February 19 Bracketology: UConn’s Path to March Madness Glory as Top Seed

The countdown continues to Selection Sunday in college basketball, and we’ve got you geared up with another edition of our bracket projections! If you’re just starting to tune in to the collegiate hardwood, we’ve covered you with our latest bracket projections.

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LAST FOUR IN: Mississippi State, Nevada, Cincinnati, Gonzaga

FIRST FOUR OUT:  Seton Hall, Utah, Wake Forest, Villanova

NEXT FOUR OUT: Colorado, Drake, Pittsburgh, Indiana State

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: Highest current KenPom ranking

UConn Takes Over #1 Overall Seed

Just two hours after being listed behind Purdue in the selection committee’s first bracket preview of the year, UConn chose to take it personally and put a whooping on Marquette in Hartford on Saturday afternoon. The Huskies staked their claim to be the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, and Purdue handed them the hammer for the nail in the coffin with an inexplicable loss to Ohio State and interim head coach Jake Diebler. There’s zero debate that UConn is now the holder of the top spot in the bracket and will do so the rest of the way, barring any untimely defeats.

Check Out SportsGrid’s College Basketball Best Bets for Mon. Feb. 19 Here.

Indiana State Tumbles Out of At-Large Consideration

After getting nationally ranked for the first time since 1979, when Larry Bird was at the forefront of the program’s success, Indiana State dropped back-to-back games this past week and has blown any chance at an at-large bid. They have gone from our nine-seed line down to the Next Four Out in a matter of a week and simply don’t have enough opportunities remaining on their schedule to build a capable resume to get back on the right side of the bubble. It’s looking like automatic-bid or bust for the Sycamores if they want to go dancing next month.

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Wisconsin, Auburn Lose Protected Seeding

Wisconsin and Auburn were put on the four-seed line by the selection committee in Saturday’s bracket reveal, each with matchups on schedule for later that day. The Badgers fell to Iowa, while the Tigers dropped one at home to Kentucky, likely sliding both out of the protected seeding. Clemson and Creighton – two teams the committee mentioned were in the discussion for those final protected spots – are now on that four-seed line in their place. There will be plenty of shuffling from now until Selection Sunday for those coveted top four seeds, and this is just the beginning of the madness before the madness.

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