Bracketology 3/12/2023 AM
Welcome to Selection Sunday! We have 5 games today, a few of which will effect seeding. I’ll publish a final update (with my full projected bracket) later this afternoon before the Selection Show.
For the first time since 2017, we have 0 bid thieves this year. This is a boon to bubble teams everywhere, most notably Nevada who I think would’ve lost their spot if the bubble shrunk by one team.
1: Kansas, Alabama, Houston, Purdue
2: UCLA, Texas, Arizona, Marquette
3: Gonzaga, Baylor, Kansas State, Connecticut
4: Xavier, Indiana, Tennessee, Virginia
5: San Diego State, Duke, Iowa State, Texas A&M
6: Miami (FL), St. Mary’s, TCU, Missouri
7: Kentucky, Northwestern, Michigan State, Creighton
8: Florida Atlantic, Memphis, West Virginia, Maryland
9: Iowa, Arkansas, Penn State, Auburn
10: USC, Utah State, Illinois, Boise State
11: Providence, NC State, (Mississippi State/Arizona State), (Rutgers/Nevada)
12: Charleston, Oral Roberts, Drake, VCU
13: Kent State, Yale, Louisiana, Iona
14: Furman, Kennesaw State, UC Santa Barbara, Grand Canyon
15: Montana State, Colgate, Vermont, UNC Asheville
16: Northern Kentucky, Howard, (Texas A&M CC/SE Missouri State), (Texas Southern/Fairleigh Dickinson)
First Four Out: Pittsburgh, Oklahoma State, Vanderbilt, North Carolina
Next Four Out: Clemson, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Texas
Moving In: Kent State, Grand Canyon, Texas Southern
Moving Out: Toledo, Southern Utah, Grambling
Bids by Conference:
Big Ten: 9
SEC: 8
Big 12: 7
Big East: 5
ACC: 4
Mountain West: 4
Pac-12: 4
American: 2
West Coast: 2
Bracketology 3/11/2023
I’ve been at the Big Ten Tournament this week and have enjoyed some great basketball. The Big Ten started the week as the bubbliest conference but the last few days have given us some clarity. Penn State has surely played their way into the tournament with two thrilling wins over Illinois and Northwestern. Wisconsin and Michigan are almost surely out after losing their opening games. The team that I still have questions about is Rutgers- there is not much precedent for a team with such a high loss count and 4 Q3 losses making the field but they do have that road win at Purdue. I have the Scarlet Knights barely in the field as my penultimate team in the field.
Enjoy today’s games, the Saturday of conference tournament weekend is always one of the best days of the season.
1: Kansas, Alabama, Houston, Purdue
2: UCLA, Texas, Arizona, Gonzaga
3: Marquette, Baylor, Kansas State, Connecticut
4: Xavier, Indiana, Tennessee, Virginia
5: San Diego State, Miami (FL), St. Mary’s, Iowa State
6: Texas A&M, TCU, Duke, Kentucky
7: Missouri, Michigan State, Northwestern, Creighton
8: Florida Atlantic, Arkansas, Maryland, Iowa
9: Auburn, Memphis, West Virginia, Illinois
10: USC, Boise State, Utah State, Penn State
11: Providence, NC State, (Mississippi State/Arizona State), (Rutgers/Nevada)
12: Charleston, Oral Roberts, Drake, VCU
13: Toledo, Louisiana, Yale, Iona
14: Furman, Kennesaw State, UC Santa Barbara, Southern Utah
15: Colgate, Montana State, UNC Asheville, Vermont
16: Grambling State, Northern Kentucky, (Howard/Texas A&M CC), (SE Missouri State/Fairleigh Dickinson)
First Four Out: Vanderbilt, Pittsburgh, Oklahoma State, North Carolina
Next Four Out: Clemson, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Texas
Moving In: UC Santa Barbara, Southern Utah
Moving Out: UC Irvine, Sam Houston State
Bids by Conference:
Big Ten: 9
SEC: 8
Big 12: 7
Big East: 5
ACC: 4
Mountain West: 4
Pac-12: 4
American: 2
West Coast: 2
Bracketology 3/10/2023
Penn State and Utah State have been two of the biggest risers on the bubble in recent weeks and they continued that trend yesterday with big wins over Illinois and New Mexico, respectively. I’d be pretty surprised to see either team miss the field now, and Utah State’s metrics are good enough that they could be favored to win their 7/10 or 6/11 matchup.
