Blogging the Bracket

Conference Tournament Go-Round: March 11

2010-03-11T14:34:19Z

1 day ago: Montana's Anthony Johnson cuts the net following Montana's 66-65 win over Weber State in an NCAA college basketball game for the Big Sky tournament title Wednesday, March 10, 2010, in Ogden, Utah. (AP Photo/Colin E Braley)

Browse more photos »

Two NCAA bids were handed out on Wednesday, and since two regular season conference champions lost on their home floors, the NIT gained two automatic bids as well.

Northeast: Robert Morris became the first team to beat Quinnipiac on their home court this year, and advanced to their second straight NCAA Tournament with a 52-50 win (recap).

Big Sky: Fourth-seeded Montana stunned Weber State on their home floor to win 66-65. Anthony Johnson had 42 of the Grizzlies 66 points. (recap)

No bids will be handed out on Thursday, but there will be a loaded schedule of games, as almost all of the major conferences' postseason events will be underway. I'll run through all of the action after the jump.

All times p.m. Eastern and approximate, especially for the second set of games in doubleheaders.

ACC

Thursday sees the opening round of the ACC Tournament. The bottom eight meet in an opening round to determine opponents for Duke, Maryland, Florida State and Virginia Tech. Visit SB Nation for a full preview.

Thursday's Opening Round
(8) Boston College vs. (9) Virginia, 12 (Raycom/Full Court)
(5) Wake Forest vs. (12) Miami, 2:30 (Raycom/Full Court)
(7) Georgia Tech vs. (10) North Carolina, 7 (ESPN2)
(6) Clemson vs. (11) NC State, 9:30 (Raycom/Full Court)

Big East

The Big East field is down to eight. The top four seeds join in the fun for the quarterfinals, where seeds five, seven, and eight will join them. Cincinnati, the 11 seed, is the only double-digit seed to advance this far, meaning they still have a chance to dance. For more information, check out SB Nation's storystream.

Wednesday's Second Round
(8) Georgetown 69, (9) South Florida 49 (recap)
(5) Marquette 57, (13) St. John's 55 (recap)
(7) Notre Dame 68, (10) Seton Hall 56 (recap)
(11) Cincinnati 69, (6) Louisville 66 (recap)

Thursday's Quarterfinals (All games on ESPN.)
(1) Syracuse vs. (8) Georgetown, 12
(4) Villanova vs. (5) Marquette, 2:30
(2) Pittsburgh vs. (7) Notre Dame, 7
(3) West Virginia vs. (11) Cincinnati, 9:30

Big 12

The Big 12 Tournament continues in Kansas City with four quarterfinals. The two lower seeds involved in Wednesday's early session, Texas Tech and Nebraska, advanced. The Cornhuskers stunned defending champion Missouri, which will likely damage the Tigers' NCAA seed. The two higher seeds won in the night session, however. Check out the SB Nation storystream.

Wednesday's First Round
(9) Texas Tech 82, (8) Colorado 67 (recap)
(12) Nebraska 75, (5) Missouri 60 (recap)
(7) Oklahoma State 81, (10) Oklahoma 67 (recap)
(6) Texas 82, (11) Iowa State 75 (recap)

Thursday's Quarterfinals
(9) Texas Tech vs. (1) Kansas, 12:30 (ESPN2)
(12) Nebraska vs. (4) Texas A&M, 3 (Big 12 Network/Full Court)
(7) Oklahoma State vs. (2) Kansas State, 7 (Big 12 Network/Full Court)
(6) Texas vs. (3) Baylor, 9:30 (ESPN2)

Big Ten

The League That Can't Count opens with three preliminary games Thursday at the Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Check out the storystream at SB Nation.

Thursday's Opening Round
(8) Michigan vs. (9) Iowa, 2:30 (ESPN2)
(7) Northwestern vs. (10) Indiana, 4:55 (ESPN2)
(6) Minnesota vs. (11) Penn State, 7:30 (Big Ten Network)

Big West

The Big West moves on to the quarterfinals at Anaheim Arena. Remember, the top two seeds have a bye to the semifinals.

Wednesday's Opening Round
(5) Cal State Fullerton 84, (8) Cal State Northridge 76 (recap)
(6) Cal Poly 73, (7) UC Irvine 69 (recap)

Thursday's Quarterfinals (Both games on BigWest.tv.)
(6) Cal Poly vs. (3) Long Beach State, 9
(5) Cal State Fullerton vs. (4) UC Davis, 11:30

Conference USA

This tournament shifts to the quarterfinals Thursday in Tulsa. UCF was the only lower seed to win in Wednesday's opening round, though host Tulsa had to comeback against Rice to advance.

Wednesday's Opening Round
(7) Houston 93, (10) East Carolina 80 (recap)
(6) Southern Mississippi 57, (11) Tulane 47 (recap)
(5) Tulsa 73, (12) Rice 62 (recap)
(9) UCF 69, (8) SMU 53 (recap)

Thursday's Quarterfinals (All games on CBS College Sports.)
(2) Memphis vs. (7) Houston, 1
(3) UAB vs. (6) Southern Mississippi, 3:30
(4) Marshall vs. (5) Tulsa, 7
(1) UTEP vs. (9) UCF, 9:30

Mid-American

Action shifts to Cleveland Thursday, as the four opening round winners meet the top four seeds in the quarterfinals. Read SB Nation's MAC Tournament preview and storystream for more info.

Thursday's Quarterfinals (All games on Regional FSNs/Full Court.)
(2) Central Michigan vs. (7) Western Michigan, 12
(3) Akron vs. (6) Eastern Michigan, 2:30
(1) Kent State vs. (9) Ohio, 7
(4) Miami (OH) vs. (5) Buffalo, 9:30

Mid-Eastern

MEAC Tournament action Wednesday featured the third opening round game and two quarterfinals. The other two quarterfinals take place Thursday. The top two seeds advanced to Friday's semifinals in differing fashions. Morgan State routed NC A&T, while Delaware State escaped with a win over a feisty Bethune-Cookman team.

Wednesday's Opening Round
(6) Maryland-Eastern Shore 64, (11) Coppin State 58 (recap)

Wednesday's Quarterfinals
(1) Morgan State 84, (9) North Carolina A&T 57 (recap)
(2) Delaware State 57, (7) Behtune-Cookman 55 (recap)

Thursday's Quarterfinals
(3) South Carolina State vs. (6) Maryland-Eastern Shore, 6
(4) Norfolk State vs. (5) Hampton, 8:30

Mountain West

Air Force won their second conference game of the year Wednesday (both over Wyoming) to advance to Thursday's main draw, where they'll meet top seed New Mexico. Head over to SB Nation to check out the tournament storystream.

Wednesday's Opening Round
(9) Air Force 59, (8) Wyoming 40 (recap)

Thursday's Quarterfinals (All games on the mtn.)
(1) New Mexico vs. (9) Air Force, 3
(4) San Diego State vs. (5) Colorado State, 5:30 (also on CBS College Sports)
(2) BYU vs. (7) TCU, 9
(3) UNLV vs. (6) Utah, 11:30 (also on CBS College Sports)

Pac-10

Oregon won the abbreviated Pac-10 opening round, by topping Washington State in overtime. They'll face Cal in Thursday's quarterfinals. Check out the SB Nation storystream.

Wednesday's Opening Round
(8) Oregon 82, (9) Washington State 80 (OT) (recap)

Thursday's Quarterfinals (All games on FSN/Comcast SportsNet.)
(4) Arizona vs. (5) UCLA, 3
(1) California vs. (8) Oregon, 5:30
(2) Arizona State vs. (7) Stanford, 9
(3) Washington vs. (6) Oregon State, 11:30

Southeastern

The imbalanced SEC Tournament gets started in Nashville, with four opening round games, featuring a couple of teams who probably shouldn't be involved. SB Nation has an SEC Tournament storystream live.

Thursday's Opening Round (All games on SEC Network/Full Court.)
(W4) Alabama vs, (E5) South Carolina, 1
(E3) Tennessee vs. (W6) LSU, 3:15
(E4) Florida vs. (W5) Auburn, 7:30
(W3) Arkansas vs. (E6) Georgia, 9:45

Southland

The Southland Conference quarterfinals in Katy, Texas featured a performance as impressive as Anthony Johnson's showing for Montana in the Big Sky final. Nicholls State's Anatoly Bose scored 40 of Nicholls State's 57 points in their loss to top seed Sam Houston State. All four top seeds advanced to the semifinals, though the Bearkats and Southeastern Louisiana struggled in the evening games.

Wednesday's Quarterfinals
(2) Stephen F. Austin 77, (7) Texas-Arlington 54 (recap)
(3) Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 78, (6) Texas-San Antonio 66 (recap)
(1) Sam Houston State 62, (8) Nicholls State 57 (recap)
(4) Southeastern Louisiana 79, (5) Texas State 78 (recap)

Thursday's Semifinals (Both games on Southland TV/Full Court.)
(2) Stephen F. Austin vs. (3) Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 7
(1) Sam Houston State vs. (4) Southeastern Louisiana, 9:30

Southwestern Athletic

Top seed Jackson State fell in their quarterfinal game against Grambling, meaning this event is wide open. The three and four seeds play their quarterfinals Thursday in Shreveport.

Wednesday's Quarterfinals
(8) Grambling State 65, (1) Jackson State 57 (recap)
(2) Arkansas Pine Bluff 69, (7) Mississippi Valley State 66 (recap)

Thursday's Quarterfinals
(3) Alabama State vs. (6) Alabama A&M, 3:30
(4) Prairie View A&M vs. (5) Texas Southern, 9

Western Athletic

Thursday sees the start of the WAC Tournament with the quarterfinal round. Be sure to check out the WAC storystream over at SB Nation.

Thursday's Quarterfinals
(1) Utah State vs. (8) Boise State, 3 (ESPNU)
(4) Louisiana Tech vs. (5) Fresno State, 5:30 (ESPNU)
(2) Nevada vs. (7) Idaho, 9
(3) New Mexico State vs. (8) San Jose State, 11:30

Bracketology: The Calm Before The Storm Edition

2010-03-11T13:00:34Z

More photos » Rick Scuteri - AP

7 days ago: Arizona State's Rihards Kuksiks, left, of Latvia, left, drives on Southern California's Marcus Johnson during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, March 4, 2010, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Browse more photos »

Editor's note: This bracket is cross-posted at SB Nation.

