Washington is still alive. Despite losing three of their last five games, Washington is still in a pretty good position. They are sitting on the bubble, but they are a solid tenth seed in four of our brackets, and an eleventh seed in the fourth. Some people say that a loss to Washington State in LA, may toss them out of the tournament, but I don't think that's the case. While a loss in that game may be enough to put The Dawgs in one of the new first four play in games, I think their resume could whether the storm.
For Washington State, it's a totally different matter. In order for the Cougars to make the tournament, they are going to have to go a long ways in this tournament. But an at large-bid may not be out of reach. In four of our projections, The Cougars are listed as one of the first eight out of the bracket. In the only bracket they were left out of, Jerry Palm's, he only listed the first four teams out. If Washington State can finish the season sweep against Washington, beat a, what will likely turn out to be a, UCLA team in LA, before playing a solid, competitive game in the finals, all the while getting some help by other bubble teams falling early, they can still do it. While possible, I think it would be a lot better for the health of Cougar fans everywhere if they win the tournament and take any suspense out of selection Sunday.
As for Gonzaga, they make things a whole lot less interesting. The Bulldogs just keep winning and they keep moving up the brackets. They play in the finals of the WCC tournament tonight and with a win, they may cement themselves as getting a seed in the top half of the bracket.
All the projections from five of the most reliable sources in the game are below. Stay tuned to SB Nation Seattle throughout the week as we take you through the conference tournaments and to Selection Sunday.
ESPN: Joe Lunardi (Updated 3/7/2011)
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Washington Huskies: Tenth seed - San Antonio bracket - First and second-round games in Charlotte - Projected to play the Seventh-seeded Cincinnati Bearcats - Seed falling [Last week: Ninth seed]
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Gonzaga Bulldogs: Tenth seed - Anaheim bracket - First and Second-round games in Denver - Projected to play the seventh seeded Villanova Wildcats - Seed rising [Last week: Eleventh seed]
- Washington State Cougars: Not included in bracket (Listed as second team in "Next Four Out" category)
- Pac-10: Arizona (Fifth seed in Anaheim bracket - vs. Michigan State/Virginia Tech), UCLA (Seventh seed in Newark bracket - vs. Saint Marys)
CBS Sports: Jerry Palm (Updated 3/6/2011)
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Washington Huskies: Eleventh seed - San Antonio bracket - First and second-round games in Charlotte - Projected to play the sixth-seed Kansas State Wildcats - seed falling [Last week: Tenth seed]
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Gonzaga Bulldogs: Tenth seed - New Orleans bracket - First and second-round games in Chicago - Projected to play the Seventh-seed Arizona Wildcats - seed steady
- Washington State Cougars: Not included in bracket
- Pac-10: Arizona (Seventh seed in New Orleans bracket - vs. Gonzaga), UCLA (Ninth seed in Anaheim Bracket - vs. MIssouri)
SB Nation's Blogging The Bracket (Updated 3/7/2011)
- Washington Huskies: Tenth seed - Anaheim bracket - First and second-round games in Tucson - Projected to play the seventh-seeded Florida State Seminoles - Seed Steady
- Gonzaga Bulldogs: Tenth seed - New Orleans bracket - First and second-round games in Tampa - Projected to play the seventh-seeded Temple Owls - Seed steady
- Washington State Cougars: Not included in bracket (Listed as first team in "Second Four Out" category
- Pac-10: Arizona (Fifth seed in San Antonio bracket - vs. Marquette/Virginia Tech), UCLA (Eighth seed in New Orleans Bracket - vs. Tennessee)
Bracketology 101 (Updated 3/6/2011)
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Washington Huskies: Tenth seed - Newark bracket - First and second-round games in Washington D.C. - Projected to play the Seventh-seeded Vanderbilt Commodores - Seed steady
- Gonzaga Bulldogs: Tenth seed - Anaheim bracket - First and second-round games in Denver - Projected to play the Seventh-seeded Texas A&M Aggies - Seed steady
- Washington State Cougars: Not included in bracket (Listed as last team in the "Next Four Out" category)
- Pac-10: Arizona (Fifth seed in San Antonio bracket - vs. Michigan State/Alabama), UCLA (Seventh seed in New Orleans Bracket - vs. Richmond)
Bracketville (Updated 3/7/2011)
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Washington Huskies: Tenth seed - Anaheim bracket - First and second-round games in Denver - Projected to play the seventh-seeded Kansas State Wildcats - Seed steady
- Gonzaga Bulldogs: Eleventh seed - New Orleans bracket - First and second-round games in Denver - Projected to play the sixth-seeded Temple Owls - Seed steady
- Washington State Cougars: Not included in bracket (Listed as third team in "Next In Line" category)
- Pac-10: Arizona (Seventh seed in New Orleans bracket - vs. Marquette), UCLA (Eighth seed in Newark Bracket - vs. Old Dominion)