Go Joe Bruin
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Go Joe Bruin Bracketology Week 3

By Jake Liker

Jan 28, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Bryce Alford (20) shoots over Washington Huskies forward Noah Dickerson (15) during the second half at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 28, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Bryce Alford (20) shoots over Washington Huskies forward Noah Dickerson (15) during the second half at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Week 3 edition Go Joe Bruin Bracketology has UCLA dropping down to Next Four Out. Credit: Jake Liker
The Week 3 edition Go Joe Bruin Bracketology has UCLA dropping down to Next Four Out. Credit: Jake Liker /

The Bracket

Results of games played after Tuesday, Feb. 2. are not accounted for. Italics denote a First Four matchup. The bracket is assembled in accordance with the official 2015-16 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship principles and procedures for establishing the bracket. You can compare these projections with those of other bracketologists nationwide at the Bracket Matrix.

In the end, it was Texas Tech and Butler who eked in to the field, with Kansas State, George Washington, and Vanderbilt left on the outside looking in. This will be explained a couple of slides from now.

Most intriguing matchup: 8. VCU vs 9. St. Mary’s

There were a lot of juicy matchups to choose from this week. Arizona–Connecticut features two programs that have combined to win five of the last 20 tournaments, and Wichita State-Valparaiso is a battle between a pair of traditional cinderellas, but ultimately I was unable to resist picking a showdown between two of the best mid-majors in the country with the Rams and the Gaels. Given Villanova‘s recent history, I’d pick either VCU or St. Mary’s to trounce the Wildcats en route to the Sweet 16.

Most upset-prone matchup: 4. Louisville vs 13. Chattanooga

Louisville has been a 4 seed in four of the past five tournaments, and each time they had nail-biters in the round of 64 against 13-seeds. They lost to Morehead State in 2011, and played tight contests against Davidson, Manhattan, and UC Irvine in 2012, 2014, and 2015, respectively. The Mocs are 19-3 this year and just scored 125 points earlier this week. This matchup is a recipe for madness.

Next: The Breakdown