Bracketology: Indiana, Kentucky Rise; Purdue Clings to Final No. 1 Seed

Indiana continues to rise in NCAA Tournament projections after its road win over No. 5 Purdue on Saturday. On Tuesday, Joe Lunardi gave Indiana the top No. 4 seed in his latest Bracketology on ESPN.

Indiana is a No. 4 seed in Joe Lunardi's latest Bracketology on ESPN, released Tuesday morning.

The Hoosiers have won 10 of their last 13 games, most recently defeating No. 5 Purdue 79-71 at Mackey Arena on Saturday. Indiana concludes the regular season with a pair of home games against Iowa and Michigan, representing a chance to solidify its status as a No. 4 seed and possibly move up.

Lunardi considers Indiana the top No. 4 seed right now, or 13th overall, ahead of fellow No. 4 seeds UConn, Xavier and Virginia. Indiana is No. 18 in the NET rankings, with a 5-8 record against Quad 1 opponents.

In this scenario, the Hoosiers would begin the NCAA tournament against No. 13 seed Southern Mississippi in Orlando, Fla. Southern Mississippi is in first place in the Sun Belt Conference with a 25-6 overall record, led by junior guard Austin Crowley at 16.2 points per game. 

With a win, the Hoosiers would face either No. 5 seed San Diego State, the Mount West Conference's first-place team, or Oral Roberts, who's 18-0 in Summit League play and 27-4 overall. Top seeds in this region include No. 1 seed Alabama (25-4, 15-1), No. 2 seed Texas (22-7, 11-5) and No. 3 seed Marquette (23-6, 15-3).

This draw could play in the Hoosiers' favor if they're able to reach the second weekend. If Indiana lands in the south region, Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games would be played close to home in Louisville, Ky. 

Here's the full south region.

Along with Indiana, teams that recently improved their NCAA Tournament stock include No. 2 seed Baylor, No. 4 seed Xavier, No. 5 seeds San Diego State and TCU, No. 6 seed Kentucky, No. 8 seed Missouri, No. 9 seed Pittsburgh and No. 10 seeds USC and West Virginia.

The Big Ten continues to be the conference that will likely send the most teams to the NCAA Tournament. Lunardi projects nine Big Ten teams, followed by the SEC with eight and Big 12 with seven. 

Despite losses in four of its last six games, Purdue is currently projected to be a No. 1 seed. Indiana is the next highest as a No. 4 seed, followed by No. 6 seed Northwestern, No. 7 seeds Maryland and Michigan State, No. 8 seed Iowa and No. 9 seed Rutgers and Illinois. 

As a No. 11 seed, Wisconsin is among the "last four in," along with Arizona State, Mississippi State and Boise State, who would play in the First Four round in Dayton, Ohio. On the outside looking in, Lunardi lists North Carolina, Oklahoma State, Clemson and Michigan as the "first four out," and Utah State, Charleston, Penn State and Texas Tech as the "next four out."

Selection Sunday is quickly approaching on March 12. For Lunardi's full Bracketology, CLICK HERE. 

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• XAVIER JOHNSON UPDATE: Indiana coach Mike Woodson said senior point guard Xavier Johnson will not play on Tuesday against Iowa as he recovers from a broken foot, but there's a chance he could play Sunday against Michigan. CLICK HERE
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• AP TOP-25 POLL: After defeating No. 5 Purdue on Saturday, Indiana moved up two spots to No. 15 in this week's Associated Press top-25 poll. With four consecutive wins, Kentucky joined the rankings for the first time in 2023, along with Maryland and Pittsburgh. CLICK HERE
• 'CRAZY MAN' GALLOWAY: Indiana guard Trey Galloway scored 11 points with five assists, four rebounds and zero turnovers to help the Hoosiers sweep the season series over Purdue with a 79-71 win. He also pressured Braden Smith, keeping the Purdue offense uncomfortable throughout the game. CLICK HERE