Happy Selection Sunday! After spending a few hours last night crunching numbers once again, here's my penultimate bracket selection of the season. There's a full discussion, focused on the Last Four In and First Six Out at SB Nation.
Teams in bold have clinched their respective league's automatic bid. Conference leaders/champions are denoted by an asterisk.
| 1 line | 1. Ohio State* |
2. Kansas* |
3. Pittsburgh | 4. Duke |
| 2 line | 8. North Carolina* | 7. Florida* | 6. San Diego State* |
5. Notre Dame |
| 3 line | 9. Texas | 10. Connecticut* | 11. Syracuse |
12. BYU |
| 4 line | 16. Wisconsin |
15. Kentucky |
14. Purdue | 13. Louisville |
| 5 line | 17. St. John's |
18. Vanderbilt |
19. Arizona |
20. Georgetown |
| 6 line | 24. Cincinnati |
23. Texas A&M |
22.Xavier | 21. West Virginia |
| 7 line | 25. UNLV |
26.Kansas State |
27.Old Dominion* | 28. Temple |
| 8 line | 32. Tennessee | 31. Washington* |
30. George Mason |
29. Florida State |
| 9 line | 33. Missouri | 34. Gonzaga* | 35. Utah State* |
36. Marquette |
| 10 line | 40. UCLA | 39. Villanova |
38. Michigan |
37. Butler* |
| 11 line | 41. Richmond* |
42. Penn State |
43. Michigan State |
44. Memphis* (12 seed) |
| 12 line | 48. Virginia Tech (First Four) |
47. St. Mary's (First Four) |
46. Illinois (11 seed) |
45. Colorado |
| 13 line | 49. USC (First Four) |
50. Georgia (First Four) |
51. Belmont* (13 seeds begin) |
52. Princeton* |
| 14 line | 56. Morehead State* | 55. Bucknell* (14 seeds begin) |
54. Indiana State* |
53. Oakland* |
| 15 line | 57. Wofford* | 58. Long Island* |
59. St. Peter's* (15 seeds begin) |
60. Akron* |
| 16 line | 64. Boston University* | 63. UC Santa Barbara* (16 seeds begin) |
62. Hampton* | 61. Northern Colorado* |
| 17 line (First Four) |
65. UNC Asheville* | 66. Arkansas-Little Rock* | 67. UT San Antonio* |
68. Alabama State* |
| First Four Out |
69. Clemson |
70. Boston College |
71. Harvard | 72. Alabama |
| Next Two Out |
74. UAB | 73. VCU |
The full bracket is after the jump. Here is Saturday's entry for comparison.
National Semifinal Matchups
(1) East vs. (4) West
(2) Southwest vs. (3) Southeast
First Four
Automatic Bid Teams
March 15: ALABAMA STATE (SWAC) (NEW) vs. UNC ASHEVILLE (Big South) to Washington on March 17th
March 16: ARKANSAS-LITTLE ROCK (Sun Belt) vs. TEXAS-SAN ANTONIO (Southland) to Cleveland on March 18th
At-Large Teams (Last Four In)
March 15: St. Mary's vs.USC to Tampa on March 17th
March 16: Georgia vs. Virginia Tech to Chicago on March 18th
Next Four In (automatically in the Round of 64): Michigan State, Penn State, Illinois, Colorado
Previous seeds are in parentheses. Teams that have earned an auto bid are in ALL CAPS.
| EAST Newark (March 25 and 27) |
SOUTHWEST San Antonio (March 25 and 27) |
|
Cleveland (Fri/Sun) |
Tulsa (Fri/Sun) |
|
1. Ohio State (Big Ten) 16. UALR/UTSA |
1. KANSAS (Big 12) 16. UC SANTA BARBARA (Big West) (NEW) |
|
8. Florida State 9. Missouri (8) |
8. WASHINGTON (Pac-10) (11) 9. Marquette |
| Denver (Thu/Sat) |
Chicago (Fri/Sun) |
|
5. Arizona 12. MEMPHIS (C-USA) (NEW) (natural 11) |
5. St. John's (7, natural 6) 12. Georgia/Virginia Tech |
|
4. Kentucky 13. OAKLAND (Summit) |
4. Purdue 13. BELMONT (Atlantic Sun) |
| Tulsa (Fri/Sun) | Washington (Thu/Sat) |
|
6. Cincinnati (7) 11. Penn State (NEW) |
6. Xavier (5) 11. Illinois (natural 12) (9) |
|
3. Texas 14. LONG ISLAND (Northeast) (15) |
3. CONNECTICUT (Big East) (4) 14. WOFFORD (Southern) (15) |
| Chicago (Fri/Sun) | Charlotte (Fri/Sun) |
|
7. UNLV (6) 10. BUTLER (Horizon) (9) |
7. Kansas State (6, natural 7) 10. Villanova |
|
2. Notre Dame 15. AKRON (MAC) (NEW) |
2. North Carolina (ACC) 15. HAMPTON (MEAC) (NEW) |
| WEST (Anaheim: March 24 and 26) |
SOUTHEAST (New Orleans: March 24 and 26) |
| Charlotte (Fri/Sun) |
Washington (Thu/Sat) |
|
1. Duke 16. Boston University (America East) |
1. Pittsburgh 16. ALABAMA STATE/UNC ASHEVILLE |
|
8. George Mason 9. UTAH STATE (WAC) (10) |
8. Tennessee (9) 9. GONZAGA (West Coast) (8) |
| Tampa (Thu/Sat) |
Tucson (Thu/Sat) |
|
5. Vanderbilt (6) 12. St. Mary's/USC |
5. Georgetown (6) 12. Colorado (11) |
|
4. Louisville (3) 13. PRINCETON (Ivy) (NEW) |
4. Wisconsin 13. INDIANA STATE (Missouri Valley) |
| Cleveland (Fri/Sun) |
Denver (Thu/Sat) |
|
6. Texas A&M (5) 11. Richmond (12) |
6. West Virginia 11. Michigan State (10) |
|
3. Syracuse 14. BUCKNELL (Patriot) |
3. BYU 14. MOREHEAD STATE (Ohio Valley) |
| Tucson (Thu/Sat) |
Tampa (Thu/Sat) |
|
7. OLD DOMINION (Colonial) 10. Michigan (9) |
7. Temple (5) 10. UCLA |
|
2. SAN DIEGO STATE (Mountain West) 15. NORTHERN COLORADO (Big Sky) |
2. Florida (SEC) 15. ST. PETER'S (Metro Atlantic) |
Conference Breakdown
Big East: 11
Big Ten: 7
Big 12: 6
SEC: 5
ACC, Pac-10: 4
A-10, MWC: 3
CAA, WCC: 2
21 one-bid conferences
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