In the old days -- like, maybe, a year or two ago -- the post-Final Four bracket had a bit of a shelf life. Players would come and go from the NBA draft, an increasing number would transfer up or out, but the Bracketology enterprise would remain fairly stable until the draft itself.
No more. Every day there are new draft declarations, more transfer destinations announced and additional names entering the portal. That's not to mention grad transfers or the uncertain transfer waiver process.
In other words, one could argue there is as much bracket movement in April and May as on a busy Saturday in January or February. So, with golf courses closed and no way to use my Phillies tickets, we hereby move to weekly offseason bracket updates.
Headlines from our April 14 projections:
• Kentucky and Creighton are both off the top line, replaced by Baylor and Virginia.
• Wisconsin becomes a No. 2 seed.
• Others moving up a line: Oregon, Rutgers, Oklahoma, USC, Colorado.
• Moving down (or passed): North Carolina, UCLA, Arkansas, Providence, Arizona.
The biggest mover of all is Stanford. After signing 5-star wing Ziaire Williams, the Cardinal leap from a 10-seed to the best of the No. 8s. More importantly, Stanford's NCAA tournament odds have leapfrogged from good to very good. The Cardinal haven't been to the dance since 2014.
Overall, there are five new teams in the field: Alabama, Seton Hall, NC State, Georgia State and Stephen F. Austin. They replace Xavier, South Carolina, Maryland, Texas State and Abilene Christian.