RAM TOUGH: VCU overcame a late-season slump and the loss of guard Briante Weber to win the A-10 Tournament. Photo courtesy Richmond Times-Dispatch
This is it. This is the final bracket projection. It’s been a wild two weeks and teams have risen and fallen, but here we are. The 68 teams I’m saying are in the big dance.
In terms of today’s action, SMU stifled UConn to the relief of bubble teams everywhere, so there is not another at-large bid that has been stolen. It will be SMU, Cincinnati and (probably) Temple from the AAC going dancing as the Huskies were unable to do something they haven’t done at any point during the season: win four games in a row.
Elsewhere, Wisconsin overcame their largest in-game deficit of the season to win the Big 10. Yes, they were favored to win, but this one was anyone’s game until overtime when Michigan State fell flat.
Also, VCU, Kentucky, and Georgia State all won their conference tournaments. The only one of those not originally predicted on here was VCU, so there is some minor seed reshuffling here.
Anyways, enjoy!
| March Madness: Projecting The Field (v6) | ||||||
| MIDWEST (Cleveland) | EAST (Syracuse) | |||||
| 1 | Kentucky^ | 1 | Villanova# | |||
| 16 | Manhattan#/Robert Morris# | 16 | North Florida#/Hampton# | |||
| 8 | Cincinnati | 8 | N.C. State | |||
| 9 | St. John’s | 9 | Ohio State | |||
| 5 | Utah | 5 | West Virginia | |||
| 12 | Valparaiso# | 12 | Buffalo# | |||
| 4 | Northern Iowa# | 4 | Arkansas | |||
| 13 | Wyoming# | 13 | Harvard# | |||
| 6 | Michigan State | 6 | Providence | |||
| 11 | BYU | 11 | Temple/Texas | |||
| 3 | Notre Dame# | 3 | Maryland | |||
| 14 | North Dakota State# | 14 | Northeastern# | |||
| 7 | Dayton | 7 | VCU# | |||
| 10 | Purdue | 10 | Colorado State | |||
| 2 | Kansas | 2 | Duke | |||
| 15 | Texas Southern# | 15 | Albany# | |||
| WEST (Los Angeles) | SOUTH (Houston) | |||||
| 1 | Virginia | 1 | Wisconsin# | |||
| 16 | UAB# | 16 | Coastal Carolina# | |||
| 8 | Oregon | 8 | Xavier | |||
| 9 | Iowa | 9 | Oklahoma State | |||
| 5 | SMU^ | 5 | Louisville | |||
| 12 | Stephen F. Austin# | 12 | Wofford# | |||
| 4 | Oklahoma | 4 | Baylor | |||
| 13 | Eastern Washington# | 13 | Georgia State# | |||
| 6 | Wichita State | 6 | Butler | |||
| 11 | Boise State | 11 | LSU/Indiana | |||
| 3 | Iowa State# | 3 | North Carolina | |||
| 14 | UC Irvine# | 14 | Belmont# | |||
| 7 | Georgetown | 7 | San Diego St. | |||
| 10 | Georgia | 10 | Davidson | |||
| 2 | Gonzaga# | 2 | Arizona# | |||
| 15 | New Mexico State# | 15 | Lafayette# | |||
^ = Projected Conference Champion
# = Automatic Berth Clinched
* = New Team To Bracket Projection
Bold = First Round “First Four” Game
Last Four In: Temple, Texas, LSU, Indiana
First Four Out: Mississippi, Tulsa, Old Dominion, UCLA
Next Four Out: Texas A&M, Miami (FL), Stanford, Richmond
