With less than three weeks until Selection Sunday, here’s how the bracket is shaping up.
For reference, the bracket holds 32 automatic bids for conference champions (noted with their conference next to their name), and the remaining 36 are at-large selections. I am evaluating teams on how they have performed to this point in the season without projecting how they will perform in remaining games. Conference champions have been determined using KenPom projections.
In the bracket below, Duke is the overall No. 1 seed. The winners of the East and Midwest regions would face off in the national semifinal, as would the winners of the South and West regions.
There are some brief notes on my projections below, but feel free to tweet @catch_n_shoot with questions and comments.
| EAST (Washington D.C.) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Columbia | 1 | Duke |
| 16 | Rider (MAAC)/St. Francis PA (NEC) | |
| 8 | Wofford (SoCon) | |
| 9 | Washington (Pac-12) | |
| San Jose | 5 | Florida State |
| 12 | Murray State (OVC) | |
| 4 | Wisconsin | |
| 13 | Hofstra (CAA) | |
| Hartford | 6 | Iowa |
| 11 | VCU (A10) | |
| 3 | LSU | |
| 14 | Vermont (A-East) | |
| Tulsa | 7 | Buffalo (MAC) |
| 10 | Ohio State | |
| 2 | Houston (AAC) | |
| 15 | Montana (Big Sky) |
| MIDWEST (Kansas City) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Columbus | 1 | Kentucky (SEC) |
| 16 | Bucknell (Patriot) | |
| 8 | Texas | |
| 9 | Syracuse | |
| Hartford | 5 | Kansas State |
| 12 | Seton Hall/Utah State | |
| 4 | Purdue | |
| 13 | Old Dominion (C-USA) | |
| Des Moines | 6 | Mississippi State |
| 11 | UCF | |
| 3 | Marquette (Big East) | |
| 14 | South Dakota State (Summit) | |
| Jacksonville | 7 | Cincinnati |
| 10 | Florida | |
| 2 | North Carolina | |
| 15 | Radford (Big Sky) |
| SOUTH (Louisville) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Columbia | 1 | Virginia (ACC) |
| 16 | Sam Houston State (Southland) | |
| 8 | Villanova | |
| 9 | Oklahoma | |
| Salt Lake City | 5 | Maryland |
| 12 | Lipscomb (A-Sun) | |
| 4 | Kansas | |
| 13 | Yale (Ivy) | |
| Jacksonville | 6 | Virginia Tech |
| 11 | Temple | |
| 3 | Tennessee | |
| 14 | Texas State (Sun Belt) | |
| Columbus | 7 | Baylor |
| 10 | St. John's | |
| 2 | Michigan State (Big Ten) | |
| 15 | Loyola Chicago (MVC) |
| WEST (Anaheim) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Salt Lake City | 1 | Gonzaga (WCC) |
| 16 | Prairie View A&M (SWAC)/Norfolk State (MEAC) | |
| 8 | TCU | |
| 9 | Auburn | |
| San Jose | 5 | Nevada (MW) |
| 12 | Minnesota/Belmont | |
| 4 | Iowa State | |
| 13 | New Mexico State (WAC) | |
| Tulsa | 6 | Louisville |
| 11 | Arizona State | |
| 3 | Texas Tech (Big 12) | |
| 14 | UC Irvine (Big West) | |
| Des Moines | 7 | Ole Miss |
| 10 | NC State | |
| 2 | Michigan | |
| 15 | Wright State (Horizon) |
Last four in: Minnesota, Seton Hall, Utah State, Belmont
Whispering distance: Clemson, Alabama, Butler, Furman
Talking distance: Georgetown, Saint Mary’s, San Francisco
Shouting distance: Creighton, Dayton, Nebraska, UNC Greensboro, Indiana
Bracket notes:
Bids by conference:
ACC – 8
Big Ten – 8
Big 12 – 8
SEC – 7
AAC – 4
Big East – 4
MW – 2
OVC – 2
Pac-12 – 2
