A consistently strong team is set to miss March Madness again.
This time a year ago, Penn State appeared well on its way to the program’s first March Madness appearance since the 2010–11 season. They reached as high as #9 in the AP Poll and entered the Big Ten Tournament 21–10 overall, the 6-seed in a conference destined to send 10 teams to the Big Dance.
We all know how this story ends. The coronavirus ended the season prematurely, leaving only questions of “what if?” According to the Bracket Matrix, the Nittany Lions were a projected 6-seed in March Madness. I agreed. Ultimately, though, we’ll never know what would have happened.
…
West Virginia rises to the 2-line.
Michigan cemented its status as the #3 team in the country with a win at Ohio State, but the Buckeyes still hold onto that final 1-seed.
Teams outside of the field are running out of opportunities to make a run. Every game from here on out is crucial.
As always, feel free to ask any questions, and follow me on Twitter for more college basketball updates! (I also post the bracketology there!)
27 Days to Selection Sunday…
Stanford and Penn State fall out of the field, making room for Drake after a season-saving overtime win against Loyola-Chicago on Sunday. VCU also joins the party as the A-10’s auto-bid, while Saint Bonaventure holds on as the final at-large team in the field.
As always, feel free to ask any questions, and follow me on Twitter for more college basketball updates! (I also post the bracketology there!)
Ohio State joins the 1-line.
Here is how the projected 68-team field looks now fewer than five weeks from Selection Sunday.
As always, feel free to ask any questions!
The Big Ten has 11 teams in the field.
Here is my first February bracketology update! Ohio State jumps to the 2-line as Florida and Virginia Tech also shoot up to the 6 and 7-lines, respectively.
ENTERING: Richmond, Penn State
LEAVING: Seton Hall, SMU
As always, feel free to ask any questions!
Houston jumps onto the 1-line.
Houston and Alabama are the big risers this week, up to 1 and 2-seeds, respectively. And amazingly, there are now 12 teams from the Big Ten either in the field or in the First Four Out.
ENTERING: Florida, SMU
LEAVING: Richmond, Marquette
As always, feel free to ask any questions!
Connor Groel is a graduate student at Northwestern’s Medill School. He is the editor of the Top Level Sports publication on Medium and host of the Slept On Sports podcast. His debut collection is available on Amazon.
Connor’s first S-Curve of the season.
First bracketology of the year! New S-Curves weekly for the next few weeks, and then we’ll ramp it up as we get closer to Selection Sunday. Feel free to ask any questions!
Connor Groel is a graduate student at Northwestern’s Medill School. He is the editor of the Top Level Sports publication on Medium and host of the Slept On Sports podcast. His debut collection is available on Amazon.
An introduction to Connor Groel’s sports writing.
Welcome! This page was designed to allow me to introduce myself, as well as to provide a home base for work that I am especially proud of and that I feel best conveys my interests and writing styles. It is divided into sections and will be updated as necessary over time.
Who is Connor Groel?
I’m a 21-year-old writer, podcaster, and content creator from The Woodlands, Texas, currently pursuing a Master of Science in Journalism from Northwestern University with a specialization in sports media. In May 2020, I graduated from the University of Texas with a Bachelor of Science in Sport Management.
I’ve been…
The Wildcats (1–6) are off to their worst start since 1911.
**stats correct through games played on Dec. 26**
Following a season-opening win against Morehead State on Nov. 25, Kentucky coach John Calipari warned of his team’s difficult upcoming schedule, saying, “Instead of being tested for corona, I should have been tested for drugs or something.”
More than a month later, Kentucky is still waiting on their second victory.
After dropping their last game of the calendar year to Lousiville on Saturday, the Wildcats will enter 2021 and SEC play with just a 1–6 record, the team’s worst seven-game start in over a century.
It’s never happened before, but this year brings a perfect storm.
**stats correct through games played on Dec. 12**
In NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball, a team has never received an at-large bid to March Madness without a winning record. In fact, this year marks 20 seasons since the last time an at-large team was fewer than four games above .500.
