First Round (3/4): #8 vs #9 – 9 PM ET, Stadium; #7 vs #10 – 11:59 PM ET, Stadium Second Round (3/5): TBD vs #5 – 9 PM ET, Stadium; TBD vs #6 – 11:59 PM ET, Stadium Quarterfinals (3/6): TBD vs #4 – 9 PM ET, ESPNU; TBD vs #3 – 11:59 PM ET, ESPN2 Semifinals: TBD vs #1 – 9 PM ET, ESPN; TBD vs #2 – 11:59 PM ET, ESPN2 Championship: TBD vs TBD – 9 PM ET, ESPN All games will be played in Las Vegas, NV
Bubble Watch
Locks: Gonzaga, BYU
In as of now: None
Wrong side of bubble: None
Needs auto-bid: Pepperdine, Saint Mary’s, Loyola Marymount, Pacific, Santa Clara, San Francisco, San Diego, Portland
All times Central. The first two rounds will be televised on ESPN+, the semifinals on CBSSN, and the championship on CBS. All games will take place in St. Louis, MO.
Bubble Watch
Locks: Loyola-Chicago (8)
In as of now: Drake (12)
Drake feels destined to be the talk of the town Selection Sunday. The Bulldogs have the perennial bubble resume of a mid-major program with a gaudy record but a low strength of schedule. In my view, a loss to Loyola-Chicago in the MVC title game would leave the Bulldogs *just* on the right side of the bubble. A loss to anyone else, except for maybe Missouri State if a lot of things go sideways elsewhere, would be season-ending.
All times Eastern. The first round will be broadcast on ESPN+, the next two on NBCSN, the semifinals on CBSSN, and the championship on CBS. Games will be played at VCU, Richmond, and Dayton (see bracket for more info)
Bubble Watch
Locks: None
In as of now: St. Bonaventure (10), VCU (11)
Both of these teams are on the right side of the bubble as of today despite losses to end the year, but there is still some work to be done. Neither team has a surefire NCAA Tournament resume, but a trip to the A10 title game would certainly be enough for either to make the field. Lose before that and things might get dicey depending on who the loss comes to, but my inclination would be that as long as a truly terrible loss is avoided, both teams should make the field.
Wrong side of bubble: Saint Louis (First Four Out), Richmond (Next Four Out)
For both of these teams, a trip to the A10 title game and the win over St. Bonaventure that would come with it is a must to make the NCAA Tournament field, and even that might not be enough for Richmond, a team reeling as of late.
Needs Auto-bid: Davidson, Massachusetts, George Mason, Dayton, Duquesne, Rhode Island, George Washington, La Salle, Saint Joseph’s, Fordham
Today is Wednesday, March 3rd, 2021. There are 11 days until Selection Sunday. From this point forward, this bracketology will be updated daily so you can see the most up-to-date forecasts from the most accurate bracketology website of the past two tournaments.
Following a Q4 loss at home to Fresno State (NET: 181) last night, Boise State has fallen out of the projected NCAA Tournament field. The loss was the Broncos’ third in a row, following a pair of defeats to San Diego State last week. One team’s loss is another’s gain, though, and as a result, Issac Brown’s Wichita State Shockers have entered the field for the first time this season. In fact, this is the first time in the calendar year that the AAC, generally thought of as the #7 league in the sport, has had two teams projected in the field.
It has been an up and down year for Wichita State, a program that was thrown into dissaray before the season even began, as allegations of physical abuse were levied against head coach Gregg Marshall, leading to his dismissal from the program. Well-liked assistant Issac Brown took over for Marshall, and following a couple of home losses to open the year, things looked grim.
Following those season-opening losses to Missouri and Oklahoma State, though, the team regrouped, and the Shockers went on a tear. Since they have won 12 games and lost only two, the defeats coming on the road to Houston and Memphis, a pair of Q1 games. Wins @ Ole Miss and in the return game against Houston more than made up for the losses.
On February 26th, following the win over Houston, Wichita State stripped the interim tag from Brown’s title and promoted him to full-time head coach, making him the first African-American to lead a Division 1 men’s basketball program in the state of Kansas.