All of the teams in my first four out have been eliminated from their conference tournaments. Of the teams on the outside looking in, just Vanderbilt, North Texas and Clemson are still playing and all have significant work to do still.
1: Kansas, Alabama, Houston, Purdue
2: UCLA, Texas, Baylor, Arizona
3: Gonzaga, Kansas State, Marquette, Connecticut
4: Tennessee, Xavier, Indiana, Virginia
5: Miami (FL), San Diego State, Iowa State, St. Mary’s
6: TCU, Texas A&M, Kentucky, Duke
7: Michigan State, Creighton, Northwestern, Missouri
8: Florida Atlantic, Arkansas, Maryland, Iowa
9: Auburn, Memphis, West Virginia, Illinois
10: Boise State, USC, Providence, Utah State
11: Penn State, NC State, (Mississippi State/Rutgers), (Arizona State/Nevada)
12: Charleston, Oral Roberts, Drake, Sam Houston State
13: VCU, Toledo, Louisiana, Yale
14: Iona, Furman, Kennesaw State, UC Irvine
15: Colgate, Montana State, UNC Asheville, Vermont
16: Grambling State, Northern Kentucky, (Howard/Texas A&M CC), (SE Missouri State/Fairleigh Dickinson)
First Four Out: Oklahoma State, Pittsburgh, North Carolina, Wisconsin
Next Four Out: Michigan, Vanderbilt, North Texas, Clemson
Moving In: None
Moving Out: None
Bids by Conference:
Big Ten: 9
SEC: 8
Big 12: 7
Big East: 5
ACC: 4
Mountain West: 4
Pac-12: 4
American: 2
West Coast: 2
Bracketology 3/9/2023
A lot of bubble teams were in action yesterday and they mostly held serve. Pitt, Oklahoma State, Arizona State and NC State all won games they needed to. The notable exception was Wisconsin, who got down 20 to Ohio State and nearly came back. They weren’t able to though, and I think the Badgers’ at-large chances are looking pretty grim.
Almost the whole bubble is in action today so there should be plenty of movement in tomorrow’s seed list.
Moving In: None
Moving Out: None
Bids by Conference:
Big Ten: 9
SEC: 8
Big 12: 7
Big East: 5
ACC: 4
Mountain West: 4
Pac-12: 4
American: 2
West Coast: 2
Bracketology 3/8/2023
Charleston and Oral Roberts left no doubt about their bids by winning their conference tournaments yesterday. I don’t think either team would’ve gotten an at-large and it would’ve been a shame to not see these fantastic mid-majors in the tournament.
Major conference bubble teams begin their conference tournaments today. I will be at the United Center for Wisconsin/Ohio State where the Badgers are in desperate need of a win.
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Bracketology 3/7/2023
Bubble teams breathed a sign of relief as St. Mary’s and Gonzaga both won their semifinals in the WCC, removing the possibility of a bid stealer there. St. Mary’s will have a strong case for a protected seed if they can beat Gonzaga tonight.
I view the heart of the bubble as 6 teams for 3 spots right now. In order of how I view their resumes, it’s Arizona State, Penn State, Rutgers, Pittsburgh, Oklahoma State and Wisconsin. With bid stealers still lurking, there will likely only be 2, perhaps 1, spot for these teams come Sunday.
Moving In: Northern Kentucky
Moving Out: Youngstown State
Bids by Conference:
Big Ten: 9
SEC: 8
Big 12: 7
Big East: 5
ACC: 4
Mountain West: 4
Pac-12: 4
American: 2
West Coast: 2
Bracketology 3/6/2023
Most of Sunday’s bubble action was in the Big Ten. Rutgers continued their slide with a home loss to Northwestern. I had the Scarlet Knights as a 5 seed a month ago and they are now my last team in the field. Moving into the field is Penn State, who has pulled off dramatic back to back Q1 wins to sneak into the field. I will be at the Big Ten Tournament this week at the United Center to watch all the bubble action.
The next two nights are light on bubble action, but things will kick back into high gear on Wednesday. In the meantime, I’ll be watching to see if Charleston and Oral Roberts can win their conference tournaments- both teams have a small, but nonzero chance at an at-large.
Moving In: Penn State, Kennesaw State, Montana State
Moving Out: Pittsburgh, Liberty, Eastern Washington
Bids by Conference:
Big Ten: 9
SEC: 8
Big 12: 7
Big East: 5
ACC: 4
Mountain West: 4
Pac-12: 4
American: 2
West Coast: 2
Bracketology 3/5/2023
The last Saturday of the regular season is always one of the best college basketball days of the year and yesterday was no exception. The highlight was the OVC final where SE Missouri State punched their bid to the tournament in thrilling fashion over Tennessee Tech. Today has a good slate of games once again, highlighted by the Arch Madness final between Bradley and Drake. The winner will be a dangerous 12 or 13 seed to watch in the tournament.
