March Madness Bracketology Update for 2/9: Welcome, Wahoos

by

Feb 9, 2024

Selection Sunday inches closer in the world of 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.

Score big with SportsGrid’s College Basketball Picks, using advanced stats to predict outcomes. Player props are coming soon.

  MIDWEST EAST SOUTH WEST
1 Purdue (+700) UConn (+750) Houston (+900) North Carolina (+1700)
2 Marquette (+2500) Wisconsin (+3000) Arizona (+1500) Tennessee (+1200)
3 Baylor (+4000) Iowa State (+3000) Alabama (+1700) Kansas (+2000)
4 Duke (+3000) Auburn (+1500) Illinois (+3500) Dayton (+7500)
5 South Carolina San Diego State BYU Creighton
6 Clemson Kentucky Oklahoma Colorado State
7 New Mexico Utah State Saint Mary’s Texas
8 Boise State Florida Atlantic Utah Texas Tech
9 Indiana State Nebraska Northwestern TCU
10 Texas A&M Ole Miss Butler Washington State
11 Seton Hall HALL/UVA St. John’s Michigan State
12 Princeton McNeese Grand Canyon CIN/UF
13 James Madison Louisiana Tech UC Irvine Samford
14 High Point Vermont UNC Wilmington Akron
15 Morehead State Eastern Washington Youngstown State Colgate
16 MERR/NORF ST Lipscomb QUIN/SU St. Thomas

LAST FOUR IN: Mississippi State, Seton Hall, Florida, Virginia

FIRST FOUR OUT: Grand Canyon, Providence, Colorado Nevada

NEXT FOUR OUT: Villanova, Oregon, Wake Forest, Memphis

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

Virginia’s Rapid Push for At-Large Bid; If They Even Need It

We knew a fourth team would likely emerge in the ACC, and it’s been Virginia to kick off February. The Cavaliers pushed themselves into the field with a big-time win over Clemson last weekend and topped it off with a statement home win over Miami on Monday, holding the Hurricanes to a program-low 38 points. Tony Bennett’s got his team playing its best ball in February and it’s been enough to earn them a spot in our field. With a 9-3 record and just a game back of North Carolina for the ACC lead, who says they can’t take the auto bid?

Saint Mary’s Quietly Climbs

As Randy Bennett’s Gaels have done for years upon years, Saint Mary’s just continues to climb in silence, that is until their statement win over Gonzaga last weekend. The Gaels are now safely into the field and are likely to stay there unless they suffer a disastrous WCC defeat in the next month. The roster boasts loads of talent, is led by an elite coach, and now holds the longest active win streak in the sport at 11 games. It’s time to start paying attention to the Gaels.

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Could the Big Ten Only Get Four Teams In?

We’ve heard plenty of hubbub in recent seasons about the dominance of the Big Ten from top to bottom, but it’s clear that the 2023-24 season has not been one to remember for the conference outside of the top three. In fact, it’s gotten so bad that it’s time to wonder if the league will only get four teams into the NCAA Tournament. While Purdue, Wisconsin, and Illinois remain as mortal locks, Northwestern is hanging tight around the 8 to 9 seed line while Michigan State and Nebraska hover as a bubble team. If either of those fall short of an at-large bid in a month’s time, we could see just a quartet of Big Ten programs in the Big Dance.

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Thumbnail photo via Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

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