BRACKETWATCH: BIG 8

With just one day to go until ¡Domingo Selección!, BHGP will provide a daily rundown of potential bracket scenarios, straight from the mouths of the nation's preeminent bracketologists.  Note: These brackets have not been approved by the FDA, and are provided on a trial basis only.

CURRENT STATUS: ON THE EDGE OF DISASTER

Joe Lunardi, ESPN: 7 seed, Seattle vs. Colorado State

Jerry Palm, CBS: 8 seed, Pittsburgh vs. Oklahoma State

Chris Dobbertean, SB Nation: 8 seed, Charlotte vs. Cincinnati

Stewart Mandel, Fox Sports: 7 seed, Omaha vs. Georgia

Bracket Matrix: Highest 8 seed

Friday wasn't necessarily horrible for Iowa's seeding.  LSU lost to Auburn, a loss even worse than the Hawkeyes' Thursday defeat.  Ohio State wasn't much of a match for Michigan State.  Cincinnati lost on a last-second bucket from UConn.  Providence, which entered the week on par with Iowa, lost to Villanova in the Big East semifinals.  The picture around the middle seeds is solidifying rapidly, and there are plenty of teams in Iowa's circumstance and no longer playing conference tournament games.

With that said, upset wins by Xavier and Oregon, combined with deep tournament runs by SMU, VCU and San Diego State leave a handful of teams that either have already leapfrogged Iowa or could do so Saturday.  Wins by the likes of Davidson and Dayton could move them into the conversation for Iowa's position in the tournament, as well.  Again, it's the curse of losing early: You're standing still while everyone else still playing is moving forward.

Barring the committee changing its usual process for grading teams, it does look like Iowa's floor is a 9 seed.  There are about 34 teams that can make the case of having a better resume than the Hawkeyes, but squads like Georgia, NC State, St. John's, Cincinnati and Colorado State simply don't hold up in comparison (Georgia could change this, of course, by beating Kentucky).  The notion of dropping to the 10 seed just to avoid a top team in the second round isn't -- and shouldn't be -- taken too seriously.

WHAT TO WATCH: SATURDAY

As always, watch basketball.  When it's gone, the exhausting ennui of spring football is all that is left.  Here are the most important games, with your rooting interest in boldface (all times God's time zone).

12:30 p.m., CBSSN -- Davidson vs. VCU (root for a third team to make it a triple threat and beat them both)
2 p.m., ESPN2 -- Temple vs. SMU (SMU might already be past Iowa, but a win here makes it certain)
2:30 p.m., ESPN -- Georgia vs. Arkansas (UGA remains one of the few leapfrog possibilities)
3 p.m., CBSSN -- Rhode Island vs. Dayton (the Flyers probably can't catch Iowa, but a loss makes it certain)
5 p.m., CBS -- Wyoming vs. San Diego St. (see SMU)
6:30 p.m. ESPN2 -- Buffalo vs. Central Michigan (a tourney with Iowa at an 8 or 9 demands a Dr. Tom connection)
7 p.m., Fox Sports 1 -- Villanova vs. Xavier (Iowa and Xavier are dangerously close at the moment)
10 p.m., ESPN -- Arizona vs. Oregon (ditto Oregon, which is streaking toward the 6/7 line)
10:30 p.m., ESPN2 -- UC Irvine vs. Hawaii (March Madness becomes Mamadou Madness)