I have 8 hours on the road in front of me today that I’ll be using to go through every team’s resume from scratch, so expect to see a good amount of movement on the seed list tomorrow.
1: Alabama, Kansas, Houston, Purdue
2: UCLA, Texas, Baylor, Arizona
3: Kansas State, Gonzaga, Marquette, Connecticut
4: Tennessee, Xavier, Indiana, Virginia
5: TCU, Miami (FL), St. Mary’s, San Diego State
6: Texas A&M, Kentucky, Iowa State, Creighton
7: Michigan State, Duke, Iowa, Northwestern
8: Missouri, Arkansas, Maryland, Florida Atlantic
9: Illinois, Memphis, West Virginia, USC
10: Providence, Auburn, Boise State, Rutgers
11: Mississippi State, Nevada, (NC State/Utah State), (Pittsburgh/Arizona State)
12: Charleston, Oral Roberts, VCU, Drake
13: Utah Valley, Liberty, Toledo, Louisiana
14: Yale, Iona, Furman, Colgate
15: Eastern Washington, Vermont, UC Irvine, UNC Asheville
16: Youngstown State, Howard, (SE Missouri State/Grambling State), (Texas A&M CC/Fairleigh Dickinson)
First Four Out: Oklahoma State, Wisconsin, Penn State, Charleston
Next Four Out: Michigan, Oral Roberts, Vanderbilt, North Carolina
Also Considered: Oklahoma, Clemson, North Texas, VCU, Texas Tech, New Mexico, Villanova, Oregon
Moving In: Louisiana, SE Missouri State
Moving Out: Southern Miss, Morehead State
Bids by Conference:
Big Ten: 8
SEC: 8
Big 12: 7
ACC: 5
Big East: 5
Mountain West: 4
Pac-12: 4
American: 2
West Coast: 2
Bracketology 3/3/2023
Both Arizona State and Wisconsin had opportunities for marquee wins yesterday against UCLA and Purdue, respectively. Wisconsin came close but couldn’t quite get over the hump, and both teams enter the last weekend of the season with a good amount of work to do.
The biggest bubble loser of the night was Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights were up 10 with 1:15 left against last place Minnesota before a complete collapse. They need at least 1 more win to be on the right side of the cut line headed into Selection Sunday.
Moving In: Howard
Moving Out: Norfolk State
Bids by Conference:
Big Ten: 8
SEC: 8
Big 12: 7
ACC: 5
Big East: 5
Mountain West: 4
Pac-12: 4
American: 2
West Coast: 2
Bracketology 3/2/2023
It was another interesting night on the bubble with Pittsburgh being the biggest loser. The Panthers were not competitive in a Q3 loss at Notre Dame and I think they are closer to the cutline than some realize. They close the regular season with a crucial game at Miami.
Utah State and Penn State were the day’s bubble winners. Utah State is once again without a Q1 win after Nevada tumbled outside the NET top 30 but I think their resume is just strong enough to get over the line. Penn State is still in the conversation after a road win over Northwestern and could really use a win over Maryland at home this weekend.
Bids by Conference:
Big Ten: 8
SEC: 8
Big 12: 7
ACC: 5
Big East: 5
Mountain West: 4
Pac-12: 4
American: 2
West Coast: 2
Bracketology 2/28/2023
Oklahoma State moves out of my projected field as they lost once again at home to Baylor. Taking their place is Utah State, who was my first team out. The Aggies are the bubbliest team out there, but a sweep of two remaining games at UNLV and home to Boise State should be enough to get them over the line.
Moving In: Utah State
Moving Out: Oklahoma State
Bids by Conference:
Big Ten: 8
SEC: 8
Big 12: 7
ACC: 5
Big East: 5
Mountain West: 4
Pac-12: 4
American: 2
West Coast: 2
Bracketology 2/27/2023
A wild weekend of college hoops saw the fate of lots of bubble teams change dramatically. No team had a bigger win than Arizona State, who went on the road and knocked off arch rival Arizona. The buzzer beating halfcourt shot came from none other than Brown transfer Desmond Cambridge, who was the best player on Brown’s team when I was a student there a few years ago.