As of today, Wichita State projects to win the AAC regular-season title, and even if they don’t follow that up with an AAC Tournament victory, the Shockers have done more than enough to deserve to be in the field; a storybook ending to what has been an unforgettable year for Brown and his team.
Seed List
KEY
Italicized – Play-in game GREEN – Moved up one or more seed line RED – Moved down one or more seed line BLUE – New to bracket
Note: The furthest left team is considered to be the highest-ranked on the seed line and the furthest right is considered to be the lowest-ranked
1 Seeds: Gonzaga, Baylor, Michigan, Illinois 2 Seeds: Ohio State, Alabama, Iowa, Houston 3 Seeds: Villanova, West Virginia, Kansas, Arkansas 4 Seeds: Florida State, Texas, Creighton, Purdue 5 Seeds:Oklahoma State, Virginia, Texas Tech, Oklahoma 6 Seeds:USC, Clemson, Tennessee, Colorado 7 Seeds: BYU, Missouri, Florida, Wisconsin 8 Seeds: San Diego State, Oregon, Virginia Tech, Loyola-Chicago 9 Seeds: Maryland, UCLA, LSU, Rutgers 10 Seeds: Louisville, Connecticut, North Carolina, St. Bonaventure 11 Seeds: VCU, Georgia Tech, Colorado State, Michigan State 12 Seeds: Xavier, Drake, Wichita State, Seton Hall, Western Kentucky, Toledo 13 Seeds: Colgate, Winthrop, UC Santa Barbara, Belmont 14 Seeds: Liberty, UNC-Greensboro, Abilene Christian, South Dakota State 15 Seeds: Eastern Washington, UMBC, Cleveland State, Siena 16 Seeds: Grand Canyon, James Madison, Texas State, Bryant, Prairie View A&M, North Carolina A&T
Dropped Out: Boise State, Furman, Wright State
Bubble Watch
Bids By Conference
Big Ten – 9 of 15 (+0 in First Eight Out) Big 12 – 7 of 10 (0) ACC – 7 of 15 (1) SEC – 6 of 14 (1) Big East – 5 of 10 (0) Pac-12 – 4 of 12 (1) WCC – 2 of 10 (0) Missouri Valley – 2 of 10 (0) Mountain West – 2 of 11 (2) American – 2 of 11 (1) Atlantic 10 – 2 of 14 (2)
Big Ten – 9 of 15 (+0 in First Eight Out) Big 12 – 7 of 10 (0) ACC – 7 of 15 (1) SEC – 6 of 14 (0) Big East – 5 of 10 (0) Pac-12 – 4 of 12 (1) Mountain West – 3 of 11 (1) WCC – 2 of 10 (0) Missouri Valley – 2 of 10 (0) Atlantic 10 – 2 of 14 (2) American – 1 of 11 (2) Conference USA – 1 of 14 (1)
A reminder, as always, these rankings DO NOT reflect a team’s resume. They are solely used to measure a team’s strength in the sense Vegas would to set lines. Thus, team talent remains an important variable throughout the season. Additionally, recent games are weighted more heavily, and if you are lucky or don’t look good in a win, you may fall, while if you look good or are unlucky in a loss, you may rise.
Saturday marks one of the biggest days of the college basketball season to date, with a trio of ranked vs ranked matchups and a number of bubble battles. Check out the official Crazy Sports Dude college basketball Saturday viewing guide for February 27th, 2020.
