Kansas moves into the Midwest Region courtesy of the Jayhawks’ win over Kansas State and Xavier’s loss to Providence. The Musketeers remain the fourth No. 1 seed this morning, shifting to the West Region. Close behind, now, is North Carolina, which beat Duke for a second time. If the Tar Heels beat Virginia in the ACC title game, they could find themselves as a No. 1 seed come Sunday morning.
Elsewhere, the bubble has tightened thanks to some upsets - particularly in the Mountain West. Nevada is a likely at-large candidate, meaning their loss to San Diego State opens the door for SDSU or New Mexico to grab a seat, courtesy of the league’s automatic bid. That’s bad news for teams along the cutline.
We still have more questions than answers, but as of this morning, Arizona State slides into the First Four and hopes to hang on. If the Committee considers the non-conference season as important as the conference season, it’s hard to ignore ASU’s wins over Kansas, Xavier, and Kansas State (not to mention San Diego State and St. John’s).
The reality, however, hasn’t really changed. There are eight or nine teams for what amounts to two or three spots. The Committee has its hands full. And that number could still shrink. Memphis is alive in the American and Davidson, in particular, is threat in the Atlantic 10. In other words, until today’s games are complete, we’re still in a holding pattern.
The latest ...
UPDATED: March 10, 2018
FIRST FOUR PAIRINGS - Dayton (First Round)
- Oklahoma vs. USC | East Region
- Arizona State vs. Saint Mary’s | South Region
- SE Louisiana vs. LIU-BROOKLYN | East Region
- Hampton vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff | South Region
BRACKET PROJECTION ...
SOUTH - Atlanta | EAST - Boston | |
Charlotte | Pittsburgh | |
1) Virginia | 1) Villanova | |
16) Hampton / Ark-PB | 16) SE La / LIU-BROOKLYN | |
8) Providence | 8) Rhode Island | |
9) Nevada | 9) Kansas State | |
San Diego | San Diego | |
5) Florida | 5) Clemson | |
12) Western Kentucky | 12) MURRAY STATE | |
4) West Virginia | 4) Arizona | |
13) Louisiana | 13) Vermont | |
Nashville | Dallas | |
6) Miami-FL | 6) Houston | |
11) Arizona St / Saint Mary’s | 11) Oklahoma / USC | |
3) Auburn | 3) Tennessee | |
14) CHARLESTON | 14) BUCKNELL | |
Detroit | Detroit | |
7) TCU | 7) Seton Hall | |
10) Butler | 10) NC State | |
2) Cincinnati | 2) Purdue | |
15) WRIGHT STATE | 15) LIPSCOMB | |
WEST - Los Angeles | MIDWEST - Omaha | |
Pittsburgh | Wichita | |
1) Xavier | 1) Kansas | |
16) RADFORD | 16) Harvard | |
8) Virginia Tech | 8) St. Bonaventure | |
9) Alabama | 9) Florida State | |
Boise | Boise | |
5) Texas Tech | 5) Ohio State | |
12) New Mexico State | 12) SOUTH DAKOTA ST | |
4) GONZAGA | 4) Wichita State | |
13) UNC-GREENSBORO | 13) Buffalo | |
Dallas | Wichita | |
6) Kentucky | 6) Arkansas | |
11) LOYOLA-CHICAGO | 11) Texas | |
3) MICHIGAN | 3) Michigan State | |
14) New Mexico | 14) Montana | |
Charlotte | Nashville | |
7) Missouri | 7) Texas AM | |
10) Creighton | 10) UCLA | |
2) North Carolina | 2) Duke | |
15) UC-Irvine | 15) IONA |
NOTES on the BRACKET: Virginia is the No. 1 overall seed - followed by Villanova, Kansas, and Xavier
Last Four Byes (at large): Butler, Creighton, UCLA, Texas
Last Four IN (at large): USC, Oklahoma, Arizona State, Saint Mary’s
First Four OUT (at large): Louisville, Marquette, Oklahoma State, Baylor
Next four teams OUT (at large): Middle Tennessee, Syracuse, Notre Dame, Penn State
Breakdown by Conference …
ACC (8): Virginia, North Carolina, Duke, Clemson, Miami-FL, Virginia Tech, Florida State, NC State
SEC (8): Auburn, Tennessee, Florida, Kentucky, Arkansas, Texas AM, Missouri, Alabama
BIG 12 (7): Kansas, West Virginia, Texas Tech, TCU, Kansas State, Texas, Oklahoma
Big East (7): Villanova, Xavier, Seton Hall, Providence, Butler, Creighton
Big 10 (4): MICHIGAN, Purdue, Michigan State, Ohio State
Pac 12 (4): Arizona, UCLA, USC, Arizona State
American (3): Cincinnati, Wichita State, Houston
Atlantic 10 (2): Rhode Island, St. Bonaventure
West Coast (2): Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s
Mountain West (2): New Mexico, Nevada
ONE BID LEAGUES: LOYOLA-CHI (MVC), IONA (MAAC), Western Kentucky (C-USA), Louisiana (SBELT), Harvard (IVY), Montana (BSKY), WRIGHT STATE (HORIZON), SE Louisiana (SLND), UNC-GREENSBORO (STHN), UC-Irvine (BWEST), Buffalo (MAC), LIPSCOMB(ASUN), MURRAY STATE (OVC), CHARLESTON (CAA), RADFORD (BSO), Hampton (MEAC), SOUTH DAKOTA ST (SUM), New Mexico State (WAC), Vermont (AEAST), BUCKNELL (PAT), LIU-BROOKLYN (NEC), Arkansas-Pine Bluff (SWAC)