It’s never too early to get excited for March. After two and a half months of college basketball action, teams are starting to build resumes and stake their claims to make the NCAA Tournament in less than two months. As most teams have played a handful of conference games, we reveal our second edition of bracket projections for March Madness.
| MIDWEST | SOUTH | EAST | WEST | |
| 1 | Purdue (+750) | Houston (+1000) | UConn (+1000) | Arizona (+1100) |
| 2 | Kansas (+2500) | Tennessee (+1500) | North Carolina (+1500) | Wisconsin (+3000) |
| 3 | Marquette (+3500) | Creighton (+4000) | BYU (+6000) | Auburn (+1500) |
| 4 | Duke (+2500) | Illinois (+3000) | Kentucky (+1400) | Baylor (+3500) |
| 5 | Dayton | Oklahoma | Iowa State | Alabama |
| 6 | Utah | Colorado State | San Diego State | Clemson |
| 7 | FAU | Villanova | Utah State | TCU |
| 8 | Memphis | St. John’s | Texas Tech | Seton Hall |
| 9 | Texas A&M | Michigan State | South Carolina | Wake Forest |
| 10 | New Mexico | Cincinnati | Saint Mary’s | Mississippi State |
| 11 | Nevada | Nebraska | NW/MISS | BSU/OREG |
| 12 | McNeese | Grand Canyon | Indiana State | Princeton |
| 13 | Samford | UC Irvine | James Madison | Louisiana Tech |
| 14 | Eastern Washington | Oakland | Drexel | Akron |
| 15 | High Point | UMass Lowell | Morehead State | Colgate |
| 16 | CCSU/GRAM | SPU/DEL ST | Eastern Kentucky | South Dakota State |
LAST FOUR IN: Northwestern, Boise State, Ole Miss, Oregon
FIRST FOUR OUT: Syracuse, Ohio State, Gonzaga, Kansas State
NEXT FOUR OUT: Miami, Colorado, Drake, Texas
Bold = automatic qualifier through conference title
Odds = National Championship Odds for the Top 16 teams (1-4 seeds)
Conference winners were determined based on the following:
- Power 6 conferences: Highest-seeded team
- Mid-major conferences:
- Best conference record; ties settled by higher KenPom ranking
- If conference play has not yet begun, the highest-ranked KenPom team awarded the bid
Purdue, UConn & Houston Are Secure #1 Seeds
The trio at the top, consisting of the Boilermakers, Huskies, and Cougars, are building resumés that are currently on another level compared to the rest of the field. A combination of solid scheduling and capitalizing on opportunities have gotten each school in this position, and it would take a monumental effort paired with a surprising downfall to knock any of these teams out of their comfortable positioning atop their respective regions.
Is Auburn For Real? The Metrics Think So
Auburn’s seeding may surprise most fans, and it comes with good reason. The Tigers are one of just two power conference teams (#9 Wake Forest) we have projected to make the field without a Quad 1 win, yet they are a projected #3 seed. How can that be? They are a complete metric, darling. With KenPom ranking Auburn in fifth and the NET placing them in sixth, it’s difficult to ignore that whatever they are doing, resumé metrics that the committee will value the Tigers. The gauntlet that is the SEC schedule will help us learn more between now and March, but the Tigers will be an exciting storyline to track going forward.
#12 Seed Line Providing Some Powerhouse Mid-Majors
It’s not likely, but there is a realistic path to an at-large bid for every team on the #12 seed line. It’s one of the strongest we have seen in recent years, and it’s more terrifying than ever to fall into the #5 seed line if you are a high-major program. The four teams — McNeese State, Grand Canyon, Indiana State, and Princeton — combine for just eight losses on the season and are dominating their conference schedules so far. Any of those squads are capable of an intense run come March.
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