Conference tournament action will be well underway on Thursday, as every major conference (except for the Atlantic 10) will be in action. Therefore, expect to see things shuffle a little more between Friday and Sunday.

As for this projection, the biggest changes from Wednesday's bracket took place at the bottom of the at-large pool, where Seton Hall and South Florida fell out after unimpressive losses in the second round of the Big East Tournament. Their replacements were both idle Wednesday. Arizona State faces Stanford in a Pac-10 quarterfinal Thursday, while Ole Miss plays in the SEC quarterfinals Friday.

Click here to see Thursday's full bracket.

Here are links to my seed list and tracking spreadsheet.

The field breaks down in this way with four days left in the race for bids.

The Rundown

Top Four Seeds: Kansas, Syracuse, Kentucky, Duke
Last Four In: Illinois, Mississippi, Arizona State, San Diego State
First Four Out: Rhode Island, Washington, Dayton, UAB
Next Four Out: Memphis, Mississippi State, South Florida, Seton Hall

Conference Breakdown

Big East: 8
Syracuse (1), West Virginia (2), Villanova (3), Pittsburgh (3), Georgetown (6), Louisville (8),
Notre Dame (9), Marquette (9),

ACC: 7
Duke (1), Maryland (5), Clemson (7), Virginia Tech (8), Florida State (10), Wake Forest (10), Georgia Tech (11)

Big 12: 7
Kansas (1), Kansas State (2), Baylor (5), Texas A&M (6), Oklahoma State (7), Texas (9), Missouri (10)

Big Ten: 5
Purdue (2), Ohio State (3), Michigan State (3), Wisconsin (4), Illinois (12)

MWC: 4
New Mexico (2), BYU (5), UNLV (8), San Diego State (13)

SEC: 4
Kentucky (1), Vanderbilt (4), Tennessee (4), Florida (11), Mississippi (12)

A-10: 3
Temple (4), Xavier (6), Richmond (7)

Pac-10: 2
California (12), Arizona State (12)

WCC: 2
Gonzaga (6), St. Mary's (10)

One Bid Leagues (22): America East, Atlantic Sun (ETSU), Big Sky (Montana), Big South (Winthrop), Big West, Colonial (Old Dominion), Conference USA, Horizon (Butler), Ivy (Cornell), Metro Atlantic (Siena), Mid-American, Mid-Eastern, Missouri Valley (Northern Iowa), Northeast (Robert Morris), Ohio Valley (Murray State), Patriot, Southern (Wofford), Southland, Southwestern, Summit (Oakland), Sun Belt (North Texas), Western Athletic

For a more detailed breakdown of the teams fighting for the final few spots in the tournament, visit Bubble Watch.

Conference Tournament Go-Round: March 10

2010-03-10T16:00:39Z

More photos » Michael Conroy - AP

2 days ago: Butler coach Brad Stevens, front, celebrates with players, left to right, Emerson Kampen, Zach Hahn and Andrew Smith as they line up to receive the trophy after a 70-45 win over Wright State in an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Horizon League men's tournament in Indianapolis, Tuesday, March 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Browse more photos »

Tuesday night saw three bids handed out. The Sun Belt final turned out to be the championship game of the night, as the Horizon and Summit finals resulted in comfortable wins for the top seeds.

Sun Belt: Second seed North Texas claimed its third-ever NCAA bid with a thrilling 66-63 win over top-seeded Troy. (recap)

Horizon: Butler pounded Wright State, 70-45, to ensure one bid from the Horizon. (recap)

Summit: Top-seeded Oakland had a relatively easy time with two seed IUPUI, winning 76-64 to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005. It's the Golden Grizzlies' second trip ever. (recap)

After the jump, I'll look ahead to Wednesday's busy slate of action.

Two more teams will book their places in the field of 65 this evening. All times are p.m. Eastern.

Northeast

Second-seeded Robert Morris visits top seed Quinnipiac for the conference's lone bid (7, ESPN2). The two tied for the regular season crown, but the Bobcats host as they won the only head-to-head meeting, 87-79 in Moon Township, Pa. on February 20.

Big Sky

The No. 1 seed Weber State will face fourth-seeded Montana for the title (9, ESPN2). The Grizzlies upset two seed Northern Colorado, keeping them from booking their first-ever bid. The Wildcats defeated two-time defending champion Portland State in the late semifinal.

Tuesday's Semifinals
(4) Montana 68, (2) Northern Colorado 63
(1) Weber State 69, (6) Portland State 60

Atlantic 10

The A10 Tournament is off until Friday, when Tuesday's four winners will face the top four seeds in the quarterfinals. Three of the four hosts won, with Charlotte's bubble now officially burst after a home loss to UMass.

Tuesday's Opening Round
(8) St. Bonaventure 83, (9) Duquesne 71
(7) Dayton 70, (10) George Washington 60
(11) Massachusetts 59, (6) Charlotte 56
(5) Rhode Island 87, (12) St. Joseph's 76

Big East

The Big East field is down to 12. St. John's was the only lower seed to win Tuesday, as they knocked UConn out of the Tournament race. While the Red Storm and USF claimed relatively easy wins in the afternoon session. Seton Hall and Cincinnati won evening thrillers. Seeds 5 through 8 jump into the fray today. For more information, check out SB Nation's preview.

Tuesday's First Round
(9) South Florida 58, (16) DePaul 49 (recap)
(13) St. John's 73, (12) Connecticut 51 (recap)
(10) Seton Hall 109, (15) Providence 106 (recap)
(11) Cincinnati 69, (14) Rutgers 68 (recap)

Wednesday's Second Round (All four games on ESPN.)
(8) Georgetown vs. (9) South Florida, 12
(13) St. John's vs. (5) Marquette, 2:30
(10) Seton Hall vs. (7) Notre Dame, 7
(11) Cincinnati vs. (6) Louisville, 9:30

Big 12

The Big 12 Tournament opens up in Kansas City with four opening round games. The winners advance to meet Kansas, Kansas State, Baylor and Texas A&M Thursday in the quarterfinals. Check out the SB Nation preview.

Wednesday's First Round (All games on Big 12 Network/Full Court.)
(8) Colorado vs. (9) Texas Tech, 12:30
(5) Missouri vs. (12) Nebraska, 3
(7) Oklahoma State vs. (10) Oklahoma, 7
(6) Texas vs. (11) Iowa State, 9:30

Big West

The Big West begins its final tournament at the Anaheim Arena. This is another league where the top two seeds get a double-bye. Plus, winners are re-seeded after each round.

Wednesday's Opening Round
(5) Cal State Fullerton vs. (8) Cal State Northridge, 9
(6) Cal Poly vs. (7) UC Irvine, 11:30

Conference USA

Events get started in Tulsa with four opening round games. UTEP, Memphis, UAB, and Marshall await in Thursday's quarterfinal round.

Wednesday's Opening Round
(7) Houston vs. (10) East Carolina, 1
(6) Southern Mississippi vs. (11) Tulane, 3:30
(5) Tulsa vs. (12) Rice, 7
(8) SMU vs. (9) UCF, 9:30

Mid-Eastern

The MEAC Tournament continues in Winston-Salem with the third first-round game. On Tuesday, Bethune-Cookman advanced by knocking off their archrival FAMU and North Carolina A&T upended Howard.

Tuesday's Opening Round
(7) Bethune-Cookman 64, (10) Florida A&M 53
(9) North Carolina A&T 65, (8) Howard 55

Wednesday's Opening Round
(6) Maryland-Eastern Shore vs. (11) Coppin State, 3

Mountain West

As there are nine teams in the MWC, an opening game is required to determine New Mexico's quarterfinal opponent for Thursday. Wyoming and Air Force managed to go 4-28 in conference play this season. Head over to SB Nation to check out a tournament preview.

Wednesday's Opening Round
(8) Wyoming vs. (9) Air Force, 5 (the mtn.)

Pac-10

Normally, there would be two opening round games in Los Angeles, but since USC's athletic department banned the basketball team from this postseason, only one is on the schedule for tonight.

Wednesday's Opening Round
(8) Oregon vs. (9) Washington State, 11 (FSN/Comcast SportsNet)

Southland

The Southland Conference sends eight teams to its tournament and they'll all be in action Wednesday in Katy, Texas.

Wednesday's Quarterfinals
(2) Stephen F. Austin vs. (7) Texas-Arlington, 1
(3) Texas A&M-Corpus Christi vs. (6) Texas-San Antonio, 3:30
(1) Sam Houston State vs. (8) Nicholls State, 7
(4) Southeastern Louisiana vs. (5) Texas State, 9:30

Southwestern Athletic

The SWAC Tournament opens in Shreveport with two quarterfinals, featuring the top two seeds. Only eight of the 10 members advanced to the postseason.

Wednesday's Quarterfinals
(1) Jackson State vs. (8) Grambling State, 8
(2) Arkansas Pine Bluff vs. (7) Mississippi Valley State, 2:30

Bracketology Update: No At-Large Changes...Yet

2010-03-10T14:00:33Z

More photos » Rajah Bose - AP

28 days ago: Gonzaga's Robert Sacre pulls down a rebound against St. Mary's Ben Allen in the second half of their NCAA college basketball game at the McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Wash. Thursday, Feb. 11, 2010. (AP Photo/Rajah Bose)

Browse more photos »

Editor's note: This bracket is cross-posted at SB Nation.

Since the major conference tournaments (other than the Big East) are really getting underway Wednesday, I've updated this bracket to reflect the results of Monday and Tuesday's limited slate.

The biggest change is that Gonzaga drops down a line after their loss to St. Mary's in Monday's West Coast final. Butler moves up to the five line to replace them after their dominating Horizon League championship win Tuesday.

