Another major conference championship game, another change in the bracket.
DePaul spent most of Tuesday's Big East tournament title game chasing Marquette but never caught the Golden Eagles. Marquette's third win of the season over DePaul and first Big East crown knocked the Blue Demons from the final spot in the top-16 seeds and reinstated Ohio State as the last host school in Tuesday night's updated bracket projection.
The Buckeyes and Blue Demons have eerily similar résumés, and the difference between 16 and 17 is infinitesimal. Ultimately, the Buckeyes got the nod for performing better in a slightly better conference, and their win over Maryland marks the best victory between the two.
The win and championship propelled Marquette from No. 27 overall to No. 25. That makes the Golden Eagles the top No. 7 seed. Ordinarily, that gives them priority along that seed line, providing Marquette the opportunity to be placed with Stanford and become the host school (a building conflict will prevent the Cardinal from hosting, which it earned as a No. 2 seed).
However, bracketing principles and procedures prevent that from happening, so West Virginia remains the No. 7 seed with Stanford. No other scenarios work to allow Marquette to shift there. Despite the Big East title, the Golden Eagles remain in the Oklahoma City Regional playing Purdue in Corvallis in the latest projection.
Just another twist into how the bracket comes together.