With the Super Bowl behind us, Selection Sunday awaits, along with the Madness of March. Between now and then, college basketball is sure to provide us enough plot twists to hold our attention. Exhibit A is this past Saturday … when eight of the top 16 teams on the Seed List added a loss to their resume. Meanwhile, teams along the cutline meander like a river without direction, and the bubble club numbers 30-plus members. In other words, fasten your seat belt and enjoy what should be a wild four-week ride.
If you’re returning for the first time post-football, reigning NCAA champion Villanova remains entrenched as the overall No. 1 seed. Regarding the rest of today’s No. 1 seeds, Selection Committee member value a team’s full profile over a single result (or two). Although in a different order from last Thursday, Gonzaga, Kansas, and Baylor continue to lead the West, Midwest, and South regions. That said, the margins for the Jayhawks and Bears are waning.
It would take hours of conversation and pages of words to wrangle through the bubble and the process in making the final decisions for at-large spots today. From eight seeds on down, every resume has holes to fill and issues to solve ahead of Championship Week.
UPDATED: February 6, 2017
Regarding bracketing principles, can read them for yourself at www.ncaa.com. For example: teams from the same conference may now meet before a Regional final, even if fewer than eight teams are selected. The goal is to keep as many teams as possible on their actual seed line.
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FIRST FOUR PAIRINGS - Dayton (First Round)
- Miami-FL vs. Arkansas | Midwest Region
- Seton Hall vs. Wichita State | East Region
- WEBER STATE vs. UC-DAVIS | Midwest Region
- MT. ST. MARY’S vs. NC CENTRAL | East Region
BRACKET PROJECTION ...
| EAST - New York | WEST - San Jose | |
| Buffalo | Salt Lake City | |
| 1) VILLANOVA | 1) GONZAGA | |
| 16) NC-CENTRAL / M.S. MARY’S | 16) TX-SOUTHERN | |
| 8) Virginia Tech | 8) Iowa State | |
| 9) Oklahoma State | 9) Marquette | |
| Indianapolis | Orlando | |
| 5) Maryland | 5) Purdue | |
| 12) Seton Hall / Wichita St | 12) AKRON | |
| 4) Kentucky | 4) Duke | |
| 13) MONMOUTH | 13) NEW MEXICO ST | |
| Buffalo | Greenville | |
| 6) Notre Dame | 6) SOUTH CAROLINA | |
| 11) MID TENNESSEE ST | 11) NC-WILMINGTON | |
| 3) West Virginia | 3) Virginia | |
| 14) BELMONT | 14) FLA GULF COAST | |
| Greenville | Sacramento | |
| 7) USC | 7) SMU | |
| 10) Indiana | 10) Kansas State | |
| 2) NORTH CAROLINA | 2) OREGON | |
| 15) PRINCETON | 15) NO DAKOTA ST | |
| SOUTH - Memphis | MIDWEST - Kansas City | |
| Tulsa | Tulsa | |
| 1) Baylor | 1) KANSAS | |
| 16) SAM HOUSTON ST | 16) WEBER ST / UC-DAVIS | |
| 8) Michigan State | 8) Dayton | |
| 9) VCU | 9) Minnesota | |
| Milwaukee | Milwaukee | |
| 5) Florida | 5) Butler | |
| 12) VALPARAISO | 12) ILLINOIS STATE | |
| 4) CINCINNATI | 4) WISCONSIN | |
| 13) VERMONT | 13) NEVADA | |
| Sacramento | Salt Lake City | |
| 6) Saint Mary’s | 6) Creighton | |
| 11) Syracuse | 11) Miami-FL / Arkansas | |
| 3) UCLA | 3) Arizona | |
| 14) ARKANSAS STATE | 14) E. TENNESSEE ST | |
| Indianapolis | Orlando | |
| 7) Xavier | 7) Northwestern | |
| 10) TCU | 10) California | |
| 2) Louisville | 2) Florida State | |
| 15) WINTHROP | 15) BUCKNELL |
NOTES on the BRACKET: Villanova is the No. 1 overall seed, followed by Gonzaga, Kansas, and Baylor.
Last Four Byes (at large): TCU, California, Indiana, Syracuse
Last Four IN (at large): Miami-FL, Seton Hall, Arkansas, Wichita State
First Four OUT (at large): Clemson, Michigan, Tennessee, Rhode Island
Next four teams OUT (at large): Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Georgetown, Texas Tech
Breakdown by Conference ...
ACC (9): NORTH CAROLINA, Louisville, Florida State, Virginia, Duke, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Syracuse, Miami-FL
Big 10 (7): WISCONSIN, Purdue, Maryland, Northwestern, Michigan State, Minnesota, Indiana
Big 12 (7): KANSAS, Baylor, West Virginia, Iowa State, Kansas State, TCU, Oklahoma State
Big East (6): VILLANOVA, Butler, Creighton, Xavier, Marquette, Seton Hall
Pac 12 (5): OREGON, Arizona, UCLA, USC, California
SEC (4): SOUTH CAROLINA, Kentucky, Florida, Arkansas
Atlantic 10 (2): VCU, Dayton
American (2): CINCINNATI, SMU
West Coast (2): GONZAGA, Saint Mary’s
Missouri Valley (2): ILLINOIS STATE, Wichita State
Mountain West (1): NEVADA
ONE BID LEAGUES: Monmouth (MAAC), Middle Tennessee State (C-USA), Arkansas State (SBELT), Princeton (IVY), Weber State (BSKY), Valparaiso (HORIZON), Sam Houston State (SLND), East Tennessee State (STHN), UC-Davis (BWEST), Akron (MAC), Florida Gulf Coast (ASUN), Belmont (OVC), UNC-Wilmington (CAA), Winthrop (BSO), NC-Central (MEAC), North Dakota State (SUM), New Mexico State (WAC), Vermont (AEAST), Bucknell (PAT), Mt. St. Mary’s (NEC), Texas-Southern (SWAC)