Since Seton Hall and South Florida both won their Big East tournament openers, and there weren't any major shocks in the early conference finals, the at-large pool remains the same as it did in Monday's bracket.

I'll have a more complete update on Thursday after the Big 12 opening round and Big East second round.

Click here to see Wednesday's full bracket.

Here are links to my seed list and tracking spreadsheet.

Here's a look at how the field breaks down with five days left.

The Rundown

Top Four Seeds: Kansas, Syracuse, Kentucky, Duke
Last Four In: Seton Hall, San Diego State, South Florida, Illinois
First Four Out: Mississippi, Arizona State, Washington, Dayton
Next Four Out: UAB, Memphis, Rhode Island, Mississippi State

Conference Breakdown

Big East: 10
Syracuse (1), West Virginia (2), Villanova (2), Pittsburgh (3), Georgetown (6), Louisville (8), Marquette (10),
Notre Dame (10), Seton Hall (12), South Florida (12)

ACC: 7
Duke (1), Maryland (5), Florida State (7), Virginia Tech (8), Clemson (9), Wake Forest (10), Georgia Tech (11)

Big 12: 7
Kansas (1), Kansas State (2), Baylor (5), Texas A&M (6), Missouri (7), Oklahoma State (7), Texas (9)

Big Ten: 5
Purdue (2), Ohio State (3), Michigan State (3), Wisconsin (4), Illinois (12)

MWC: 4
New Mexico (2), BYU (5), UNLV (9), San Diego State (12)

SEC: 4
Kentucky (1), Vanderbilt (4), Tennessee (4), Florida (11)

A-10: 3
Temple (4), Xavier (6), Richmond (7)

WCC: 2
Gonzaga (6), St. Mary's (10)

One Bid Leagues (23): America East, Atlantic Sun (ETSU), Big Sky, Big South (Winthrop), Big West, Colonial (Old Dominion), Conference USA, Horizon (Butler), Ivy (Cornell), Metro Atlantic (Siena), Mid-American, Mid-Eastern, Missouri Valley (Northern Iowa), Northeast, Ohio Valley (Murray State), Pacific-10, Patriot, Southern (Wofford), Southland, Southwestern, Summit (Oakland), Sun Belt (North Texas), Western Athletic

For a more detailed breakdown of the teams fighting for the final few spots in the tournament, visit Bubble Watch.

Conference Tournament Go-Round: March 9

2010-03-09T17:01:21Z

More photos » Chuck Burton - AP

3 days ago: Wofford players pose around the trophy after their 56-51 win over Appalachian State in an NCAA college basketball game for the Southern Conference tournament championship in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, March 8, 2010. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Browse more photos »

I had to drive back from Richmond after the Colonial final Monday night, so this post will be really quick.

Four teams clinched NCAA bids on Monday night, with three teams getting themselves off the bubble in the process.

Colonial: Old Dominion held off William & Mary, 60-53. Read my recap over at SB Nation.

Metro Atlantic: For the third game in a row, Siena had to come back. They defeated Fairfield in overtime to claim the MAAC crown. (recap)

Southern: Wofford claimed the Southern Conference crown for the first time, thanks to a 56-51 win over Appalachian State. (recap)

West Coast: St. Mary's booked their place by pounding Gonzaga in the championship game in Las Vegas. (recap) The loss means the Bulldogs are likely to be shipped away from Spokane for the first weekend of the Tournament.

After the jump, I'll take a look at today's action, which features three championship games and the start of the Big East Tournament.

Three more teams will book their places in the field of 65 this evening. All times are p.m. Eastern.

Sun Belt

The top two seeds will meet for the crown tonight (7, ESPN2). No. 1 Troy eliminated perennial power Western Kentucky, 54-48; while second-seeded North Texas topped sixth-seeded Denver, 63-56. The Mean Green won the only meeting between the two this season, claiming a three-point win in Troy.

Horizon

This one is another matchup of top seeds (9, ESPN). Top-seeded Butler hosts second-seeded Wright State in a rematch of the 2007 final. The Raiders won in '07 to make the Horizon a two-bid league. The Bulldogs won both meetings this year.

Summit

Three Tuesday finals, three 1 vs. 2 matchups (9, ESPN2), Top-seeded Oakland got a game from IPFW, but prevailed, 71-58. The Golden Grizzlies will take on No. 2 IUPUI, who won a close 69-65 contest against Oral Roberts. The two teams split their two meetings this season, with each winning at home.

Beyond those three finals, there is plenty of other conference tournament action on the schedule for Tuesday.

Atlantic 10

The A10 Tournament starts with four campus site first round games. The winners move on to Atlantic City for Friday's quarterfinals, where they'll meet the top four seeds -- Temple, Xavier, Richmond, and St. Louis.

(9) Duquesne at (8) St. Bonaventure, 7
(10) George Washington at (7) Dayton, 7
(11) Massachusetts at (6) Charlotte, 7
(12) St. Joseph's at (5) Rhode Island, 7 (Cox Sports)

Big East

The 16-team free-for-all opens in New York with four first round games, three of which have significant bubble importance. Today's winners move on to face seeds 5 through 8 Wednesday. For more information, check out SB Nation's preview.

(9) South Florida vs. (16) DePaul, 12 (ESPN2)
(12) Connecticut vs. (13) St. John's, 2:30 (ESPN2)
(10) Seton Hall vs. (15) Providence, 7 (ESPNU)
(11) Cincinnati vs. (14) Rutgers, 9:30 (ESPNU)

Big Sky

Action in this conference shifts to Ogden, Utah, where top-seeded Weber State is the host for the semifinals and final. They re-seeded the opening round winners, so the matchups are a bit non-traditional from a seeding perspective.

(2) Northern Colorado vs. (4) Montana, 6:35 (Altitude)
(1) Weber State vs. (6) Portland State, 9:05 (Altitude 2)

Mid-Eastern

The MEAC Tournament opens in Winston-Salem with two first-round games. The third takes place tomorrow.

(7) Bethune-Cookman vs. (10) Florida A&M, 6:30
(8) Howard vs. (9) North Carolina A&T, 9

Bracketology: Duke Back On Top Line; Ten Big East Teams In With Six Days Left In The Race

2010-03-08T17:00:22Z

Rich Schultz - AP

16 days ago: Seton Hall's Jeremy Hazell (21) attempts a shot as Rutgers' Hamady Ndiaye and Jonathan Mitchell (24) defends during the second half of a NCAA college basketball game at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2010. Seton Hall defeated Rutgers 76-70. (AP Photo/Rich Schultz)

View full size photo »

This bracket is cross-posted at SB Nation.

Selection Sunday is six days away. Hopefully in that time, there will be some clarity regarding the teams at the bottom of the at-large pool. You know, the ones I've been tracking over on Bubble Watch.

It's become increasingly difficult and frustrating to try to separate the last 12 or so teams fighting for the final five or six spots. Would you have thought, just one week ago, that teams like Arizona State, Memphis and Washington would seriously be in the hunt for an at-large?

While I may not take their chances as seriously as some (especially in the case of the Tigers), they all have a chance over the next few days to get in, either by winning their conference tournaments or by winning enough games to pass the teams who are sure to fall simultaneously.

But for the moment, I have 10 Big East teams in Monday's projection.

Click here to see Monday's full bracket.

Here are links to my seed list and tracking spreadsheet.

Why? (Especially since I had Ole Miss as the last team in for my Sunday Bubble Watch update.) Well, the Pirates have more wins over teams in this projection than USF or Mississippi do. The Rebels have a better road/neutral mark than both, and the Bulls have more top 50 wins. In this case, I knock Ole Miss down a peg because of the weakness of the SEC West. All nine of their conference wins came against teams that are fighting for NIT spots at best, with several of those being closer than necessary.

Of course, all three teams will have to win some games in their conference tournaments this week to get closer to the real bracket.

Here's a look at how the field breaks down with less than a week to go.

The Rundown

Conference Breakdown

Big East: 10
Syracuse (1), West Virginia (2), Villanova (2), Pittsburgh (3), Georgetown (6), Louisville (8), Marquette (9),
Notre Dame (10), Seton Hall (12), South Florida (12)

ACC: 7
Duke (1), Maryland (5), Florida State (7), Virginia Tech (8), Clemson (9), Wake Forest (10), Georgia Tech (11)

Big 12: 7
Kansas (1), Kansas State (2), Baylor (5), Texas A&M (6), Missouri (7), Oklahoma State (7), Texas (9)

Big Ten: 5
Purdue (2), Ohio State (3), Michigan State (3), Wisconsin (4), Illinois (12)

MWC: 4
New Mexico (2), BYU (5), UNLV (9), San Diego State (12)

SEC: 4
Kentucky (1), Vanderbilt (4), Tennessee (4), Florida (11)

A-10: 3
Temple (4), Xavier (6), Richmond (7)

WCC: 2
Gonzaga (5), St. Mary's (11)

One Bid Leagues (23): America East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Conference USA, Horizon, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, Mid-Eastern, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Pacific-10, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Southwestern, Summit, Sun Belt, Western Athletic

After the jump, I'll take a look at some of the stories to watch for this final week.

Stories To Watch

The Battle For The Last One Seed: Duke replaced Kansas State after the Blue Devils throttled North Carolina and the Wildcats lost at home to Iowa State Saturday. Duke is in the driver's seat, but if Purdue can claim the Big Ten tournament crown without Robbie Hummel, they could squeeze in because of their overall profile. Ohio State, West Virginia and even K-State could jump in with a tourney title as well.

Mid-Major Conference Championship Games: Monday, in particular, is a big night for nervous bubble teams. They'll be cheering for Old Dominion in the CAA final at 7 p.m. Eastern, as Old Dominion is likely to snag an at-large if they fall. St. Mary's can ease their bubble worries by claiming the West Coast crown at 9 p.m. ET. To do that, they'll need to beat a Gonzaga team they've struggled against over the past few seasons, who is fighting to stay in Spokane for the first round. That won't happen if they fall to a six or seven seed.

Siena can book their place if they win the Metro Atlantic final at home (7 p.m. ET). A loss would be likely be fatal because of their lack of non-conference wins. However, in my opinion, if you are considering Memphis for an at-large at this point, the Saints deserve a look as well.

