Arkansas Razorbacks NCAA Tournament Bracketology Projections - January 29

There's been a lot of frustration among the Arkansas fan base lately because the last three Razorback victories haven't come as easily as many believe they should have. All three came down to the buzzer and the last two included missed shots by Missouri and Tennessee that would have sent the game into overtime.

I'm not going to pretend the Razorbacks have played as well as it could have the last three games. They haven't and have been really fortunate to escape those games with victories, but the key is they have escaped those games with victories.

In college basketball, there are no style points for blowouts. All the selection committee cares about is who you beat, who you lose to, and where those games happen. That's really it.

That's why, with two road wins over RPI top 25 teams and six overall top 50 victories, the Hogs are in a really great place as far as simply making the NCAA Tournament. They have plenty more opportunities to screw that up, yes, but as of right now with January about to come to a close, seeding is a much bigger question than whether or not the Hogs will just get in.

Joe Lunardi has Arakansas as a 7-seed facing Seton Hall in Omaha, with the winner likely facing 2-seed Kansas. Omaha would be a great destination for Razorback fans as it's not too bad of a drive from Northwest Arkansas, but facing Kansas there would be tough if that's how it played out. Lunardi also has 6 SEC teams in the Tournament.

Jerry Palm is big on the Razorbacks. He has them penciled in as a 5-seed in Jacksonville facing Wofford, with the winner of that game taking on the Louisville vs Yale winner. He also has 6 SEC teams in the bracket.

The SB Nation bracket was last updated before the Tennessee game, but it had Arkansas as an 8-seed in Charlotte against Colorado State, with the winner likely facing Virginia. The Vols have a decent RPI in the mid-50s, so that win only helps Arkansas' resume and could boost them in the eyes of that bracektologist. They had 5 SEC teams in the tournament with Alabama and Texas A&M barely outside.

Winning in Florida won't be easy. Arkansas hasn't done it in 20 years. it's a winnable game for the Hogs but it shouldn't cause panic if they lose. The Razorbacks get back to back home games against South Carolina and Mississippi State next week before a road game at Auburn next Saturday. Those are games Arkansas needs to win. Florida's a gravy game that would boost seeding. Hopefully the Hogs will take advantage of it and win in Gainesville for the first time in Bobby Portis' lifetime.