I’ve moved the Sun Devils into the field at the expense of Wisconsin, who lost at home to Michigan. The Wolverines are making quite a charge themselves and are now in my First Four Out.
Moving In: Arizona State, Furman, Norfolk State, Grambling State
Moving Out: Wisconsin, Samford, Howard, Alcorn State
Bids by Conference:
Big Ten: 8
Big 12: 8
SEC: 8
ACC: 5
Big East: 5
Pac-12: 4
Mountain West: 3
American: 2
West Coast: 2
Bracketology 2/25/2023
The bubble has crystallized a bit in recent days- most brackets you look at will have the same at-large teams in the field that I’ve selected here. However, there’s plenty of room for that to change today. Oklahoma State, Mississippi State and West Virginia all could fall out of the field with a loss, and Arizona State has the potential to change the trajectory of their season if they can win a road game at Arizona.
Moving In: None
Moving Out: None
Bids by Conference:
Big Ten: 9
Big 12: 8
SEC: 8
ACC: 5
Big East: 5
Mountain West: 3
Pac-12: 3
American: 2
West Coast: 2
Bracketology 2/22/2023
Not many teams in college basketball are hotter than Texas Tech. The Red Raiders beat Oklahoma on the road and are now 6-2 in their last 8. If they can go 2-1 in down the stretch and pick up a win in the Big 12 tournament I think they'll make the field.
There are some big bubble games tonight, highlighted by a late night clash between New Mexico and Boise State, two teams right near the cutline.
Moving In: Toledo
Moving Out: Kent State
Bids by Conference:
Big Ten: 9
Big 12: 8
SEC: 8
ACC: 5
Big East: 5
Mountain West: 3
Pac-12: 3
American: 2
West Coast: 2
Bracketology 2/20/2023
The committee revealed their top 16 teams on Saturday. I had 15/16 teams correct- I had Connecticut instead of Indiana, the Hoosiers were my 17th team. I was pretty surprised to not see Connecticut- the committee seems to value predictive metrics for some teams (like Houston) but not for others (like Connecticut).
I’ve finally moved North Carolina out of the field after their loss to NC State. The Tar Heels are still without a Q1 win and will need to convert one of their two remaining opportunities at one- home dates against Virginia and Duke.
1: Alabama, Houston, Kansas, Purdue
2: Texas, Arizona, UCLA, Baylor
3: Virginia, Kansas State, Indiana, Tennessee
4: Iowa State, Marquette, Gonzaga, Xavier
5: Connecticut, Miami (FL), St. Mary’s, Northwestern
6: Creighton, San Diego State, Providence, TCU
7: Michigan State, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois
8: Maryland, Arkansas, Duke, Texas A&M
9: Kentucky, Florida Atlantic, Auburn, Nevada
10: Memphis, NC State, Rutgers, Oklahoma State
11: Pittsburgh, Mississippi State, (Boise State/USC), (Wisconsin/West Virginia)
12: Oral Roberts, Charleston, Drake, Kent State
13: Utah Valley, VCU, Liberty, Southern Miss
14: UC Irvine, Yale, Iona, Eastern Washington
15: Vermont, Samford, Colgate, UNC Asheville
16: Youngstown State, Texas A&M CC, (Morehead State/Howard), (Alcorn State/Fairleigh Dickinson)
First Four Out: North Texas, Utah State, Oral Roberts, Arizona State
Next Four Out: North Carolina, Charleston, New Mexico, Penn State
Also Considered: Michigan, Seton Hall, Texas Tech, Clemson, Oklahoma, Drake, Oregon, Wake Forest
Moving In: Mississippi State, Yale, Texas A&M CC
Moving Out: North Carolina, Princeton, Northwestern State
Bids by Conference:
Big Ten: 9
Big 12: 8
SEC: 8
ACC: 5
Big East: 5
Mountain West: 3
Pac-12: 3
American: 2
West Coast: 2
Bracketology 2/18/2023
No team has moved faster through the bracket in recent weeks than New Mexico. The Lobos started the season far from relevance but surged to a 14-0 start. At 19-3 they were a comfortable 7 seed in my bracket but plunged out of the field with a 4 game losing streak, capped by a disastrous home loss to Wyoming. A pair of games against the class of the MWC (Boise State and San Diego State) awaits- they need at least a split to stay in the conversation.