Later in the week, pay attention to the WAC Tournament in Reno, as Utah State has legitimate at-large chances if they don't win the conference crown.

Teams On The Verge: I already mentioned that Seton Hall and USF have little margin for error. (I discuss their cases a bit more in Bubble Watch.) But Florida, Georgia Tech and Illinois have to grab some wins in their conference tournaments.

The Gators open the SEC Tournament against Auburn Thursday night, looking to avoid a fourth straight defeat. If they win, a quarterfinal with barely-alive Mississippi State would be an elimination game.

The Yellow Jackets cannot lose to North Carolina in the 7/10 game of the ACC Tournament on Thursday. A game with Maryland awaits in the quarterfinals if they knock off the Tar Heels.

The Illini are in similar boat to Florida. They've lost three straight, including two at home. Next up, a rematch with Wisconsin in the Big Ten quarterfinals on Friday. The Badgers handled Illinois at Assembly Hall Sunday, but the Illini beat Wisconsin in Madison when Jon Leuer was hurt.

As I will be on the road back from Richmond tonight, my next projection will come on Wednesday morning.

Visit Bubble Watch for a detailed look at the last few teams in and the group that hopes to replace them, along with game previews and recaps.

Conference Tournament Go-Round: March 8

2010-03-08T13:26:24Z

More photos » Tom Gannam - AP

4 days ago: Northern Iowa's Kwadzo Ahelegbe, center, celebrates with teammates after they defeated Wichita State 67-52 in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament championship NCAA college basketball game, Sunday, March 7, 2010, in St. Louis. Ahelegbe led all scorers with 24 points and was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. (AP Photo/Tom Gannam)

Browse more photos »

There was only one automatic bid up for grabs on Sunday, and Northern Iowa practically ensured that the Missouri Valley will be a one-bid league, as they defeated Wichita State in the championship game in St. Louis by a 67-52 score.

Monday will see four tickets punched. All game times are p.m. Eastern.

Colonial

Both semifinal games on Sunday were thrillers with Old Dominion dispatching VCU in overtime and Northeastern missing seven game-tying or winning attempts at the end against William & Mary.

(1) Old Dominion 73, (5) VCU 69 (OT)
(3) William & Mary 47, (2) Northeastern 45

Monday's Final
(1) Old Dominion vs. (3) William & Mary, 7 (ESPN)

Metro Atlantic

The top two seeds advanced to Monday's final on Siena's homecourt. Can the Saints get in even if they lose to Fairfield? Doubtful, but with this bubble anything is possible.

(1) Siena 72, (5) Rider 62
(2) Fairfield 69, (6) Niagara 63

Monday's Final
(1) Siena vs. (2) Fairfield, 7 (ESPN2)

Southern

The top seeds from each division won their semifinals easily and will meet for the championship Monday night.

(S1) Wofford 77, (N2) Western Carolina 58
(N1) Appalachian State 77, (S2) College of Charleston 54

Monday's Final
(S1) Wofford vs. (N1) Appalachian State, 9 (ESPN2)

West Coast

Gonzaga and St. Mary's will meet for the third time this season, with the Gaels looking for their first win at the most crucial time.

(1) Gonzaga 77, (5) Loyola Marymount 62
(2) St. Mary's 69, (3) Portland 55

Monday's Final
(1) Gonzaga vs. (2) St. Mary's, 9 (ESPN)

After the jump, I'll take a look at Sunday's other tournament action.

America East

Top-seeded Stony Brook fell in Sunday's semifinals and will be headed to the NIT. Boston University will visit second-seeded Vermont for Saturday's championship game.

(4) Boston University 70, (1) Stony Brook 63
(2) Vermont 58, (6) New Hampshire 37

Mid-American

The MAC Tournament opened Sunday with four first round games. Ohio, the 9 seed, was the only road team to grab a win. The four winners will play quarterfinals in Cleveland on Thursday.

(5) Buffalo 72, (12) Toledo 54
(6) Eastern Michigan 65, (11) Northern Illinois 59
(7) Western Michigan 75, (10) Bowling Green 73
(9) Ohio 85, (8) Ball State 77

Northeast

The top two seeds both advanced, so Quinnipiac will host Robert Morris in Wednesday night's final.

(1) Quinnipiac 83, (4) Long Island 78
(2) Robert Morris 80, (3) Mount St. Mary's 62

Patriot

There will be no three-peat for the American Eagles. They fell to top-seeded Lehigh in Sunday's semifinals. The Mountain Hawks will host archrival Lafayette in Friday's final.

(1) Lehigh 79, (4) American 57
(3) Lafayette 66, (7) Holy Cross 63

Summit

It wasn't a good night for the Dakota schools in their own backyard, as they both fell in Sunday's second set of quarterfinals. IPFW was the only lower seed to advance to Monday's semifinals.

(5) IPFW 71, (4) South Dakota State 66
(3) Oral Roberts 65, (6) North Dakota State 64

Monday's Semifinals (Both games on Full Court.)
(1) Oakland vs. (5) IPFW, 7
(2) IUPUI vs. (3) Oral Roberts, 9:30

Sun Belt

Three of the top four seeds advanced to Monday night's semifinals, but Western Kentucky had to rally against Arkansas State to make it. Third-seeded Middle Tennessee fell to Denver.

(1) Troy 67, (9) South Alabama 55
(4) Western Kentucky 65, (5) Arkansas State 64
(6) Denver 73, (3) Middle Tennessee 58
(2) North Texas 69, (10) Louisiana-Monroe 66

Monday's Semifinals (Both games on Full Court.)
(1) Troy vs. (4) Western Kentucky, 7
(2) North Texas vs. (6) Denver, 9:30

Conference Tournament Go-Round: March 7

2010-03-07T15:40:44Z

More photos » Mary Ann Chastain - AP

5 days ago: Winthrop's Ray Davis (1) and Andre Jones (21) celebrate their 64-53 victory over Coastal Carolina to win the Big South Conference Championship basketball game on Saturday, March 6, 2010, in Conway, S.C.(AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)

Browse more photos »

Three teams punched their Tournament tickets on Saturday, as Championship Week is well and truly underway.

Big South

Coastal Carolina, the regular season champion, fell at home to Winthrop, 64-53. That's the ninth NCAA Tournament appearance for the Eagles.

Atlantic Sun

Sixth-seeded Mercer, also playing at home, fell to fifth-seeded East Tennessee State, who's dancing for the second season in a row, by a 72-66 score.

Ohio Valley

Murray State avenged their only conference loss of the season by beating Morehead State, 61-52, in Nashville.

After the jump, I'll take a look at Saturday's non-championship Championship Week action.

Here's a quick rundown of Saturday's action and any Sunday games that result. Times for all Sunday games are p.m. Eastern.

America East

Three of the top four seeds advanced to Sunday's semifinals in Hartford. Only third-seeded Maine fell in the quarterfinals.

(1) Stony Brook 68, (8) Albany 59
(4) Boston University 87, (5) Hartford 46
(2) Vermont 76, (7) Maryland Baltimore County 59
(6) New Hampshire 68, (3) Maine 57

Sunday's Semifinals (Both games are on Full Court.)
(1) Stony Brook vs. (4) Boston University, 5
(2) Vermont, (6) New Hampshire, 7:30

Big Sky

Fourth-seeded Montana advanced to the semifinals Tuesday at Weber State, but Montana State fell at home.
(6) Portland State 68, (3) Montana State 65
(4) Montana 80, (5) Northern Arizona 61

Colonial

Fourth-seeded George Mason was the only higher seed to fall in Richmond Saturday, but Northeastern and William & Mary got scares.

(1) Old Dominion 86, (8) Towson 56
(5) VCU 75, (4) George Mason 60
(2) Northeastern 74, (7) Hofstra 71 (2OT)
(3) William & Mary 70, (11) James Madison 65

Sunday's Semifinals
(1) Old Dominion vs. (5) VCU, 3
(2) Northeastern vs. (3) William & Mary, 5:30

Horizon

It will be a one vs. two matchup for the Horizon crown in Indianapolis on Tuesday.

(2) Wright State 69, (7) Detroit 50
(1) Butler 82, (4) Milwaukee 75

Metro Atlantic

The top two seeds advanced, but three seed Iona and fourth-seeded St. Peter's weren't so lucky.

(1) Siena vs. (9) Manhattan, 4:30
(5) Rider 69, (4) St. Peter's 57
(6) Niagara 68 (3) Iona 64
(2) Fairfield 67, (7) Canisius 57

Sunday's Semifinals (Both games on MSG/MASN/FCS Atlantic/Full Court)
(1) Siena vs. (5) Rider, 4:30
(2) Fairfield vs. (6) Niagara, 7

Missouri Valley

Sunday's final will match the top two seeds, Northern Iowa and Wichita State (2, CBS).

(1) Northern Iowa 57, (5) Bradley 40
(2) Wichita State 65, (3) Illinois State 61

Northeast

The NEC Tournament is back in action Sunday with two semifinals.

(4) Long Island at (1) Quinnipiac, 2 (MSG/FCS Atlantic)
(3) Mount St. Mary's at (2) Robert Morris, 7

Patriot

Much like the NEC, the Patriot League also sees two homecourt semifinals on Sunday. Both take place miles apart in the Lehigh Valley.

(4) American at (1) Lehigh, 8 (CBS College Sports)
(7) Holy Cross at (3) Lafayette, 1

Southern

There were no surprises in the SoCon quarterfinals on Saturday, as all four top seeds advanced to Sunday's semifinals.

(N2) Western Carolina 68, (N6) Elon 57
(S1) Wofford 59, (N4) UNC Greensboro 47
(N1) Appalachian State 71, (S4) The Citadel 61
(S2) College of Charleston 96, (N3) Chattanooga 61

Sunday's Semifinals (Both games on SportSouth/FCS Pacific/Full Court)
(S1) Wofford vs. (N2) Western Carolina, 6
(N1) Appalachian State vs. (S2) College of Charleston, 8:30

Summit

Saturday saw the top two seeds in the Summit win their quarterfinals. Sunday, seeds three and four are in action.

