<div> Here's part nine of my thoughts regarding how I think the bracket will work. As previously mentioned, I'm posting daily updates during tournament week.
Yesterday's thoughts are here.
Tuesday's thoughts.
Monday's thoughts.
Sunday's thoughts.
March 2 thoughts.
(x - conference leader; z - conference champion & winner of NCAA tournament berth)
1-seed
xTennessee
xUCLA
xMemphis
xNorth Carolina
2-seed
xGeorgetown
Duke
xTexas
Kansas
3-seed
xXavier
Louisville
xWisconsin
Notre Dame
4-seed
Purdue
Vanderbilt
Stanford
Connecticut
5-seed
Michigan State
zDrake
Indiana
zButler
6-seed
xBrigham Young
Washington State
Marquette
Clemson
7-seed
Mississippi State
Pittsburgh
Southern California
UNLV
8-seed
Gonzaga
xKent State
Oklahoma
Miami, FL
9-seed
West Virginia
Baylor
Kansas State
Kentucky
10-seed
St. Mary's
Illinois State
zDavidson
Arkansas
11-seed
Massachusetts
Temple
Arizona
zWestern Kentucky
Syracuse exits the bracket. Arizona moves up to the 11-seed.
12-seed
Texas A&M
South Alabama
Ohio State
New Mexico
New Mexico enters the bracket as a 12-seed.
13-seed
xStephen F. Austin
zOral Roberts
zGeorge Mason
zSan Diego
14-seed
zCornell
xUC Santa Barbara
xUtah State
zSiena
15-seed
zAustin Peay
xMaryland-Baltimore County
xAmerican
zBelmont
16-seed
zPortland State
xMorgan State
zWinthrop
Play-in
zMount St. Mary's
xAlabama State
Portland State earns an automatic bid as winners of the Big Sky tournament. Mount St. Mary's earns an automatic bid as winners of the Northeast tournament and is currently assigned to be in the play-in game versus Alabama State.
In the Bracket
Mount St. Mary's
New Mexico
Out of the Bracket
Sacred Heart
Syracuse
Last Four In:
Texas A&M
South Alabama
Ohio State
New Mexico
Last Four Out:
Villanova
Virginia Tech
St. Joseph's
UAB
Villanova moves to the last four out.
Next Four Out:
Mississippi
Florida
Syracuse
Oregon
The Orange loss to Villanova means the Wildcats move up to the last four out. Syracuse moves to the next four out.
There weren't that many changes made. Syracuse and Sacred Heart dropped out. New Mexico and Mt. St. Mary's entered the bracket. Arizona was the only team already in the bracket to change seeds. I think teams that deserve to be in the tournament do not automatically move up whenever first round games are played in conference tournaments. I moved Arizona to the 11-seed largely because their strength of schedule made the Wildcats stand out from the other teams being considered.
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Yesterday's thoughts are here.
Tuesday's thoughts.
Monday's thoughts.
Sunday's thoughts.
March 2 thoughts.
(x - conference leader; z - conference champion & winner of NCAA tournament berth)
1-seed
xTennessee
xUCLA
xMemphis
xNorth Carolina
2-seed
xGeorgetown
Duke
xTexas
Kansas
3-seed
xXavier
Louisville
xWisconsin
Notre Dame
4-seed
Purdue
Vanderbilt
Stanford
Connecticut
5-seed
Michigan State
zDrake
Indiana
zButler
6-seed
xBrigham Young
Washington State
Marquette
Clemson
7-seed
Mississippi State
Pittsburgh
Southern California
UNLV
8-seed
Gonzaga
xKent State
Oklahoma
Miami, FL
9-seed
West Virginia
Baylor
Kansas State
Kentucky
10-seed
St. Mary's
Illinois State
zDavidson
Arkansas
11-seed
Massachusetts
Temple
Arizona
zWestern Kentucky
Syracuse exits the bracket. Arizona moves up to the 11-seed.
12-seed
Texas A&M
South Alabama
Ohio State
New Mexico
New Mexico enters the bracket as a 12-seed.
13-seed
xStephen F. Austin
zOral Roberts
zGeorge Mason
zSan Diego
14-seed
zCornell
xUC Santa Barbara
xUtah State
zSiena
15-seed
zAustin Peay
xMaryland-Baltimore County
xAmerican
zBelmont
16-seed
zPortland State
xMorgan State
zWinthrop
Play-in
zMount St. Mary's
xAlabama State
Portland State earns an automatic bid as winners of the Big Sky tournament. Mount St. Mary's earns an automatic bid as winners of the Northeast tournament and is currently assigned to be in the play-in game versus Alabama State.
In the Bracket
Mount St. Mary's
New Mexico
Out of the Bracket
Sacred Heart
Syracuse
Last Four In:
Texas A&M
South Alabama
Ohio State
New Mexico
Last Four Out:
Villanova
Virginia Tech
St. Joseph's
UAB
Villanova moves to the last four out.
Next Four Out:
Mississippi
Florida
Syracuse
Oregon
The Orange loss to Villanova means the Wildcats move up to the last four out. Syracuse moves to the next four out.
There weren't that many changes made. Syracuse and Sacred Heart dropped out. New Mexico and Mt. St. Mary's entered the bracket. Arizona was the only team already in the bracket to change seeds. I think teams that deserve to be in the tournament do not automatically move up whenever first round games are played in conference tournaments. I moved Arizona to the 11-seed largely because their strength of schedule made the Wildcats stand out from the other teams being considered.
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