Bracketology 2014: Villanova's grasp on 1-Seed has weakened

A loss to Seton Hall didn't kill the Wildcat's hopes of a 1-Seed on Sunday, but their chances were severely damaged by the Sterling Gibbs prayer that launched the Hall into the Big East semis tonight. Villanova has little to do now, but sit and wait to hear what the NCAA selection committee has to say on Sunday evenling. Without another game to play, they are not helpless to improve their stock heading into the tournament.

The Wildcats dropped to 6th in the RPI, two spots below where they were last week. The Wildcats also dropped two spots to 8th in the KenPom.com computer rankings, with the 14th-best offensive efficiency and the 15th-best defense in the nation.

On to the Bracketology... (all updated 3/14/2014)

ESPN (Joe Lunardi) - 1 Seed, Buffalo, East Region

Joe Lunardi hasn't yet moved Villanova out of being the 1-Seed in his East Region this week. Now the Wildcats are slated to face the winner of a Coastal Carolina and Stony Brook from a 16-seed play-in game. Either UMass (8-Seed) or Colorado (9-Seed) would await in the second round.

Michigan is the 2-Seed in the region, while Virginia (3-Seed), UNC (4-Seed) and UConn (5-Seed) are also top seeds in the East.

CBS Sports (Jerry Palm) - 2 Seed, Buffalo, West Region

Palm was the first major bracketologist to move the 'Cats up to a 1-Seed, and he was the first to drop them back to a 2. They now square up for an opening round meeting with Eastern Kentucky in Buffalo. Either UMass (7-Seed) or a re-match with Iowa (10-Seed) will await the winner of that game.

Top seeds in Palm's West region include Arizona (1-Seed), San Diego State (3-Seed), Michigan State (4-Seed), and UNC (5-Seed)

NBC Sports (Dave Ommen) - 1 Seed, Buffalo, East Region

There's a chance Villanova stays as a 1-Seed and Ommen knows that. While it is likely that the 'Cats cost themselves the top billing, they haven't been passed-by just yet. This week's projections have them against either Coastal Carolina or Mount St. Mary's (16-Seed play-in). The winner would face either Oklahoma State (8-Seed) or Stanford (9-Seed) for a chance to advance to the Sweet 16.

Top seeds for Villanova in NBC's bracket include Michigan (2-Seed), Iowa State (3-Seed), San Diego State (4-Seed), and North Carolina (5-Seed).

SB Nation (Chris Dobbertean) - 2 Seed, Buffalo, East Region

Dobber's bracket has the Wildcats preparing to play 15-Seed Stony Brook at Buffalo. The 'Cats would be the two-seed now, but much of the rest stays the same. The winner of that game would take on either Baylor (7-Seed) or Stanford (10-Seed) in the second round, to punch a ticket to MSG.

Other top seeds in Villanova's region include Wisconsin (1-Seed), Virginia (3-Seed), North Carolina (4-Seed) and Saint Louis (5-Seed).

Bracketology Around the Big East

The Big East bounces back a bit, gaining one more team in from the bubble on three projections. All of the projected brackets still include just Villanova, Creighton and Xavier. Providence has moved into the positive side of the bracket equation, while Georgetown and St. John's likely saw their bubbles burst at MSG.

The schools are seeded as follows:

ESPN - 4 Bids: (1) Villanova, (3) Creighton, (11) Xavier, (12 - Play In) Providence

CBS - 4 Bids: (2) Villanova, (4) Creighton, (11) Xavier, (12 - Play In) Providence

NBC - 3 Bids: (1) Villanova, (3) Creighton, (11) Xavier

SBN - 4 Bids: (2) Villanova, (3) Creighton, (11 - Play In) Providence, (12 - Play In) Xavier