(1) Oakland 85, (8) Missouri-Kansas City 70
(2) IUPUI 77, (7) Western Illinois 68

Sunday's Quarterfinals (Both games on Full Court.)
(4) South Dakota State vs. (5) IPFW, 7
(3) Oral Roberts vs. (6) North Dakota State, 9:30

Sun Belt

Five opening round game winners and the top three will compete in today's quarterfinals. They're doing the two-court thing again in Hot Springs.

(9) South Alabama 52, (8) Florida Atlantic 51
(5) Arkansas State 89, (12) Arkansas Little Rock 82
(4) Western Kentucky 83, (13) New Orleans 58
(6) Denver 71, (11) Florida International 64
(10) Louisiana-Monroe 76, (7) Louisiana-Lafayette 75

Sunday's Quarterfinals

(1) Troy vs. (9) South Alabama, 7:45
(4) Western Kentucky vs. (5) Arkansas State, 7:30
(3) Middle Tennessee vs. (6) Denver, 10:00
(2) North Texas vs. (10) Louisiana-Monroe, 10:15

West Coast

The semifinals are now set, as Loyola Marymount and Portland picked up second round wins Saturday.

(5) Loyola Marymount 84, (4) San Francisco 76
(3) Portland 72, (6) San Diego 57

Sunday's Semifinals (Both games on ESPN2.)
(1) Gonzaga vs. (5) Loyola Marymount, 8:30
(2) St. Mary's vs. Portland, 11

Bubble Watch Update: March 6

2010-03-06T13:30:12Z

More photos » Alex Brandon - AP

about 1 month ago: South Florida guard Dominique Jones reacts after an NCAA basketball game with Georgetown in Washington Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010. South Florida defeated No. 7 Georgetown 72-64. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Browse more photos »

Editor's Note: This entry is cross-posted at SB Nation.

Here is the updated look at how the NCAA Tournament field stacks up heading into the weekend. Click here for my Saturday morning bracket. My next projection will be released Sunday morning to reflect Saturday's conference championship games and other action.

One-Bid Leagues (15)

America East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Mid-American, Mid-Eastern, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Southwestern, Summit, Sun Belt

Shot At Two (9)

West Coast: Gonzaga (lock)
Horizon: Butler (lock)
Missouri Valley: Northern Iowa (somewhat safe)
Conference USA: UTEP (somewhat safe)
Pacific-10: California
Western Athletic: Utah State
Colonial: Old Dominion
Ivy: Cornell
Metro Atlantic: Siena

Locks (29)

ACC: Duke*, Maryland, Clemson, Florida State
A-10: Temple*, Xavier, Richmond
Big East: Syracuse*, Villanova, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Georgetown
Big Ten: Purdue*, Ohio State, Michigan State, Wisconsin
Big 12: Kansas*, Kansas State, Baylor, Missouri, Texas, Texas A&M
Horizon: Butler*
MWC: New Mexico*, BYU
SEC: Kentucky*, Vanderbilt, Tennessee
WCC: Gonzaga*

Teams with an asterisk own their respective conference's automatic bid.

Work To Do (12)

ACC: Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech
Big East: Louisville, Marquette, Notre Dame
Big Ten: Illinois
Big 12: Oklahoma State
C-USA: UTEP
Missouri Valley: Northern Iowa*
MWC: UNLV
WCC: St. Mary's

Of this group, Illinois, Notre Dame, St. Mary's and Virginia Tech hold the most precarious positions. These four teams could find themselves among either the Last Four In or First Four Out as the clock ticks down .

That takes care of 61 of the 65 teams. (No, I didn't count wrong, locks Butler and Gonzaga and "work to do" clubs UNI and UTEP appear twice.) That leaves me to look at the last four teams in the field and the 12 who have varying chances at replacing them over the next week or so. I'll do this after the jump.

RPI data from Crashing The Dance and reflects games through Thursday, March 4. All records reflect games played against Division I opponents through Friday, March 5.

Last Four In

Florida (20-10; 9-6 SEC; RPI: 51; Non-conf. RPI: 71): On Wednesday. UConn's loss at the hands of Notre Dame and Mississippi State falling at Auburn helped move the Gators back in, but Florida's failure to beat Georgia in Athens and Vanderbilt in their home finale may yet haunt them, especially if they end up in the NIT for the third straight season. Billy Donovan's team is 3-7 against the RPI Top 50, but two of those wins came all the way back in November (at home against FSU and over Michigan State in Atlantic City). The other came last week against Tennessee in Gainesville. A 7-6 road/neutral record is OK, but likely to get worse, considering that a game at Kentucky is on the schedule for Sunday. Barring a huge win at Rupp, Florida may need to reach the SEC semifinals to get in.

Rhode Island (21-7; 9-6 A-10; RPI: 30; Non-conf. RPI: 3): The Rams haven't played well of late, but they could be turning the corner after their 22-point home win over Charlotte Wednesday night. Rhody's marquee non-conference win came against Oklahoma State, and they own respectable victories over Northeastern, Providence and Boston College. However, none of those three are likely to dance. Making matters worse is the fact the Rams' best league win is over Dayton, as they're 0-4 against Temple, Richmond and Xavier, the three A-10 teams who look to be in the best shape. The Rams will hope to meet at least one of them in the A-10 Tourney after their regular season finale Saturday at UMass.

San Diego State (19-8; 10-5 MWC; RPI: 32; Non-conf. RPI: 36):The Aztecs won their home finale Wednesday night over Colorado State, which was more than enough to keep them in, considering all of the losses that happened around them. At one point, SDSU was four points away from owning a 10-game win streak, as they lost to BYU by 2 at home and dropped a 2-point OT game at New Mexico. The Aztecs will wish they had those two games back, as they currently sit at 2-5 against the RPI Top 50 (both wins, over New Mexico and UNLV, came at home) with no opportunities left before the Mountain West Tournament. The Aztecs close the regular season with a road trip to hapless Air Force Saturday.

UAB (23-6; 11-4 C-USA; RPI: 41; non-conf. RPI: 18): The Blazers are in serious trouble now that Memphis swept them. They remain here because others (UConn, Mississippi State) lost Wednesday. However, they won't be able to rely on their early season home wins over lock Butler and fellow bubble team Cincinnati for much longer. UAB owns a 11-3 road/neutral record, but that’s a bit deceptive, as the losses came against three of their best four road opponents — Kent State, Memphis and Virginia. The Blazers really need to grab a win at UTEP Saturday. Otherwise, they may need to claim the auto bid next week in Tulsa.

First Four Out

Mississippi State (21-9; 9-6 SEC; RPI: 61; Non-conf. RPI: 75): So much for the idea that the SEC West leaders were starting to pull things together, as their three-game win streak ended at the hands of a very mediocre Auburn team Wednesday. The Bulldogs’ resume is a bit thin outside of their sweep of archrival (and fellow bubble team) Ole Miss, as a win over Old Dominion in South Padre is the non-conference highlight and losses at Western Kentucky and against Rider in Starkville are major blemishes. MSU really needs to grab a win at home against Tennessee Saturday, and probably a win or two in the SEC Tournament, to grab a place.

Mississippi (20-9; 8-7 SEC; RPI: 57; Non-conf. RPI: 35): The Rebels’ marquee win is better than archrivals' Mississippi State's, as they defeated Kansas State by 12 in Puerto Rico before Thanksgiving. Still, not managing to beat the Bulldogs once is an issue, considering that’s the difference in the race for the weaker division of the SEC. Three straight losses, with two coming at home, didn’t help. However, Ole Miss has won three straight, including Thursday's victory over laughingstock LSU, to get back on track. The Rebels close with a visit to Arkansas Saturday.

South Florida (18-11; Big East 8-9; RPI: 62; Non-conf. RPI: 69): The Bulls may have one last one run in them, as they survived a trip to DePaul Tuesday and now await a showdown with now-desperate UConn at the Sun Dome Saturday. USF looked like they had turned the corner with a four-game win streak in late January/early February, a run capped by a win at Georgetown on February 3. But that was a mirage, as they’ve since dropped four of seven, including an ugly 16-point loss to St. John’s at home on February 20. The Bulls seem to have an issue with playing to the level of their competition, as they’re 4-4 vs. the RPI Top 50, and 1-6 against teams rated between 51 and 100.

Connecticut (17-13; 7-10 Big East; RPI: 48; non-conf. RPI: 15): The Huskies have followed up a three-game win streak, including wins over West Virginia and Villanova with a home loss to Louisville and an absolutely embarrassing performance in a 58-50 loss at Notre Dame. That defeat means UConn is now 3-9 in road/neutral games with a trip to South Florida on deck for Saturday. The Huskies are also 3-9 in games against the RPI Top 50.

Next Four Out

Dayton (19-10; 8-7 A-10; RPI: 42; Non-conf. RPI: 14): The Flyers will need to make a run in Atlantic City to go dancing. Their road/neutral record stands at 5-9 after Thursday night's setback at Richmond, a game the Flyers were in control of until the last 10 minutes. The Flyers' the best win coming against Georgia Tech in Puerto Rico way back on November 19 and the best true road victory came against George Mason on December 8. The Flyers close the regular season with a home game against St. Louis on Saturday.

Arizona State (21-9; 11-6 Pac-10; RPI: 54; Non-conf. RPI: 59): The Sun Devils loss at Cal on Saturday was doubly bad, as it kept them from grabbing an RPI Top 50 win and a share of the Pac-10 crown. The Sun Devils won the first game of their regular season-ending home set against L.A. schools, as they defeated USC Thursday. They can wrap up the two seed in the Pac-10 Tourney with a win over UCLA Saturday. They'll need it, as their only real hope is to win the Pac-10 Conference Tournament on March 13. Currently, the only win the Sun Devils can hang their hat on is a home victory over San Diego State on December 19, their lone top 50 win in six tries.

