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Notes:
- Auto bid holders in this section are noted by the conference names in parentheses.
- Arrows indicate movement up or down the seed list (down to the spot on the seed list). This is relative to Friday’s SB Nation post.
- New entrants are marked with an asterisk.
- For at-large candidates only, the numbers in parentheses after the team’s name are as follows: record vs. D1 opposition/record in Group 1 and Group 2 games/record in Group 1 games only. This information reflects NET data as of Sunday, Feb. 24. I pulled the quality win info from WarrenNolan.com’s selection sheets.
No. 1 Seeds
(1) Duke Blue Devils (ACC) (24-3/15/8) - WASHINGTON, D.C. - Columbia 1
(2) Virginia Cavaliers (24-2/14/9) - LOUISVILLE - Columbus 1
(↑3) Gonzaga Bulldogs (WCC) (27-2/11/4) - ANAHEIM - Salt Lake City 1
(↑4) Kentucky Wildcats (23-4/14/9) - KANSAS CITY - Columbus 2
With Tennessee having lost two of three, the Vols drop down to the two line, with Kentucky rising up to the fourth spot overall after their resounding 27-point win over Auburn—their third victory in succession.
No. 2 Seeds
(↑5) Michigan Wolverines (Big Ten) (24-3/15/7) - LOUISVILLE - Des Moines 1
(6) North Carolina Tar Heels (22-5/12/7) - KANSAS CITY - Columbia 2
(↓7) Tennessee Volunteers (23-3/10/5) - WASHINGTON, D.C. - Jacksonville 1
(8) Michigan State Spartans (22-5/13/10) - ANAHEIM - Des Moines 2
Michigan jumps into the top spot on line No. 2, but will they stay there? This afternoon, the Wolverines host Michigan State (2:30 p.m. ET, CBS) in the first of two highly-anticipated late season matchups.
No. 3 Seeds
(↑9) Houston Cougars (American) (26-1/14/4) - ANAHEIM - Tulsa 1
(↑10) LSU Tigers (SEC) (22-5/14/7) - WASHINGTON, D.C. - Tulsa 2
(11) Marquette Golden Eagles (Big East) (23-4/13/8) - LOUISVILLE - Hartford 1
(↓12) Kansas Jayhawks (20-7/13/9) - KANSAS CITY - Salt Lake City 2
Houston now heads up the No. 3 seed line, thanks in part to the beating Kansas suffered in Lubbock last night. LSU, meanwhile, jumps up to from the four line.
With four Big Ten teams and trios of ACC, Big 12, and SEC squads, I had to do some major shuffling of seed lines three and four to get the four regions relatively balanced.
No. 4 Seeds
(↓13) Purdue Boilermakers (20-7/14/8) - KANSAS CITY - Jacksonville 2
(14) Kansas State Wildcats (Big 12) (21-6/10/6) - LOUISVILLE - Hartford 2
(↑15) Wisconsin Badgers (19-8/11/7) - WASHINGTON, D.C. - San José 1
(↑16) Texas Tech Red Raiders (22-5/12/5) - ANAHEIM - San José 2
Texas Tech returns to the top 16 following its demolition of Kansas, while Purdue drops following an unconvincing performance at Nebraska. The Boilermakers have won their last two road games by a total of five points—with both victories coming against teams that have struggled mightily in Big Ten play.
No. 5 Seeds
(↓17) Florida State Seminoles (21-6/10/5)
(↓18) Maryland Terrapins (21-7/12/6)
(↓19) Nevada Wolf Pack (MW) (25-2/8/0)
(↑20) Iowa Hawkeyes (21-6/11/4)
Even though Iowa needed OT to get past Indiana on Friday night, the Hawkeyes replace Iowa State on the five line following the Cyclones’ second loss of the season to TCU.
No. 6 Seeds
(↑21) Mississippi State Bulldogs (20-7/12/7)
(↑22) Virginia Tech Hokies (21-6/9/3)
(23) Cincinnati Bearcats (22-4/7/4)
(↓24) Iowa State Cyclones (19-8/8/5)
No. 7 Seeds
(25) Washington Huskies (Pac-12) (22-5/6/1)
(26) Villanova Wildcats (20-7/12/3)
(↑27) Buffalo Bulls (MAC) (23-3/6/2)
(↑28) Wofford Terriers (SoCon) (21-4/7/3)
With Bowling Green losing to the Ohio on Friday, Buffalo is again the lone MAC team in the field.
No. 8 Seeds
(↓29) Baylor Bears (18-9/11/4)
(↓30) Louisville Cardinals (18-10/8/4)
(↓31) Syracuse Orange (18-9/8/3)
(↑32) St. John’s Red Storm (20-8/10/6)
St. John’s earned a bit of breathing room with a home victory over Seton Hall, while Syracuse’s loss to Duke didn’t hurt the Orange’s prospects all that much. Louisville, however, has slid from a possible protected seed to the middle of the bracket thanks to four losses in their last five.
No. 9 Seeds
(↑33) Mississippi Rebels (19-8/7/4)
(↓34) Auburn Tigers (17-9/9/2)
(↑35) VCU Rams (A 10) (21-6/5/3)
(↑36) Oklahoma Sooners (17-10/10/3)
Auburn’s blowout loss at Kentucky cost it some positioning, while VCU’s continued run of excellence in a poor Atlantic 10 and Oklahoma’s well-earned split of its season series with Texas provided both a nice seeding boost.
