Full bracket for February 6

Note: This bracket was constructed before the games of February 6.

Moving from seed bands to a full bracket presents a number of challenges.  There are a few main rules to remember:

1. No intraconference matchups until the round of 8 unless a conference has more than 8 teams (none do). This sometimes requires a team's seed so be shifted up or down one, but it should not affect this particular bracket.
2. The top four seeds from each conference in the top four seed lines should be placed in different regions.  
3. The top four seeds in each region are placed in the closest region available.  So the #1 overall team may not be matched up against the weakest #2 seed, but rather a #2 seed from the same general area of the country.
4. The play-in games should be in pods that are reasonably close to Dayton to avoid massive travel.  So Spokane and San Diego are out for those teams.  That restriction makes placement of the 12-seed play-in game difficult; St. Louis is used for #1 and #2 seed pods

There are other principles that the committee follows, but I think that these are the three that most affect the construction of the bracket.  As an example, when the top four seeds are placed, four Big Ten teams (Michigan St., Michigan, Iowa, and Wisconsin) must be in four different regions.  The next Big Ten team, Ohio State, must be placed in Michigan's region (or be moved down a seed line) to avoid an early intraconference matchup.  I also did my best to keep teams from the same conference apart above and beyond these rules; for example, there are four Atlantic 10 teams, and I put one in each region, although it would have been acceptable to have #7 UMass and #8 GW in the same region.

With that, jump on to the bracket:

East (New York City)

Games played in Buffalo, Thurs/Sat.
1. Syracuse
16. Robert Morris/Coastal Carolina

8. George Washington
9. New Mexico

Games played in San Antonio, Fri/Sun
5. Ohio State
12. Toledo

4. Texas
13. Mercer

Games played in Milwaukee, Thurs/Sat
6. UCLA
11. Tennessee

3. Michigan
14. Canisius

Games played in Buffalo, Thurs./Sat
7. Connecticut
10. Florida St.

2. Villanova
15. Stony Brook

West (Anaheim)

Games played in San Diego, Fri/Sun.
1. Arizona
16. Weber St.

8. Memphis
9. Kansas St.

Games played in San Diego, Fri/Sun.
5. Kentucky
12. Southern Miss.

4. Iowa
13. Delaware

Games played in Spokane, Thurs/Sat
6. Oklahoma
11. Minnesota

3. San Diego St.
14. UC Santa Barbara

Games played in Raleigh, Fri/Sun
7. Saint Louis
10. Arizona St.

2. Duke
15. American

South (Memphis)

Games played in St. Louis, Fri/Sun.
1. Kansas
16. Davidson/Southern

8. VCU
9. California

Games played in Orlando, Thurs/Sat.
5. Virginia
12. Oregon/Baylor

4. Wisconsin
13. Georgia St.

Games played in Raleigh, Fri/Sun.
6. Oklahoma St.
11. Providence/Missouri

3. Cincinnati
14. Stephen F. Austin

Games played in Orlando, Thurs./Sat
7. Gonzaga
10. Xavier

2. Florida
15. Utah Valley

Midwest (Indianapolis)

Games played in Milwaukee, Thurs/Sat.
1. Michigan St.
16. Murray St.

8. North Carolina
9. Colorado

Games played in Spokane, Thurs/Sat
5. Louisville
12. Harvard

4. Creighton
13. Green Bay

Games played in San Antonio, Fri/Sun.
6. Pittsburgh
11. Stanford

3. Iowa St.
14. IPFW

Games played in St. Louis, Fri/Sun.
7. Massachusetts
10. Southern Methodist

2. Wichita St.
15. North Carolina Central

Quick bracket analysis:
There are some things about this that I don't like.  For example, I don't think the committee would want a play-in team like Oregon to have to fly on short notice across the country to Dayton on Monday, play on Tuesday, then have another flight to Orlando the next day for a game on Thursday.  Obviously someone has to have that schedule, but it's a much shorter flight from, for example, Columbia, MO to Dayton than from Eugene, OR.  So you could see the committee switch Oregon with Missouri just to put Oregon in the Wednesday play-in game and break up the travel.  Also, attendance in San Diego and Spokane will be brutal, but there isn't much that can be done about that.  San Diego State is precluded from playing in San Diego, and Gonzaga would not be placed in Spokane.

However, there would be some interesting matchups.  John Beilein and Michigan against Canisius, his first D-1 job; Ohio State against in-state foe Toledo; former Big East foes Syracuse, Connecticut, and Villanova, now in three different conferences, in the same region.

With over five weeks until Selection Sunday, a lot is going to change, but some things are already in focus.  The top two seeds in each region above pretty much know where their first two games will be, and most those teams will end up in the same regions.  The most likely to change would be if Michigan beats Michigan State again; Michigan could slide ahead of Michigan State and end up in the Midwest region instead of the Spartans.