Butler's win last night over Milwaukee was huge for the Eagles' NCAA Tournament hopes. Butler earning the Horizon League's auto-bid makes the conference a one-bid league this year, freeing up a spot in the field of 68 and allowing bubble teams to rest a bit easier.
The immediate impact for the Eagles is that BC has been bumped up a slot or two on the right side of the bubble, and has been slotted into the field of 64 (and out of the First Four matchups in Dayton).
Another oddity from today's BC basketball bracketology: six of the nine brackets that project first round matchups have the Eagles playing a Big East team -- Cincinnati, West Virginia or Georgetown. I guess these bracketologists are even wise to the Selection Committee's sense of humor.
Also, Bill Connolly from Rock M Nation has BC playing Virginia Tech in a First Four matchup in Dayton. An intra-conference first round NCAA Tournament matchup ... a March Madness first?
Bracketology 101 (Mar. 9)
No. 11 seed in the Southwest, playing Cincinnati in Chicago
Joe Lunardi, ESPN (Mar. 9)
No. 12 seed in the Southeast, playing West Virginia in Washington D.C.
Andy Glockner, Sports Illustrated (Mar. 9)
No. 11 seed in the Southeast, playing Georgetown in Tampa
Dave Ommen, BracketVille (Mar. 9)
No. 11 seed in the Southwest, playing Cincinnati in Chicago
Daily Bracket (Mar. 9)
No. 11 seed in the Southeast, playing Cincinnati in Tulsa
Eric Prisbell, Washington Post (Mar. 9)
No. 12 seed
Jerry Palm, CBS Sports (Mar. 9)
No. 10 seed in the Southwest, playing Temple in Washington D.C.
Bracket Predictions (Mar. 9)
No. 9 seed
Chris Dobbertean, Blogging The Bracket (Mar. 8)
No. 11 seed in the Southeast, playing Kansas State in Denver
Patrick Stevens, Washington Times (Mar. 8)
No. 11 seed in the Southeast, playing West Virginia in Tampa
Bill Connelly, Rock M Nation (Mar. 7)
No. 12 seed in the Southwest, playing Virginia Tech (???) in First Four matchup