No. 10 Seeds
(↓37) Texas Longhorns (15-12/8/4)
(↑38) Florida Gators (16-11/7/2)
(↓39) Ohio State Buckeyes (17-10/7/4)
(↑40) TCU Horned Frogs (18-9/7/2)
Speaking of the Longhorns, Kerwin Roach II’s indefinite suspension for a violation of team rules will be a storyline to watch for the next few weeks. While Texas rallied to make it a game in Norman yesterday, the ‘Horns didn’t look all that great without their leading scorer. Florida, meanwhile, avoided disaster at home against Missouri yesterday. On the other hand, Ohio State was swept by Maryland.
By completing a season sweep of Iowa State, TCU really improved its positioning and ranks among Saturday’s biggest bubble winners.
No. 11 Seeds
(↑41) Lipscomb Bisons (ASUN) (19-6/3/2)
(42) Arizona State Sun Devils (18-8/8/4)
(↓43) Minnesota Golden Gophers (17-10/8/3)
(↑44) N.C. State Wolfpack (18-8/7/1)
Lipscomb is now the lone Atlantic Sun team in the field, as Liberty fell at North Florida. There’s a good chance the NET will play a role in breaking a tie at the top of the conference, considering how the conference used RPI in the past.
Sunday is going to be a crucial day for the 11 and 12 seed group, as UCF (SMU, 12 p.m. ET, CBSSN), Minnesota (at Rutgers, 6:30 p.m. ET, BTN), N.C. State (Wake Forest, 6 p.m. ET, ESPNU), and Arizona State (California, 6 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network) are all in action.
No. 12 Seeds
(45) UCF Knights (19-5/6/0)
(↓46 - First Four) Seton Hall Pirates (16-11/10/3)
(47- First Four) Alabama Crimson Tide (16-11/9/2)
(48) Belmont Bruins (OVC) (22-4/5/2)
(*49 - First Four) Temple Owls (20-7/7/2)
(↓50 - First Four) Utah State Aggies (21-6/3/1)
Alabama returns after beating Vanderbilt handily, though the failings of others is more responsible for Crimson Tide’s return. Temple is also back, thanks to a home win over Tulsa Golden Hurricanes that avenged their worst loss of conference play. Seton Hall dug its hole just a bit deeper with its second loss of the week. Utah State hangs in, with an anticipated visit from Nevada on tap next Saturday.
First Four Out (NIT No. 1 Seeds)
(↑69) Butler Bulldogs (15-12/7/2)
(↑70) Clemson Tigers (16-11/4/1)
(↑71) Georgetown Hoyas (16-11/7/3)
(↑72) Furman Paladins (19-6/4/1)
Next Five Out
(↑73) Saint Mary’s Gaels (19-10/3/1)
(↑74) Dayton Flyers (18-9/2/2)
(↑75) Davidson Wildcats (19-7/4/0)
(↓76) Liberty Flames (20-6/2/1)
(↓77) Murray State Racers (21-4/1/0)
It was another rough day for teams on the outside looking in, something you probably could have surmised based on the presence of so many mid-majors and the fact that Georgetown and Furman both moved up slightly after losses. It’s just an exceptionally thin bubble at this point.
No. 13 Seeds
(↓51) New Mexico State Aggies (WAC)
(↓52) Yale Bulldogs (Ivy)
(53) Old Dominion Monarchs (C-USA)
(54) Vermont Catamounts (America East)
No. 14 Seeds
(↓55) Hofstra Pride (CAA)
(↑56) South Dakota State Jackrabbits (Summit)
(↑57) UC Irvine Anteaters (Big West)
(↓58) Radford Highlanders (Big South)
No. 15 Seeds
(59) Montana Grizzlies (Big Sky)
(*60) Texas State Bobcats (Sun Belt)
(↓61) Loyola Chicago Ramblers (MVC)
(*62) Wright State Raiders (Horizon)
No. 16 Seeds
(63) Bucknell Bison (Patriot)
(64) Sam Houston State Bearkats (Southland)
(65 - First Four) Prairie View A&M Panthers (SWAC)
(66 - First Four) Norfolk State Spartans (MEAC)
(67 - First Four) St. Francis (Pa.) Red Flash (NEC)
(68 - First Four) Canisius Golden Griffins (MAAC)
Conference Ranking With Seeds
Note: Auto bid holders are denoted by asterisks.
ACC (8): 1. Duke*, 1. Virginia, 2. North Carolina, 5. Florida State, 6. Virginia Tech, 8. Louisville, 8. Syracuse, 11. N.C. State
Big 12 (8): 3. Kansas, 4. Kansas State*, 4. Texas Tech, 6. Iowa State, 8. Baylor, 9. Oklahoma, 10. Texas, 10. TCU
Big Ten (8): 2. Michigan*, 2. Michigan State, 4. Purdue, 4. Wisconsin, 5. Maryland, 5. Iowa, 10. Ohio State, 11. Minnesota
SEC (8): 1. Kentucky, 2. Tennessee, 3. LSU*, 6. Mississippi State, 9. Mississippi, 9. Auburn, 10. Florida, 12. Alabama (First Four)
American Athletic (4): 3. Houston*, 6. Cincinnati, 12. UCF, 12. Temple (First Four)
Big East (4): 3. Marquette*, 7 Villanova, 8. St. John’s, 12. Seton Hall (First Four)
MW (2): 4. Nevada*, 12. Utah State (First Four)
Pac-12 (2): 7. Washington*, 11. Arizona State
Auto Bid Selection Procedures
Now that we are three weeks away from Selection Sunday, when necessarily and applicable, I’m using each conference’s tiebreaker procedures to determine auto bid holders.
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