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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| MIDWEST | EAST | SOUTH | WEST | |
| 1 | Purdue | UConn | Houston | Marquette |
| 2 | Kansas | North Carolina | Arizona | Tennessee |
| 3 | Alabama | Kansas | Auburn | Iowa State |
| 4 | Clemson | Illinois | Wisconsin | Duke |
| 5 | San Diego State | Texas Tech | Creighton | Dayton |
| 6 | Saint Mary’s | Colorado State | BYU | Utah State |
| 7 | Florida Atlantic | South Carolina | Kentucky | Texas |
| 8 | Oklahoma | Washington State | New Mexico | Michigan State |
| 9 | Butler | Texas A&M | Northwestern | TCU |
| 10 | Florida | Boise State | Virginia | Indiana State |
| 11 | Providence | Ole Miss | Grand Canyon | Nebraska |
| 12 | MISS ST/CIN | GONZ/NEV | McNeese | Samford |
| 13 | UC Irvine | Louisiana Tech | Princeton | James Madison |
| 14 | Akron | UNC Wilmington | Vermont | High Point |
| 15 | Colgate | Youngstown State | Eastern Washington | Morehead State |
| 16 | St. Thomas | Southern | LIPS/NORF ST | IONA/MERR |
LAST FOUR IN: Mississippi State, Gonzaga, Cincinnati, Nevada
FIRST FOUR OUT: Utah, Seton Hall, Wake Forest, Villanova
NEXT FOUR OUT: Memphis, Colorado, Drake, St. John’s
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
Two True Mid-Majors Find Themselves in the At-Large Ranks
Although Indiana State suffered an inconceivable defeat to Illinois State on Tuesday, both the Sycamores and Grand Canyon find themselves among the top 11 seeds as at-large squads in our bracket. While we still have them in bold as their favorites to win their respective conferences, we see a path to an at-large for both squads considering their current resumés. What that doesn’t take into account is another loss added on should they be knocked out in their conference tournament next month. That will be assessed when it comes based on what quadrant it falls in and how it impacts its current metrics. But for now, both squads are among the 36 receiving an invitation to the Big Dance.
Who Will Claim That 4th #1 Seed?
With Purdue, UConn, and Houston being mainstays on that top seed line for well over a month by now, it feels like it’s been a revolving door of options filling out that final spot atop the West region since the New Year. This time, we’re going with Marquette, who is currently on an eight-game win streak and has capitalized on recent stumbles from North Carolina and Tennessee. The Golden Eagles have an opportunity to get a firm grip on that fourth #1 seed with a trip to Hartford on Saturday to take on the UConn Huskies. If they can pull off a win in the XL Center, it’d far and away be the best single data point on any resumé in the country this year.
Big East Continues to Dominate the Bubble
The Big East very clearly has three locks followed by a team in Butler who sits in the field but far from comfortably, and then a handful of middling squads competing for bubble attention. Four Big East teams – Providence, Seton Hall, Villanova, and St. John’s – hover around that bubble, waiting for the other to make a move. Given the vulture nature of life within the same conference, the league will be lucky to get two of those four into the field. It’s a fascinating development in a league that has slightly disappointed with its middle tier this season, and it should make for some serious drama at Madison Square Garden in a few weeks.
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