1: Alabama, Houston, Kansas, Purdue
2: UCLA, Baylor, Texas, Arizona
3: Tennessee, Virginia, Gonzaga, Xavier
4: Connecticut, Kansas State, Marquette, Iowa State
5: Indiana, Miami (FL), San Diego State. St. Mary’s
6: Maryland, Illinois, Auburn, Northwestern
7: TCU, Michigan State, Creighton, NC State
8: Duke, Providence, Iowa, Oklahoma State
9: Florida Atlantic, Arkansas, Nevada, Missouri
10: Memphis, Rutgers, West Virginia, Boise State
11: Texas A&M, Pittsburgh, (Wisconsin/Kentucky), (USC/North Carolina)
12: Oral Roberts, Charleston, VCU, Southern Miss
13: Drake, Utah Valley, Liberty, Kent State
14: UC Irvine, Princeton, Iona, Eastern Washington
15: Vermont, Samford, Colgate, UNC Asheville
16: Youngstown State, Northwestern State, (Morehead State/Howard), (Alcorn State/Fairleigh Dickinson)
First Four Out: Mississippi State, Clemson, New Mexico, North Texas
Next Four Out: Utah State, Penn State, Oregon, Seton Hall
Also Considered: Wake Forest, Oral Roberts, Charleston, Florida, Oklahoma, Santa Clara, Texas Tech, Vanderbilt
Moving In: Princeton
Moving Out: Yale
Bids by Conference:
Big Ten: 9
Big 12: 8
SEC: 7
ACC: 6
Big East: 5
Mountain West: 3
Pac-12: 3
American: 2
West Coast: 2
Bracketology 2/16/2023
There may not be a hotter team in college basketball than Texas A&M. The Aggies had a disastrous non-conference schedule that included Q4 losses to Murray State and Wofford. Since then, they’ve rattled off an 11-2 SEC record, highlighted by a sweep of Auburn. They’re now in my last four byes, and if they keep playing the way they have they’ll be out of bubble trouble in no time.
1: Alabama, Purdue, Houston, Kansas
2: Baylor, Arizona, Texas, UCLA
3: Tennessee, Virginia, Gonzaga, Xavier
4: Connecticut, Kansas State, Marquette, Iowa State
5: Indiana, Miami (FL), San Diego State. St. Mary’s
6: Illinois, Auburn, Maryland, Northwestern
7: TCU, Michigan State, Creighton, Florida Atlantic
8: NC State, Duke, Providence, Oklahoma State
9: Arkansas, Nevada, Iowa, Missouri
10: Rutgers, West Virginia, Boise State, Memphis
11: Texas A&M, Pittsburgh, (Wisconsin/Kentucky), (USC/North Carolina)
12: VCU, Oral Roberts, Charleston, Southern Miss
13: Drake, Utah Valley, Liberty, Kent State
14: UC Irvine, Yale, Iona, Eastern Washington
15: Vermont, Samford, Colgate, UNC Asheville
16: Youngstown State, Northwestern State, (Morehead State/Howard), (Alcorn State/Fairleigh Dickinson)
First Four Out: Mississippi State, Clemson, North Texas, Utah State
Next Four Out: Penn State, Arizona State, Oregon, Seton Hall
Also Considered: Wake Forest, New Mexico, VCU, Oral Roberts, Florida, Charleston, Oklahoma, Utah
Moving In: Kentucky, Samford, UC Irvine
Moving Out: Mississippi State, Furman, UC Santa Barbara
Bids by Conference:
Big Ten: 9
Big 12: 8
SEC: 7
ACC: 6
Big East: 5
Mountain West: 3
Pac-12: 3
American: 2
West Coast: 2
Bracketology 2/13/2023
It was a busy weekend of college hoops, highlighted by a game in my own backyard in Evanston. I was thinking of going to Purdue/Northwestern but balked at the $175 ticket, it’s a shame I did as the Wildcats pulled off one of their biggest wins in program history. I’ve moved Northwestern safely into the field as an 8 seed, and moved Purdue to the #2 overall seed behind Alabama.