Washington (19-9; 9-7 Pac-10; RPI: 55; Non-conf. RPI: 27): The Huskies do own home wins over Texas A&M and Cal, but December losses at Texas Tech and against Georgetown in Anaheim are now missed opportunities in a weak bubble year. A sweep at the hands of tourney-ineligible USC doesn’t help either. In terms of building a late case, the Huskies’ schedule isn't exactly helpful. UW managed to win the first game of their closing road swing, beating Washington State to sweep the hoops Apple Cup. The Huskies aren't very good away from Hec Ed, as their road record stands at 3-7 after a win at Oregon Thursday. They can grab a fourth road win at Oregon State Saturday.

Memphis (22-8; 12-3 C-USA; RPI: 50: Non-conf. RPI: 96): The Tigers do own a 6-5 mark against the RPI Top 100; however, only two of those wins came against a Top 50 opponent, the sweep over UAB. Memphis' two best non-league wins came against IUPUI and Oakland. A 7-5 road/neutral mark is OK, but the best of those wins (after the win at UAB) came against Marshall and Tulsa. Josh Pastner's club fattened up on Division I's worst teams, going 15-2 against teams ranked 151+ in the RPI, losing at UMass and SMU. I wouldn't consider the Tigers an at-large candidate, but they can certainly steal a bid at the conference tournament in Tulsa. They already won there once and close the regular season at home Saturday against the Golden Hurricane.

On The Fringe

Charlotte (19-10; 9-6 A-10; RPI: 59; Non-conf. RPI: 61): The 49ers loss to Rhode Island Wednesday was their fifth in six games and pretty much relegates them to the NIT. Bobby Lutz’s team will try to get to 20 victories when they visit Rhode Island and host Richmond, a team they already defeated at the Robins Center. Charlotte’s 9-7 road/neutral mark, featuring wins over the Spiders and Louisville, would have been a major boost, had they not lost their last two contests away from Halton Arena. Charlotte closes the regular season at home against Richmond Saturday.

Cincinnati (16-13; 7-10 Big East; RPI: 64; Non-conf. RPI: 37): The Bearcats close home loss to Villanova Tuesday night was their seventh in 10 games. The last time Mick Cronin’s team won a game against an opponent who’s a lock or near lock was a pair of wins Vanderbilt and Maryland in Maui. Cincy closes the regular season with one final chance to correct that flaw in their resume, as they visit inconsistent Georgetown Saturday. Still, they will now need to win a couple of games in the Big East Tournament to have a realistic shot.

Minnesota (17-12; 8-9 Big Ten; RPI: 78; Non-conf. RPI: 57): After grabbing a win at Illinois Saturday, the Golden Gophers made a huge jump. Tuesday night, they gave it all back with an abysmal performance at Michigan, where they lost by 28. The defeat was costly as it cost the Gophers a shot at a bye in the Big Ten Tournament. The Golden Gophers are 5-9 this season against the RPI Top 100. Three of those wins came at The Barn, where they defeated Ohio State, Wisconsin and now-out of the picture Northwestern. Minnesota’s nine-point triumph over Butler in Anaheim is useful, but the losses to Portland and Texas A&M that followed aren’t. Neither was the road loss at Miami days after the California trip. Losses to Indiana (in Bloomington) the Michigan sweep sting. Minnesota closes with a home game against Iowa Sunday, but beating the Hawkeyes won't mean much to the Committee. The Gophers need to make a run in Indianapolis.

Seton Hall (17-11; 8-9 Big East; RPI: 56; Non-conf. RPI: 76): Remember that string of four games at the end of 2009/start of 2010, where the Pirates lost heartbreakers, including OT games against West Virginia and Virginia Tech? Hall fans are undoubtedly wishing they’d won a couple of those right about now, as those wins would be major boosts to an OK resume. But they didn’t, meaning the Pirates own a 2-9 mark against the RPI Top 50 and a 4-7 road/neutral mark. Those stats aren’t major selling points. One thing Seton Hall has done this season is prove that they can lose to good teams, and they won’t get much of a chance to reverse that down the stretch. Tuesday, they beat Rutgers in the first of two late meetings, but they couldn't win their last game against a contender, as they fell at home to Marquette Sunday. The Pirates may as well start planning for the NIT, as Thursday's win at Rutgers and a final road game at Providence won't give them much of a bump.

Games To Watch

Saturday
Old Dominion vs. Towson/UNC Wilmington (Colonial Quarterfinal No. 1), 12 p.m. ET (CSN New England/Comcast Network/Full Court)
Tulsa at Memphis, 1 p.m. ET (CBS College Sports)
Nebraska at Oklahoma State, 1:30 p.m. ET (Big 12 Network/Full Court)
Syracuse at Louisville, 2 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Connecticut at South Florida, 2 p.m. ET (Big East Network/Full Court)
Notre Dame at Marquette, 2 p.m. ET (Big East Network/Full Court)
Missouri Valley Semifinal No. 1, 2:30 p.m. ET (FS Midwest/CSN Chicago)
UCLA at Arizona State, 4 p.m. ET (CBS)
Rhode Island at Massachusetts, 4 p.m. ET (Cox Sports New England)
Mississippi at Arkansas, 4 p.m. ET (SEC Network/Full Court)
Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech, 4 p.m. ET (Raycom/Full Court)
Siena vs. Manhattan (Metro Atlantic Quarterfinal No. 2), 4:30 p.m. ET (MSG/FCS Atlantic/Full Court)
Tennessee at Mississippi State, 6 p.m. ET (ESPN)
California at Stanford, 6 p.m. ET (FSN/Comcast SportsNet)
St. Louis at Dayton, 7 p.m. ET (WHIO/CSN Philly/CSN Washington+)
Washington at Oregon State, 8 p.m. ET (FSN Northwest)
San Diego State at Air Force, 9 p.m. ET (the mtn.)
New Mexico State at Utah State, 9 p.m. ET (CW 30/Aggie Vision/Full Court)

Sunday
Florida at Kentucky, 12 p.m. ET (CBS)
Wisconsin at Illinois, 12 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Missouri Valley Championship, 2 p.m. ET (CBS)
Colonial Semifinal No. 1, 3 p.m. ET (CSN New England/Comcast Network/CSS/Full Court)
Metro Atlantic Semifinal No. 1, 4:30 p.m. ET (MSG/MASN/FCS Atlantic/Full Court)
Iowa at Minnesota, 6 p.m. ET (Big Ten Network)
TBD vs. St. Mary's (West Coast Semifinal No. 2), 10:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2)

Bracketology: The Last One Seed Is Up For Grabs

2010-03-06T12:52:05Z

More photos » Charlie Riedel - AP

8 days ago: Kansas' Sherron Collins (4) passes under pressure from Kansas State's Jacob Pullen (0) and Jamar Samuels during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, March 3, 2010, in Lawrence, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Browse more photos »

This bracket is cross-posted at SB Nation.

As Selection Sunday is just more than a week away, we've officially entered the homestretch, so bracket updates will be happening a bit more frequently. My next projection will come Monday morning (change: just a Bubble Watch Sunday), and it will reflect the weekend's conference championship games and all of the other action going on across the country, as the major conferences close out their regular seasons.

Click here to see Saturday's full bracket.

Here are links to my seed list and tracking spreadsheet.

The biggest change in this projection is Kansas State's rise to take the top seed in the West region away from Duke. Both lost tough road tests on Wednesday -- the Wildcats to Kansas, top seed in the Midwest, and the Blue Devils to Maryland. It's very close between the two teams, but K-State has the advantage for the moment because they have a slightly better road/neutral mark (10-3 vs. 9-5), they fell to a higher quality opponent in their most recent setback and they don't have a loss against a team outside of the RPI Top 100, something the Blue Devils have, thanks to a road loss at N.C. State.

Expect Ohio State and Villanova to challenge Duke and Kansas State for the fourth top seed as conference tournaments play out late next week.

Syracuse remains top seed in the South, while Kentucky holds the one spot in the East.

Here's a look at who's in and out heading into the weekend. Congratulations go out to Cornell, who became the first team to book a place in the field of 65. The Big Red claimed the Ivy crown in resounding fashion Friday night, crushing Brown, 95-76, in Providence.

The Rundown

Top Four Seeds: Kansas, Syracuse, Kentucky, Kansas State
Last Four In: Florida, Rhode Island, San Diego State, UAB
First Four Out: Mississippi State, Mississippi, South Florida, Connecticut
Next Four Out: Dayton, Arizona State, Washington, Memphis

Conference Breakdown

Big East: 8
Syracuse (1), Villanova (2), West Virginia (3), Pittsburgh (3), Georgetown (7), Marquette (8), Louisville (9),
Notre Dame (12)

ACC: 7
Duke (2), Maryland (5), Clemson (7), Florida State (8), Georgia Tech (9), Wake Forest (10), Virginia Tech (10)

Big 12: 7
Kansas (1), Kansas State (1), Baylor (6), Texas (6), Texas A&M (6), Missouri (7), Oklahoma State (8)

Big Ten: 5
Purdue (2), Ohio State (2), Michigan State (4), Wisconsin (5), Illinois (11)

A-10: 4
Temple (4), Xavier (6), Richmond (7), Rhode Island (12)

MWC: 4
New Mexico (3), BYU (4), UNLV (9), San Diego State (12)

SEC: 4
Kentucky (1), Vanderbilt (3), Tennessee (5), Florida (11)

C-USA: 2
UTEP (10), UAB (13)

WCC: 2
Gonzaga (4), St. Mary's (11)

One Bid Leagues (22): America East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Horizon, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, Mid-Eastern, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Pacific-10, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Southwestern, Summit, Sun Belt, Western Athletic

Visit Bubble Watch for a detailed look at the last few teams in and the group that hopes to replace them, along with game previews and recaps.

Conference Tournament Go-Round: March 6

2010-03-06T12:44:43Z

Friday night, Cornell became the first team to clinch an NCAA bid for this season, as they easily defeated Brown, 95-76, in Providence to lay claim to the Ivy League title. Three teams will join the Big Red on Saturday, as a trio of championship games are on the schedule.

All times are p.m. Eastern.

