, George Washington
NFO: Houston, Wichita State, Georgia Tech, Washington

March 8, 2016

1's: Kansas, Villanova, Virginia, Oklahoma
2's: Oregon, Xavier, Utah, Michigan State
3's: West Virginia, Miami (FL), North Carolina, Iowa State
4's: California, Duke, Texas, Maryland
5's: Texas A&M, Purdue, Kentucky, Indiana
6's: Arizona, Iowa, Baylor, Colorado
7's: Dayton, Oregon State, Texas Tech, Notre Dame
8's: Seton Hall, USC, Wisconsin, Butler
9's: Saint Joseph's, Cincinnati, Providence, Connecticut
10's: Saint Bonaventure, Syracuse, Tulsa, Vanderbilt
11's: Temple, Michigan, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, Saint Mary's College, San Diego State
12's: Akron, South Dakota State, Yale, UNC-Wilmington
13's: Arkansas-Little Rock, Chattanooga, Stony Brook, UC Irvine
14's: Northern Iowa, UAB, Stephen F. Austin, Iona
15's: New Mexico State, Green Bay, Weber State, UNC Asheville
16's: Lehigh, Wagner, Hampton, Texas Southern, Florida Gulf Coast, Austin Peay

FFO: Florida, Virginia Commonwealth, Florida State, George WashingtonNFO: Houston, Georgia Tech, Wichita State, Stanford

March 7, 2016

1's: Kansas, Villanova, Virginia, Oklahoma
2's: Oregon, Xavier, Utah, Michigan State
3's: West Virginia, Miami (FL), North Carolina, Iowa State
4's: Duke, California, Maryland, Texas
5's: Texas A&M, Purdue, Indiana, Kentucky
6's: Arizona, Baylor, Iowa, Colorado
7's: Oregon State, Texas Tech, Dayton, Notre Dame
8's: USC, Seton Hall, Butler, Wisconsin
9's: Saint Joseph's, Cincinnati, Providence, Connecticut
10's: Saint Bonaventure, Syracuse, South Carolina, Temple
11's: Michigan, Tulsa, Vanderbilt, Pittsburgh, Saint Mary's College, San Diego State
12's: Valparaiso, Monmouth, Arkansas-Little Rock, Hofstra
13's: UC Irvine, Yale, Northern Iowa, Stephen F. Austin
14's: Chattanooga, Stony Brook, Akron, South Dakota State
15's: UAB, New Mexico State, Weber State, UNC Asheville
16's: Lehigh, Wagner, Hampton, Texas Southern, Florida Gulf Coast, Austin Peay

FFO: Florida, Florida State, Virginia Commonwealth, George Washington
NFO: Houston, Stanford, Georgia Tech, Washington

March 4, 2016

1's: Kansas, Villanova, Oklahoma, Oregon
2's: Virginia, Xavier, Utah, Miami (FL)
3's: West Virginia, Michigan State, North Carolina, Duke
4's: Iowa State, Maryland, Texas, California
5's: Baylor, Texas A&M, Purdue, Kentucky
6's: Arizona, Iowa, Colorado, Indiana
7's: Texas Tech, Oregon State, Notre Dame, USC
8's: Dayton, Wisconsin, Saint Joseph's, Seton Hall
9's: Pittsburgh, Connecticut, Butler, Syracuse
10's: Providence, Michigan, South Carolina, Saint Bonaventure
11's: Vanderbilt, Cincinnati, Temple, Florida, Wichita State, Saint Mary's College
12's: San Diego State, Arkansas-Little Rock, Princeton, Monmouth
13's: Valparaiso, Hofstra, Chattanooga, UC Irvine
14's: Stephen F. Austin, UAB, Stony Brook, South Dakota State
15's: Akron, Belmont, New Mexico State, Winthrop
16's: Montana, Hampton, Wagner, Bucknell, Texas Southern, Florida Gulf Coast

FFO: Tulsa, Virginia Commonwealth, Stanford, Washington
NFO: Alabama, George Washington, Florida State, Houston