For more than a few teams, Championship Week will likely define their seasons. Simply put: there’s a lot at stake. The lower half of today’s bracket reads like an open book. Who will settle into those final slots? That’s what we’re about to find out.
The American Conference provides a quick glimpse at the unsettled nature of the bracket. Temple holds today’s automatic bid as the league leader (SMU is ineligible). We then have Connecticut and Tulsa playing in the First Four. Cincinnati is right there, and Houston is making a late push. That’s five teams from one league vying for precious invitations.
Once you move past Kentucky and Texas AM, the SEC is equally unsettled. South Carolina is sliding, holding onto one of the last four byes. Alabama and Florida are now on the outside looking in. As for the Atlantic 10? There’s a similar scenario among VCU, St. Bonaventure, George Washington, and even Saint Joseph’s.
If you enjoy March Madness, it’s about to unfold - before Selection Sunday.
BRACKET UPDATE: March 4, 2016
Teams in CAPS represent the projected AUTOMATIC bid. In the event of a tie in the loss column, RPI is first tiebreaker. Notes: To simulate actual bracket conditions, we’ve used current conference leaders to receive the automatic bid. Exceptions are made for teams that use an abbreviation (ex: UCLA)
Several new bracketing principles were introduced a couple of years ago. You 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.
FIRST FOUR PAIRINGS - Dayton (First Round)
- Tulsa vs. Michigan | Midwest Region
- St. Bonaventure vs. Connecticut | South Region
- TEXAS-SOUTHERN vs. WAGNER | Midwest Region
- HAMPTON vs. FLORIDA GULF COAST | South Region
BRACKET PROJECTION ...
| MIDWEST - Chicago | EAST - Philadelphia | |
| Des Moines | Raleigh | |
| 1) KANSAS | 1) Virginia | |
| 16) TX-SOUTHERN / WAGNER | 16) HIGH POINT | |
| 8) Saint Joseph’s | 8) Seton Hall | |
| 9) Vanderbilt | 9) USC | |
| Providence | Denver | |
| 5) Duke | 5) Texas AM | |
| 12) MONMOUTH | 12) VALPARAISO | |
| 4) Maryland | 4) Iowa State | |
| 13) HOFSTRA | 13) STONY BROOK | |
| Spokane | Des Moines | |
| 6) Baylor | 6) California | |
| 11) Michigan / Tulsa | 11) VCU | |
| 3) Utah | 3) INDIANA | |
| 14) S.F. AUSTIN | 14) PRINCETON | |
| Raleigh | St. Louis | |
| 7) Dayton | 7) Notre Dame | |
| 10) South Carolina | 10) Oregon State | |
| 2) MIAMI-FL | 2) Xavier | |
| 15) WEBER STATE | 15) IPFW | |
| SOUTH - Louisville | WEST - Anaheim | |
| Brooklyn | Oklahoma City | |
| 1) VILLANOVA | 1) Oklahoma | |
| 16) FLA GC / HAMPTON | 16) LEHIGH | |
| 8) WICHITA STATE | 8) Providence | |
| 9) Pittsburgh | 9) Syracuse | |
| Oklahoma City | Denver | |
| 5) Iowa | 5) Texas | |
| 12) ARK-LITTLE ROCK | 12) SAN DIEGO STATE | |
| 4) KENTUCKY | 4) Purdue | |
| 13) CHATTANOOGA | 13) AKRON | |
| Providence | Spokane | |
| 6) Arizona | 6) Wisconsin | |
| 11) UConn / St. Bonaventure | 11) TEMPLE | |
| 3) West Virginia | 3) OREGON | |
| 14) UAB | 14) HAWAII | |
| St. Louis | Brooklyn | |
| 7) Colorado | 7) Texas Tech | |
| 10) Butler | 10) SAINT MARY’S | |
| 2) Michigan State | 2) North Carolina | |
| 15) BELMONT | 15) NEW MEXICO ST |
NOTES on the BRACKET: Kansas is the No. 1 overall seed followed by Virginia, Oklahoma, Villanova. Next in line: Michigan State, Xavier, Miami-FL, North Carolina
Last Four Byes (at large): USC, South Carolina, Oregon State, Butler
Last Four IN (at large): Michigan, St. Bonaventure, Connecticut, Tulsa
First Four OUT (at large): Cincinnati, Gonzaga, Alabama, Florida
Next four teams OUT (at large): George Washington, LSU, Ohio State, Houston
Breakdown by Conference ...
ACC (7): MIAMI-FL, Virginia, North Carolina, Duke, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Syracuse
Pac 12 (7): OREGON, Utah, California, Arizona, Colorado, USC, Oregon State
Big 12 (7): KANSAS, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Iowa State, Texas, Baylor, Texas Tech
Big 10 (7): INDIANA, Michigan State, Maryland, Purdue, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan
Big East (5): VILLANOVA, Xavier, Seton Hall, Providence, Butler
SEC (4): KENTUCKY, Texas AM, Vanderbilt, South Carolina
Atlantic 10 (4): VCU, Dayton, Saint Joseph’s, St. Bonaventure
American (3): TEMPLE, Connecticut, Tulsa
West Coast (1): SAINT MARY’S
Mountain West (1): SAN DIEGO STATE
Missouri Valley (1): WICHITA STATE
ONE BID LEAGUES: Monmouth (MAAC), UAB (C-USA), Ark-Little Rock (SBELT), Princeton (IVY), Weber State (BSKY), Valparaiso (HORIZON), Stephen F. Austin (SLND), Chattanooga (STHN), Hawaii (BWEST), Akron (MAC), Florida Gulf Coast (ASUN), Belmont (OVC), Hofstra (CAA), High Point (BSO), Hampton (MEAC), IPFW (SUM), New Mexico State (WAC), Stony Brook (AEAST), Lehigh (PAT), Wagner (NEC), Texas-Southern (SWAC)