Bracketology is both the art and the science of looking at the resumes of 70+ teams and deciding which teams should be “in” and “out” of the field, not based on what I think, but based on the historical trends of the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee. Predicting what the Committee will do is often a difficult venture but that’s the fun and the challenge. I’ll be updating my bracket projection at least once a week from here until Selection Sunday and including some analytical posts delving deeper into the science of Bracketology.
For starters, check out the Bracketology 101 post to give some baseline for how the Committee develops the bracket.
Here is my latest bracket projection of the 2019-2020 College Basketball Season. Once again, I will be taking part in The Bracket Matrix‘s annual bracket competition where I am ranked in the Top 75 in the nation.
Highest remaining seeds in conference tournaments are presumed as conference champions and appear in bold.
Bracket Date: 3/9
Bracket Projection
Midwest Region
Omaha, NE
1. Kansas vs 16. Robert Morris/NC Central
8. Houston vs 9. Arizona St
St Louis, MO
4. Maryland vs 13. Akron
5. BYU vs 12. Liberty
Tampa, FL
3. Kentucky vs 14. Little Rock
6. Michigan vs 11. ETSU
Greensboro, NC
2. Duke vs 15. Belmont
7. St Mary’s vs 10. Indiana
West Region
Spokane, WA
1. Gonzaga vs 16. Siena/Prairie View A&M
8. Illinois vs 9. Oklahoma
Spokane, WA
4. Oregon vs 13. North Texas
5. Butler vs 12. Vermont
St. Louis, MO
3. Creighton vs 14. Eastern Washington
6. Virginia vs 11. Utah St
Sacramento, CA
2. San Diego St vs 15. North Dakota St
7. Iowa vs 10. Stanford
South Region
Omaha, NE
1. Baylor vs 16. UC-Irvine
8. Marquette vs 9. USC
Sacramento, CA
4. Wisconsin vs 13. New Mexico St
5. Auburn vs 12. Stephen F Austin
Albany, NY
3. Seton Hall vs 14. Hofstra
6. Penn St vs 11. Richmond/Northern Iowa
Tampa, FL
2. Florida St vs 15. Wright St
7. Arizona vs 10. LSU
East Region
Cleveland, OH
1. Dayton vs 16. Winthrop
8. Providence vs 9. Texas Tech
Greensboro, NC
4. Louisville vs 13. Yale
5. Ohio St vs 12. Cincinnati
Cleveland, OH
3. Michigan St vs 14. Bradley
6. West Virginia vs 11. Florida/Xavier
Albany, NY
2. Villanova vs 15.Colgate
7. Colorado vs 10. Rutgers
Conference Breakdown: Big Ten – 10, Big East – 7, Pac 12 – 6, Big XII – 5, SEC – 4, ACC – 4, West Coast – 3, AAC – 2, Missouri Valley – 2, Mountain West – 2, A-10 – 2
The Bubble
Last 4 Byes: LSU, Indiana, Rutgers, Stanford
Last 4 IN: Florida, Xavier, Richmond, (ETSU), Northern Iowa, (Cincinnati)
First 4 OUT: Wichita St, NC State, UCLA, Texas
There is a wide divide between the “First Four Out” and the rest of the group on the bubble right now, so it is not worth categorizing a “Next Four Out.”
Others Considered: Mississippi St, Tennessee, Oklahoma St, Oregon St, South Carolina, Arkansas, St Louis, Tulsa, Memphis, UConn, Rhode Island, Syracuse, VCU, Notre Dame
Note: The last time a team that was only 2 games over .500 received an at-large bid was 2001. Therefore, teams that were <3 games over .500 were not considered.
Teams <3 games over .500: Purdue, Alabama, St John’s