W-9 BP68

Every conference is well underway now, and the NCAA Tournament field is starting to clear up. We now have a pretty good idea of which teams will be fighting for 1 seeds, which teams will be shuffling in the 4-8 seed range, and which are still potential bubble squads.

The Pac-12 remains the hardest league to figure out, and I currently have half of the entire league between an 8 and an 11 seed. Hopefully, at some point, the teams will start to separate and we'll get more clarity there.

As for the projected Field of 68 this week, there were two changes. Ohio State comes in and replaces Wisconsin, while Texas Southern comes in as the new SWAC favorite, replacing Southern.

Remember, this is a projection of what the bracket will look like on Selection Sunday, and not a measure of where teams would be if the season ended now.

For now, here's how I see things ending up on Selection Sunday:

1. KANSAS (BIG 12)
1. MICHIGAN STATE (BIG TEN)
1. NORTH CAROLINA (ACC)
1. VILLANOVA (BIG EAST)

2. Oklahoma
2. ARIZONA (PAC-12)
2. Virginia
2. KENTUCKY (SEC)

3. Duke
3. Xavier
3. Purdue
3. Maryland

4. Iowa State
4. Louisville
4. Miami-Florida
4. Texas A&M

5. Iowa
5. Baylor
5. UCONN (AAC)
5. West Virginia

6. DAYTON (ATLANTIC TEN)
6. Cincinnati
6. Providence
6. Butler

7. Pittsburgh
7. GONZAGA (WCC)
7. South Carolina
7. Indiana

8. Oregon
8. Michigan
8. California
8. Florida

9. Vanderbilt
9. Utah
9. USC
9. UCLA

10. Florida State
10. Oregon State
10. Notre Dame
10. WICHITA STATE (MVC)

11. Colorado
11. George Washington
11. LSU
11. Texas
11. Texas Tech
11. Ohio State

12. SAN DIEGO STATE (MOUNTAIN WEST)
12. MONMOUTH (MAAC)
12. VALPARAISO (HORIZON)
12. AKRON (MAC)

13. SOUTH DAKOTA STATE (SUMMIT)
13. HOFSTRA (COLONIAL)
13. UT-ARLINGTON (SUN BELT)
13. UAB (CONFERENCE USA)

14. CHATTANOOGA (SOUTHERN)
14. HAWAII (BIG WEST)
14. STEPHEN F. AUSTIN (SOUTHLAND)
14. BELMONT (OVC)

15. STONY BROOK (AMERICA EAST)
15. PRINCETON (IVY LEAGUE)
15. HIGH POINT (BIG SOUTH)
15. NEW MEXICO STATE (WAC)

16. NORTH FLORIDA (ATLANTIC SUN)
16. MONTANA (BIG SKY)
16. BUCKNELL (PATRIOT)
16. WAGNER (NEC)
16. NORFOLK STATE (MEAC)
16. TEXAS SOUTHERN (SWAC)

Teams seriously considered that just missed the cut:
VCU, Creighton, Seton Hall, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Evansville, Boise State, Saint Mary's

Other teams with a decent shot, but that need to improve their resume:
Houston, Memphis, Tulsa, Georgia Tech, NC State, Syracuse, Wake Forest, Davidson, Rhode Island, St. Bonaventure, St. Joseph's, Georgetown, Marquette, Kansas State, Northern Iowa, Arizona State, Stanford, Washington, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, BYU

Other teams I'm keeping my eye on, but that need to dramatically improve their resume:
Temple, Clemson, Virginia Tech, Richmond, Penn State, Oklahoma State, UC-Irvine, Northeastern, William & Mary, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, Old Dominion, Southern Illinois, Fresno State, UNLV, New Mexico, Washington State, Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas-Little Rock