Hard to believe, but Selection Sunday is less than 50 days away. Thus,
there is no time like to present to take our first look at a possible NCAA
Tournament field.
Much will change between now and the actual filling out of the bracket on March 11. But it won't take long to see which teams are in great shape, as well as addition to a few familiar names that are already in "bubble trouble".
Check back here every Monday until Championship Week. Each new bracket gets
closer to the real thing. Last season's final projection, released the morning of Selection Sunday, missed only one of 64 teams. We're shooting for a "perfect score" this year!
(Through Jan. 21)
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MIDWEST REGION
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March 16: Dayton, Ohio
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1. Michigan State
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16. IVY/Yale-SWAC/Alcorn State
(NCAA play-in game)
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8. Georgia Tech
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9. Southern Mississippi
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5. Mississippi
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12. MCC/Butler
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4. Georgetown
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13. MVC/Indiana State
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March 16: Kansas City, Mo.
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3. Maryland
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14. AMERICA EAST/Hofstra
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6. Boston College
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11. Penn State
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7. Alabama
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10. USC
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2. Kansas
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15. MID-CONTINENT/Southern Utah
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SOUTH REGION
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March 16: Memphis, Tenn.
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1. Tennessee
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16. MEAC/South Carolina State
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8. Cincinnati
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9. California
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5. Virginia
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12. Providence
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4. Iowa
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13. SUN BELT/Western Kentucky
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March 16: New Orleans, La.
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3. Arizona
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14. CAA/George Mason
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6. Minnesota
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11. SOUTHERN/Charleston
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7. Xavier
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10. St. John's
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2. North Carolina
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15. SLC/McNeese State
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EAST REGION
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March 15: Greensboro, N.C.
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1. Duke
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16. NEC/St. Francis-NY
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8. Georgia
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9. St. Joseph's
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5. Wisconsin
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12. TAAC/Georgia State
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4. Iowa State
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13. MAC/Kent
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March 15: Uniondale, N.Y.
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3. Syracuse
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14. PATRIOT/Holy Cross
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6. Kentucky
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11. Creighton
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7. UCLA
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10. Oklahoma State
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2. Illinois
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15. OVC/Tennessee Tech
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WEST REGION
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March 15: San Diego, Calif.
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1. Stanford
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16. BIG SOUTH/Winthrop
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8. Vanderbilt
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9. South Florida
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5. Missouri
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12. MOUNTAIN WEST/New Mexico
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4. Fresno State
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13. WCC/Pepperdine
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March 15: Boise, Idaho
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3. Texas
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14. MAAC/Rider
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6. Seton Hall
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11. Utah State
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7. Purdue
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10. Florida
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2. Wake Forest
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15. BIG SKY/Montana State
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Bracket Bits
A few reminders:
Teams preceded by their conference name bolded in ALL CAPS are the current league (or RPI) leaders.
Teams from multiple-bid conferences, or who would earn at at-large bid regardless of their league position, are
listed without such a prefix.
Please note that St. John's (Uniondale, N.Y., first and second rounds) and Georgia Tech (South regional finals) cannot be placed at sites where they are a host institution.
Overrated: Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Georgetown, Oklahoma, USC,
Virginia.
Underrated: Boston College, California, Fresno State, Georgia, Kentucky, Minnesota, Southern Mississippi, Texas.
Who's hot? The following projected tourney teams are 10-0 in their last 10 games: Stanford, North Carolina, Fresno State.
The NCAA men's basketball committee continues to emphasize a team's play away from home. Check out the following R+N (road+neutral) records: Stanford (8-0), Georgetown (7-0), Fresno State (5-0), Duke (8-1), North Carolina (8-1), Kansas (7-1).
Movin' Up: (alphabetical order) Butler, Charlotte, Drexel, Holy Cross,
Illinois-Chicago, Indiana, Kent, McNeese State, Memphis, Minnesota, New
Mexico, North Carolina-Asheville, North Carolina State, Ohio State,
Oklahoma State, Southern Utah, St. Bonaventure, St. Francis-NY, St. John's,
St. Joseph's, Western Kentucky, Tulsa, Utah, Xavier, Yale
Going Down: (alphabetical order) Austin Peay, Charleston, Connecticut, Creighton, Dayton, George Mason, Georgia State, Marshall, Miami (Ohio), Oakland, Providence, Rider, Temple, TCU, Toledo.
Multiple-conference breakdown: Big Ten (7), SEC (7), ACC (6), Big East (6), Big 12 (5), Pac-10 (5), Conference USA (3), Atlantic 10 (2), Missouri Valley (2).
Last Four In: St. John's, Penn State, Providence, Creighton.
Last Four Out: Villanova, Toledo, Oklahoma, Connecticut.
Joe Lunardi is a regular in-season contributor for ESPN.com. He is also
contributing editor of the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook,
www.collegebaskets.com. Write to Joe at jlunardi@home.com.
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ALSO SEE
Box Score Banter
Jan. 21 Sweet 16
Cinderella Watch: Jan. 21
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