The initial reason I started blogging about NCAA Basketball, was because of my interest in Bracketology. I have been doing Bracketology for as long as I can remember. That being said, never to the level that I do it right now. Full and past Bracketology posts can be found on my website JeffDBrackets, and my brackets are featured on the website called the Bracket Matrix. The Bracket Matrix compiles all of the brackets from across the internet (ex: ESPN, CBS, etc.) and averages them out each week. I base all of my predictions off the RPI, rankings, standings and most importantly, what I think of the team from the games I have seen them play. It is mostly based off if the season were to end today, however I do factor in my thoughts on how certain teams will end the season (mostly mid-major teams are effected by that thought process).

What makes my Bracketology unique from others is the fact that I predict the bracket that I make.

I already broke down the events of this past week, so I will keep this short and sweet. This season is as unpredictable as it gets. Last season we saw many upsets in the NCAA Tournament, and if this season is any indication of what will happen come March then we may see those same wild results yet again. Enjoy the bracket, the breakdown and all the bubble tidbits. There will be no arrivals and departures, because there has been no bracket since early December. This is also the first time I have not selected Duke to win the National Championship. Pittsburgh just seems like such a dominant team so far this season that it is hard to pick against them. If I could pick, they would be ranked as the #1 team in the country. I struggled to put Ohio State in over Brigham Young. I really think the Cougars compare greatly to the 2007-2008 Davidson team that almost made the Final Four. I won’t go into many details, because I plan on writing an article comparing the two in the coming weeks.

Nittany White Out Exclusive: Now many people are wondering what the chances of Penn State making the NCAA Tournament are. The fact that I have them as one of my “Next Four Out” is still pretty shocking to me. For a team that lost to Maine at home, has no impressive out-of-conference victories and was an after thought only weeks into the season, to even be on the bubble is pretty big.

The question reamins however, what must Penn State do to make the NCAA Tournament? The game against Ohio State most likely helped Penn State even if it was a loss. The Nittany Lions didn’t need the win to make the NCAA Tournament, however it would have a helped. The game against Purdue on Wednesday may indeed be a must win though. Penn State lacks an impressive road victory, actually, Penn State only has one road victory – period.

A win against Purdue would more than likely launch Penn State into the NCAA Tournament (as of right now) by the start of next week. A loss would be a pretty large set-back and require the Nittany Lions to need a win one or two in road games at Wisconsin, Michigan State, Illinois or Minnesota later in the season. All four of those games will be pretty daunting tasks. In order for Penn State to feel comfortable about making the NCAA Tournament, they can only afford to lose really one game at home (Wisconsin or Ohio State, you choose). A game at a stumbling Northwestern will also serve as a must win for Penn State. Those would be six wins for Penn State right there, however 16 wins on the season would not be nearly enough to get in the NCAA Tournament as an at-large. That means of the games at Purdue, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Illinois and Minnesota, the Nittany Lions will need to grab two victories to get them to a grand total of 18 wins on the season.

With the NCAA adding four more teams to the Tournament, Penn State would have a little wiggle room with an 18-10 record. Minnesota finished last season 18-12 and was easily on the outside looking in. How did they get into the NCAA Tournament? By making a big run in the Big Ten Tournament all the way to the title game. If Penn State is 18-10 by the end of the season, which still is asking for multiple huge victories, one or two wins in the Big Ten Tournament might be enough to earn them a bid. With all of that being said, Penn State just needs to focus on one game at a time. Their chances to make the NCAA Tournament seem pretty slim due to the fact that the Big Ten conference is strong, but just the fact they control their own destiny and have an actual shot to go dancing is pretty amazing.

The bracket and the breakdown after the jump

JeffDLowe Bracket: 1/18/11

Who made the bracket:

* – Automatic Bid

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The Breakdown

1st Round Games

12 – Xavier vs. Old Dominion

12 – Virginia Tech vs. Wichita State

16 – Morgan State vs. McNeese State

16 – Montana vs. Jackson State

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NCAA Tournament Seeding

#1 Seeds -

- Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Duke, Kansas

#2 Seeds -

- Syracuse, Connecticut, San Diego State, Texas A&M

#3 Seeds -

- Villanova, Kentucky, Brigham Young, Texas

#4 Seeds -

- Missouri, Notre Dame, Purdue, West Virginia

#5 Seeds -

- Michigan State, Louisville, Wisconsin, Georgetown

#6 Seeds -

- Illinois, Temple, St. John’s, Minnesota

#7 Seeds -

- Nevada-Las Vegas, Washington, Vanderbilt, Florida State

#8 Seeds -

- Central Florida, Florida, St. Mary’s, Kansas State

#9 Seeds -

- Gonzaga, Arizona, North Carolina, Tennessee

#10 Seeds -

- Georgia, Cincinnati, Boston College, Miami (FL)

#11 Seeds -

- Marquette, Utah State, Butler, Missouri State

#12 Seeds -

- Oakland, Colorado, Xavier vs. Old Dominion, Virginia Tech vs. Wichita State

#13 Seeds -

- Southern Miss, Harvard, Charleston, James Madison

#14 Seeds -

- Belmont, Kent State, Coastal Carolina, Vermont

#15 Seeds -

- Iona, Long Beach State, Morehead State, Florida Atlantic

#16 Seeds -

- Long Island, Bucknell, Morgan State vs. McNeese State, Montana vs. Jackson State

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(Click bracket to view full size)

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Any thing to say to Jeff about the brackets?

Contact on Twitter: @JeffDLowe or E-Mail: JeffDBrackets@gmail.com