1: Alabama, Purdue, Houston, Kansas
2: Texas, Baylor, Arizona, UCLA
3: Virginia, Tennessee, Gonzaga, Kansas State
4: Xavier, Connecticut, Indiana, Marquette
5: San Diego State. St. Mary’s, Illinois, Miami (FL)
6: Iowa State, Creighton, TCU, NC State
7: Maryland, Michigan State, Arkansas, Auburn
8: Florida Atlantic, Oklahoma State, Missouri, Northwestern
9: Duke, Nevada, Rutgers, Iowa
10: West Virginia, Memphis, Boise State, Pittsburgh
11: Providence, North Carolina, (Texas A&M/Wisconsin), (Mississippi State/USC)
12: VCU, Oral Roberts, Charleston, Southern Miss
13: Drake, Utah Valley, Liberty, Kent State
14: UC Santa Barbara, Yale, Furman, Iona
15: Eastern Washington, Vermont, Colgate, UNC Asheville
16: Youngstown State, Northwestern State, (Morehead State/Howard), (Alcorn State/Fairleigh Dickinson)
First Four Out: Kentucky, Oregon, Clemson, New Mexico
Next Four Out: Utah State, North Texas, Arizona State, Seton Hall
Also Considered: Wake Forest, VCU, Michigan, Oral Roberts, Penn State, Florida, Charleston, Oklahoma
Bids by Conference:
Big Ten: 9
Big 12: 8
SEC: 7
ACC: 6
Big East: 5
Mountain West: 3
Pac-12: 3
American: 2
West Coast: 2
Bracketology 2/11/2023
We’re now a month and a day from Selection Sunday and most teams have only five or so regular season games remaining. If your team isn’t on this page, the chances of them making the tournament are pretty low. Historical precedent suggests that by this point in the season, we can expect that all but a half dozen of the final at-large teams are in my current field. There is always a chance for a team to come out of nowhere and go on a crazy run to make the field (2020 UCLA comes to mind) but it doesn’t happen every year.
1: Purdue, Alabama, Houston, Kansas
2: Arizona, Texas, Tennessee, UCLA
3: Baylor, Kansas State, Connecticut, Xavier
4: Indiana, Iowa State, Virginia, Marquette
5: Miami (FL), San Diego State, St. Mary’s, Gonzaga
6: TCU, Rutgers, Iowa, Duke
7: Illinois, Creighton, NC State, Arkansas
8: West Virginia, Providence, Michigan State, Florida Atlantic
9: Nevada, Auburn, Maryland, Boise State
10: Northwestern, North Carolina, Kentucky, Oklahoma State
11: New Mexico, USC, (Texas A&M/Missouri), (Wisconsin/Pittsburgh)
12: Charleston, VCU, Oral Roberts, Southern Miss
13: Kent State, Utah Valley, UC Santa Barbara, Liberty
14: Iona, Southern Illinois, Princeton, Furman
15: Vermont, Colgate, Youngstown State, Eastern Washington
16: UNC Asheville, Norfolk State, (Northwestern State/UT-Martin), (Grambling State/Fairleigh Dickinson)
First Four Out: Clemson, Oregon, Utah State, Memphis
Next Four Out: Mississippi State, Arizona State, North Texas, Florida
Also Considered: Wake Forest, Seton Hall, Michigan, Penn State, Charleston, VCU, Virginia Tech, UCF
Bracketology 2/8/2023
Kansas got a nice home win over Texas and I’ve moved the Jayhawks back up to the top line, replacing Arizona. Purdue and Alabama have a pretty firm grip on #1 seeds but the next 6 teams are all in contention for the two remaining slots.
Indiana has put together a collection of nice wins, highlighted by their weekend victory over Purdue. The Hoosiers are a 4 seed in this update, the first time I’ve had them as a protected seed all year.
1: Purdue, Alabama, Houston, Kansas
2: Arizona, Tennessee, Texas, UCLA
3: Baylor, Kansas State, Iowa State, Xavier
4: St. Mary’s, Connecticut, Indiana, Virginia
5: Marquette, Miami (FL), Gonzaga, TCU
6: Iowa, San Diego State, Rutgers, Duke
7: Illinois, NC State, Arkansas, Providence
8: Michigan State, Florida Atlantic, Nevada, Creighton
9: Auburn, New Mexico, West Virginia, Maryland
10: USC, Boise State, North Carolina, Kentucky
11: Oklahoma State, Utah State, (Northwestern/Texas A&M), (Missouri/Pittsburgh)
12: VCU, Charleston, Oral Roberts, Akron
13: Southern Miss, Utah Valley, UC Santa Barbara, Liberty
14: Iona, Southern Illinois, Princeton, Furman
15: Vermont, Colgate, Youngstown State, Eastern Washington
16: UNC Asheville, Norfolk State, (Northwestern State/UT-Martin), (Grambling State/Fairleigh Dickinson)
First Four Out: Clemson, Memphis, Virginia Tech, Mississippi State
Next Four Out: Seton Hall, Florida, Wisconsin, Penn State
Also Considered: Wake Forest, Oregon, Michigan, North Texas, Arizona State, Oklahoma, Charleston, VCU