Note: The furthest left team is considered to be the highest-ranked on the seed line and the furthest right is considered to be the lowest-ranked
1 Seeds: Gonzaga, Baylor, Michigan, Ohio State 2 Seeds: Alabama, Villanova, Iowa, Illinois 3 Seeds: West Virginia, Houston, Florida State, Virginia 4 Seeds: Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, USC 5 Seeds: Creighton, Tennessee, Texas Tech, Wisconsin 6 Seeds:Purdue, Arkansas, Missouri, Clemson 7 Seeds: Oklahoma State, BYU, Colorado, Florida 8 Seeds: Loyola-Chicago, LSU, Virginia Tech, Rutgers 9 Seeds: UCLA, San Diego State, North Carolina, Oregon 10 Seeds: Maryland, Louisville, Boise State, VCU 11 Seeds: Drake, Xavier, Seton Hall, St. Bonaventure 12 Seeds: Connecticut, Colorado State, Indiana, Minnesota, Western Kentucky, Belmont 13 Seeds: Toledo, UC Santa Barbara, Colgate, Winthrop 14 Seeds: Wright State, Liberty, Abilene Christian, UNC-Greensboro 15 Seeds: Grand Canyon, Vermont, South Dakota State, Siena 16 Seeds: Eastern Washington, James Madison, Texas State, Bryant, North Carolina A&T,Prairie View A&M
Bubble Watch
Last Four Byes Drake Xavier Seton Hall St. Bonaventure Last Four In Connecticut Colorado State Indiana Minnesota First Four Out Stanford Georgia Tech Duke Wichita State Next Four Out Richmond Michigan State SMU Utah State
Bids By Conference
Big Ten – 10 of 15 (+1 in First Eight Out) Big 12 – 7 of 10 (0) SEC – 6 of 14 (0) ACC – 6 of 15 (2) Big East – 5 of 10 (0) Pac-12 – 4 of 12 (1) Mountain West – 3 of 11 (1) WCC – 2 of 10 (0) Missouri Valley – 2 of 10 (0) Atlantic 10 – 2 of 14 (1) American – 1 of 11 (2)
Note: The furthest left team is considered to be the highest-ranked on the seed line and the furthest right is considered to be the lowest-ranked
1 Seeds: Gonzaga, Baylor, Michigan, Ohio State 2 Seeds: Illinois, Alabama, Villanova, Iowa 3 Seeds: Houston, West Virginia, Virginia, Oklahoma 4 Seeds:Florida State, Texas, Tennessee, USC 5 Seeds: Creighton, Kansas, Texas Tech, Purdue 6 Seeds: Missouri, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin, Arkansas 7 Seeds: Clemson, Colorado, Oklahoma State, BYU 8 Seeds:Loyola-Chicago, Florida, LSU, Rutgers 9 Seeds: UCLA, San Diego State, Oregon, North Carolina 10 Seeds: Louisville, VCU, Xavier, Seton Hall 11 Seeds: Drake, Maryland, Boise State, St. Bonaventure 12 Seeds: Connecticut, Indiana, Colorado State, Minnesota, Western Kentucky, Belmont 13 Seeds: Colgate, UC Santa Barbara, Toledo, Winthrop 14 Seeds: Wright State, Abilene Christian, UNC-Greensboro, Liberty 15 Seeds: Grand Canyon, South Dakota State, Vermont, Siena 16 Seeds: Eastern Washington, James Madison, Texas State, Bryant, Prairie View A&M, North Carolina A&T
Dropped Out: Stanford
Bubble Watch
Last Four Byes Drake Maryland Boise State St. Bonaventure Last Four In Connecticut Indiana Colorado State Minnesota First Four Out Stanford Wichita State Saint Louis Syracuse Next Four Out Richmond Duke Utah State Ole Miss
Bids By Conference
Big Ten – 10 of 15 (+0 in First Eight Out) Big 12 – 7 of 10 (0) SEC – 6 of 14 (1) ACC – 6 of 15 (2) Big East – 5 of 10 (0) Pac-12 – 4 of 12 (1) Mountain West – 3 of 11 (1) WCC – 2 of 10 (0) Missouri Valley – 2 of 10 (0) Atlantic 10 – 2 of 14 (2) American – 1 of 11 (1)
A reminder, as always, these rankings DO NOT reflect a team’s resume. They are solely used to measure a team’s strength in the sense Vegas would to set lines. Thus, team talent remains an important variable throughout the season. Additionally, recent games are weighted more heavily, and if you are lucky or don’t look good in a win, you may fall, while if you look good or are unlucky in a loss, you may rise.
