Bracketology Update: OSU Moving Up After OT Wins over OU, Texas Tech

Pokes are making big moves.

Published

5 years ago

March 1, 2021

Kyle Boone

Photo via Courtney Bay/OSU Athletics

Oklahoma State’s NCAA Tournament stock is taking off.

After four consecutive wins — two over top-25 teams in OT thrillers — the Pokes have now all but assured themselves a spot in the Big Dance this season.

And a good spot, at that.

Here’s a spin around the hoops landscape at where they stand in the latest bracket projections.

This is the highest bracket projection I’ve seen among major players in the sports world, yet it should not come as a major surprise. OSU has seven Quadrant-1 wins on the season in the NET, the tool the selection committee uses to assess team resumes. Only one team, Illinois, has more.

ESPN

Seed projection: No. 8 seed

This is an outdated projection — ESPN’s last update came pre-OU win. Nonetheless, this is the lowest projection I’ve seen for OSU in some time, and probably represents the floor for OSU.

Bracketville

Seed projection: No. 5 seed

Bracketville is the No. 1 website in projecting the tourney, based on data collected by The Bracket Project, which tracks such things. So this feels like a little bit of validation for Jerry Palm’s No. 4 seed projection. Good placement, to be sure. But brutal to be in Gonzaga’s bracket.