Atlantic Sun

It will be an unexpected final tomorrow in the Atlantic Sun as homestanding Mercer, the six seed, will face fifth-seeded ETSU, the defending champion, for an auto bid, and likely spot in the Opening Round in Dayton on March 16.

(5) ETSU 69, (8) Kennesaw State 65
(6) Mercer 66, (2) Jacksonville 63

Big South

Top seeded Coastal Carolina and third-seeded Winthrop both won Thursday to advance to today's final (4, ESPN2). The two teams split their two meetings this season, each winning on their own homecourt. Since this one is in Conway, advantage Chanticleers.

Ohio Valley

The top two seeds prevailed in Friday's semifinals, in very different ways. Murray State struggled against Eastern Illinois, while Morehead State blew out sixth-seeded Tennessee Tech. The Eagles will look for their second win over the Racers in a week and a half Saturday night (8, ESPN2) with a second straight trip to the NCAAs on the line.

(1) Murray State 55, (4) Eastern Illinois 51
(2) Morehead State (6) Tennessee Tech

After the jump, I'll take a look at the other conference tournaments in action Saturday.

America East

Since Binghamton withdrew, no 8/9 game was needed in this event. That means the tournament begins Saturday with four quarterfinals in Hartford.

(1) Stony Brook vs. (8) Albany, 12
(4) Boston University at (5) Hartford, 2:15
(2) Vermont vs. (7) Maryland Baltimore County, 6
(3) Maine vs. (6) New Hampshire, 8:15

Big Sky

Only the top six teams advance to the Big Sky's postseason event. It begins Saturday with two first round games hosted by the higher seeds.

(6) Portland State at (3) Montana State, 9:05
(5) Northern Arizona at (4) Montana, 9:05

Colonial

Action began Friday in Richmond with four opening round games. Three of the four favorites advanced, with sixth-seeded Drexel falling at the hands of James Madison.

(8) Towson 91, (9) UNC Wilmington 74
(5) VCU 66, (12) Delaware 49
(7) Hofstra 68, (10) Georgia State 67
(11) James Madison 77, (6) Drexel 65

Those results set up these four quarterfinals for Saturday. (All games on Comcast Network/CSN New England/Full Court, quarterfinals 2 through 4 also on CSS.)

(1) Old Dominion vs. (8) Towson, 12
(4) George Mason vs. (5) VCU, 2:30
(2) Northeastern vs. (7) Hofstra, 6
(3) William & Mary vs. (11) James Madison, 8:30

Horizon

Four teams played second round games Friday night for the right to meet the top two seeds, Butler and Wright State, in Saturday's semifinals. The regular season champions, the Bulldogs, serve as the host for these two rounds.

(7) Detroit 62, (3) Green Bay 53
(4) Milwaukee 82, (5) Cleveland State 75

Saturday's Semifinals (Both games on ESPNU.)

(2) Wright State vs. (7) Detroit, 5:15
(1) Butler vs.(4) Milwaukee, 8

Metro Atlantic

The bottom four teams in the MAAC met Friday in Albany for the right to take on the top two seeds in Saturday's quarterfinals.

(9) Manhattan 94, (8) Loyola (MD) 79
(7) Canisius 72, (10) Marist 54

Saturday's Quarterfinals (All games on MSG/FCS Atlantic/Full Court. Games 3 and 4 on MASN.)

(1) Siena vs. (9) Manhattan, 4:30
(4) St. Peter's vs. (5) Rider, 2:30
(3) Iona vs. (6) Niagara, 10
(2) Fairfield vs. (10) Marist, 7:30

Missouri Valley

In St. Louis, Northern Iowa solidified their chance for a bid with a win in Friday's quarterfinals. However, they face a tough task in the semifinals, where they face Bradley, who defeated them in Peoria on February 13. The Braves were the only lower seed to advance.

(1) Northern Iowa 55, (8) Drake 40
(5) Bradley 81, (4) Creighton 62
(3) Illinois State 69, (6) Indiana State 65
(2) Wichita State 73, (7) Missouri State 63

Saturday's Semifinals (Both games on FS Midwest and CSN Chicago

(1) Northern Iowa vs. (5) Bradley, 2:35
(2) Wichita State vs. (3) Illinois State 5:05

Southern

Friday's opening round and Saturday's quarterfinals will take place at the smaller building that is the original Charlotte Coliseum (not the original home of the old Hornets that didn't have enough luxury boxes) before moving to the new arena for the semis and final. Davidson won't make a run through this tournament, as they fell to Elon in the first game of the day on Friday.

Saturday's final game features a rematch of last season's championship game, won by the Chattanooga Mocs.

(N6) Elon 66, (S3) Davidson 59
(N4) UNC Greensboro 66, (S5) Furman 65
(S4) The Citadel 55, (N5) Samford 43
(N3) Chattanooga 82, (S6) Georgia Southern 62

Saturday's Quarterfinals

(N2) Western Carolina vs. (N6) Elon, 12
(S1) Wofford vs. (N4) UNC Greensboro, 2:30
(N1) Appalachian State vs. (S4) The Citadel, 7
(S2) College of Charleston vs. (N3) Chattanooga, 9:30

Summit

Much like the Atlantic Sun, the Summit runs a staggered quarterfinal round. The top two seeds play their opening games Saturday in Sioux Falls, while the three and four play Sunday.

Both games will air Full Court

(1) Oakland vs. (8) Missouri-Kansas City, 7
(2) IUPUI vs. (7) Western Illinois. 9:30

Sun Belt

Saturday will be a busy night in Hot Springs as five opening round games on the schedule. They'll even have simultaneous games in the evening.

(8) Florida Atlantic vs. (9) South Alabama, 3:15
(5) Arkansas State vs. (12) Arkansas Little Rock, 7:30
(4) Western Kentucky vs. (13) New Orleans, 7:45
(6) Denver vs. (11) Florida International, 9:45
(7) Louisiana-Lafayette vs. (10) Louisiana-Monroe, 10

West Coast

The WCC is yet another conference that gives the top two seeds a double bye. So, action began Friday in Las Vegas with the conference's second division playing an opening round. Both favorites won thrillers.

(5) Loyola Marymount 87, (8) Pepperdine 84
(6) San Diego 61, (7) Santa Clara 59

On Saturday. the three and four seeds get involved for the quarterfinals. Both games will air on CSN Bay Area/CSN Northwest/Cox 4 in San Diego/Full Court.

(4) San Francisco vs. (5) Loyola Marymount, 9
(3) Portland vs. (6) San Diego, 11:30

Conference Tournament Go-Round: March 5

2010-03-05T12:13:17Z

Thursday saw our first final set, as Saturday's Big South championship could give us our first entrant. (Of course, Cornell can beat the winner to the punch by clinching the Ivy crown with a win at Brown this evening.)

Friday is going to be a busy day and night, highlighted by the Atlantic Sun and OVC semis and the CAA opening round. First, let's take a look back at Thursday.

Atlantic Sun

No. 5 East Tennessee State knocked off No. 4 Campbell, 72-64, thanks to Micah Williams' 32-point afternoon.. The Bucs will next face eighth-seeded Kennesaw State in Friday's semifinals (CSS/Full Court, 6:30 ET), as they attempt to go dancing for the second straight season. The Bucs beat the Owls twice this season, and neither game was particularly close.

Third-seeded Belmont fell to the hosts, No. 6 Mercer, 87-81. The Bears will next face two seed Jacksonville (CSS/Full Court, 9 ET) for a place in Saturday's final.

Big South

Third-seeded Winthrop had a pretty easy time with No. 2 Radford to advance to Saturday's Championship. The Eagles prevailed, 61-46, preventing the Highlanders from advancing to the NCAAs for the second straight season. Winthrop will next face regular season champion and tournament host Coastal Carolina in Saturday's final. The Chanticleers routed UNC Asheville, 92-73, to move on. The Eagles and Chanticleers split their two meetings, with Coastal winning in Conway.

Missouri Valley

Top seed Northern Iowa will face eighth-seeded Drake in their MVC quarterfinal (FS Midwest/CSN Chicago, 1 ET). The Bulldogs defeated No. 9 Southern Illinois, 63-61, in the opening round of Arch Madness. No. 7 Missouri State got a double-double from Kyle Weems to move past 10th-seeded Evansville, 52-46, for the right to play Wichita State Friday (FS Midwest/CSN Chicago+, 7 ET).

In Friday's other quarterfinal action, No. 4 Creighton takes on No. 5 Bradley (FS Midwest/CSN Chicago, 3:30 ET) and No.3 Illinois State faces No. 6 Indiana State (FS Midwest/CSN Chicago+, 9:30 ET).

Northeast

All four home teams moved on in the NEC quarters. Top seeded Quinnipiac held off Monmouth, 84-75, and will next host the four seed, Long Island, in Sunday's semifinals. The Blackbirds survived a visit from Fairleigh Dickinson, 63-61. Quinnipiac won the only meeting between the two schools at home.

In the other half of the bracket, Mt. St. Mary's, the three seed, won their 11th straight, eliminating St. Francis (PA), 65-50. The Mountaineers now face a rubber match at second seeded Robert Morris Sunday. The Colonials knocked off Central Connecticut State, 71-63. The two schools split their two meetings this season, with each winning at home by a slender margin.

After the jump, I'll look ahead to some of Friday's other action.

Colonial

The CAA Tournament opens Friday afternoon in Richmond. I have a preview up at SB Nation, as I'll be in attendance from Saturday through the final on Monday.

Horizon

The Horizon League Tournament shifts to Indianapolis for the quarterfinal round on Friday evening. Remember, the top two teams automatically advanced to Saturday's semifinals. In the Wright State half of the bracket, seventh-seeded Detroit will look to defeat No. 3 Green Bay for the first time and fourth-seed Cleveland State hopes that they can repeat their one-point home triumph over fifth-seeded Milwaukee, rather than the 10-point loss they suffered in the Brew City.

Metro Atlantic

There are two opening round games from the MAAC on Friday's schedule. No. 8 seed Loyola (MD) looks to beat ninth-seeded Manhattan for the third time this season, while seventh-seeded Canisius will look to do the same against bottom team Marist.

Ohio Valley

The OVC semis take place in Nashville with three of the four top seeds in action. Top seeded Murray State had their way with No. 4 Eastern Illinois during the regular season and will look to beat them for a third time (ESPNU, 7 ET) to make Saturday's final. No. 2 Morehead State, who just beat the Racers by five, will look to setup a rematch by knocking off the only lower seeded team to advance, sixth-seeded Tennessee Tech (ESPNU, 9:30 ET). Morehead is looking for their third win of the season over Tech.

West Coast

The WCC Tournament begins with its opening round (not quarterfinals, as they give the top two seeds a double-bye) tonight in Las Vegas. Zach Bell, editor of SB Nation's Gonzaga blog, Slipper Still Fits, has a full preview up at SB Nation.

BtB On The Rocky Top Talk Podcast At 9 p.m. ET

2010-03-05T00:57:04Z

BtB On The Rocky Top Talk Podcast At 9 p.m. ET

I'll be talking college hoops, Championship Week, and the Tournament with the boys from our Tennessee blog this evening at 9 Eastern/8 Central. Be sure to tune in.

Conference Tournament Go-Round: March 4

2010-03-04T13:00:27Z

Wednesday saw the start of two conference tournaments and our first couple of upsets.

Patriot League

It was quarterfinal night in the Patriot League, and three of the top four seeds moved on. And to add some intrigue, the two semifinal round games will be hosted by eternal rivals.

After a close first half, regular season champion Lehigh advanced to Sunday's semifinals with a 64-45 victory over eighth-seeded Army. The Mountain Hawks will host fourth-seeded American next. The Eagles snuck past Navy, 62-60, in a local battle in D.C.

No. 3 Lafayette will host a semifinal, as they defeated sixth-seeded Colgate, 73-65, and No. 7 Holy Cross, winners of eight of their last 10, upset second-seeded Bucknell, 67-64.

Atlantic Sun

We had our first upset of Championship Week as eighth-seeded Kennesaw State knocked off No. 1 Lipscomb, 72-69. That relegates the Bisons to the NIT, knocking some other team down to the CBI or CIT.

Second-seeded Jacksonville had no such problems, as they knocked off crosstown rival and No. 7 seed North Florida, 76-69.

The other two quarterfinals are today.
No. 5 East Tennessee State vs. No. 4 Campbell
No. 6 Mercer vs. No. 3 Belmont

After the jump, I'll take a quick look at Thursday's conference tournament action.

Big South

The Big South moves to its semifinal round this evening with the top four still alive for the auto bid.

No. 3 Winthrop vs. No. 2 Radford at Coastal Carolina
No. 4 UNC Asheville at No. 1 Coastal Carolina

Missouri Valley

It's the opening round of Arch Madness. Remember when Missouri State started well? They've fallen all the way down to the Opening Round, where perennial power Southern Illinois joins them.

No. 9 Southern Illinois vs. No. 8 Drake
No. 10 Evansville vs. No. 7 Missouri State

Northeast

The Northeast Conference Tournament opens with campus-site quarterfinals. Watch out for Mount St. Mary's in this one, as they've won 10 straight, including home wins over the 1 and 2 seeds.

No. 8 Monmouth at No. 1 Quinnipiac
No. 5 Fairleigh Dickinson at No. 4 Long Island
No. 6 St. Francis (PA) at No. 3 Mount St. Mary's
No. 7 Central Connecticut State at No. 2 Robert Morris

Conference Tournament Go-Round: March 3

2010-03-03T13:00:28Z

Only 11 days remain until Selection Sunday, which means conference tournaments are slowly getting underway.

It also means it's time for me to get back into the update business.

Three conference tournaments began on Tuesday, and two more tip off Wednesday. After the jump, I'll update you on all of the action.

Tuesday featured campus site quarterfinal action in the Big South and Ohio Valley and the opening round of the Horizon League Tourney, also played on the home courts of the higher seeds.

Big South

All four home teams won. Four seed UNC Asheville defeated No. 5 High Point, 84-73. The Bulldogs will next face regular season champ Coastal Carolina in the semifinals Thursday night in Conway. The Chanticleers grabbed an 82-73 win over 8 seed VMI. In the bottom half of the bracket. 2 seed Radford survived a challenge from Charleston Southern, 64-61. The Highlanders will next host third seeded Winthrop, 80-72 winners over Liberty, in the other semifinal.

Horizon

The Horizon operates a tournament where the league's bottom 8 play for two spots in the semifinals opposite the top two seeds, who receive a double bye. The four winners tonight move on to two quarterfinal games in Indianapolis on Friday.

In the Butler half of the bracket., fifth seed Cleveland State dispatched Loyola of Chicago, 80-66, setting up a matchup against No. 4 Milwaukee, who ended the interest of the conference's other Chicago school, UIC, 73-67.

On the Wright State side, 7 seed Detroit won at sixth seed Valparaiso, 89-82. The Titans will next face third seeded Green Bay, who handled Youngstown State, 81-67.

Ohio Valley

Top seed Murray State will face fourth seeded Eastern Illinois in Friday's semifinals in Nashville. The Racers won a home game over No. 8 Tennessee State, 84-51, while the Panthers defeated Eastern Kentucky, 68-61.

Two seed Morehead State blasted No. 7 Jacksonville State, 87-54, to book their trip to Nashville. This one was never in much doubt as the Eagles led 43-14 at halftime. They'll face sixth seeded Tennessee Tech in the semis. The Golden Eagles stunned third seeded Austin Peay, 68-65.

The Patriot League Tournament begins Wednesday night with campus site quarterfinals, while the Atlantic Sun Championship starts in Macon, Georgia with two quarterfinals.

Patriot League

No. 8 Army at No. 1 Lehigh
No. 5 Navy at No. 4 American
No. 6 Colgate at No. 3 Lafayette
No. 7 Holy Cross at No. 2 Bucknell

Atlantic Sun

In this conference, the top two seeds play their quarterfinal games the day before the 3 and 4 seeds do, to gain an extra day of rest.

No. 8 Kennesaw vs. No. 1 Lipscomb
No. 7 North Florida vs. No. 2 Jacksonville: Yes, this is a crosstown battle.

I'll have the finals for these games on Thursday morning.

Bubble-Ology From The Daily Gopher

2010-03-02T00:22:30Z

Bubble-Ology From The Daily Gopher

SB Nation's Minnesota blog once again provides a nice summary of the bubble race, with particular focus on the Golden Gophers' chances. Tom provides a nice rundown of the situations in the Big Ten, Big East, and SEC, along with a list of games to watch.

Bracketology: Duke Remains A One Seed; Notre Dame And San Diego State In

2010-03-01T17:00:58Z

More photos » Joe Raymond - AP

15 days ago: Notre Dame's Jack Cooley, middle, looks for a rebound between Pittsburgh's Nasir Robinson, left, and Brad Wanamkaer in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2010, in South Bend, Ind. Notre Dame won 68-53. (AP Photo/Joe Raymond)

Browse more photos »

This bracket is cross-posted at SB Nation.

Welcome to March! I hope you're as excited about what's to come over the next month or so as I am. I believe we're in for one of the most interesting NCAA Tournaments ever, and that will start with the selection and seeding process, which is sure to cause even more arguments than usual.

There aren't a lot of changes between this bracket and the one I posted on Saturday after a weekend filled with some very exciting games (Maryland-Virginia Tech, Louisville-UConn, Richmond-Xavier) and some not so great ones (Michigan State-Purdue and Clemson-Florida State).

Click here to see Monday's full bracket.

Here are links to my seed list and tracking spreadsheet.

On Saturday, I moved Duke up to the top line. They remain after a Sunday when they handled Virginia in Charlottesville and Purdue struggled without Robbie Hummel in losing to Michigan State.

The Blue Devils, No. 1 in the West, join Kansas (Midwest), Syracuse (South) and Kentucky (East) on the top line. Purdue (Midwest), meanwhile stays on line 2, alongside Kansas State (South), Villanova (East) and West Virginia (West).

Nine Big East are in the field at the moment, thanks to Notre Dame's surge this week. After winning at UConn Sunday, Louisville is in better position, but the Huskies remain in because of the overall weakness of the bubble. That could change this week, as Jim Calhoun's team closes with two road games against teams who still have a chance, at Notre Dame and USF,

After the jump, I'll recap who's in and out and look at more of this week's storylines.

The Rundown

Top Four Seeds: Kansas, Syracuse, Kentucky, Duke
Last Four In: St. Mary's, Notre Dame, UAB, San Diego State
First Four Out: Cincinnati, Mississippi State, Dayton, Minnesota
Next Four Out: Seton Hall, Rhode Island, Mississippi, Washington

Conference Breakdown

Big East: 9
Syracuse (1), Villanova (2), West Virginia (2), Pittsburgh (3), Georgetown (5), Louisville (9),
Marquette (9), Connecticut (11), Notre Dame (12)

ACC: 7
Duke (1), Maryland (6), Clemson (7), Florida State (8), Georgia Tech (8), Wake Forest (9), Virginia Tech (10)

Big 12: 7
Kansas (1), Kansas State (2), Baylor (5), Missouri (6), Texas (7), Texas A&M (7), Oklahoma State (9)

Big Ten: 5
Purdue (2), Ohio State (3), Michigan State (4), Wisconsin (4), Illinois (10)

MWC: 4
New Mexico (3), BYU (5), UNLV (10), San Diego State (13)

SEC: 4
Kentucky (1), Vanderbilt (3), Tennessee (6), Florida (11)

A-10: 3
Temple (4), Xavier (6), Richmond (7)

C-USA: 2
UTEP (10), UAB (12)

WCC: 2
Gonzaga (4), St. Mary's (11)

Storylines

Lines 3 and 4: Pitt (Midwest) and Vanderbilt (South) jump up to line 3, joining Ohio State (East) and New Mexico (West), two teams who have their eyes firmly on a two seed. The Lobos took their preferred spot in the West, thanks to a big win at BYU on Saturday. The Cougars, meanwhile, drop down to the 5 line in the East (as that regional is played Thursday/Saturday), but their fans shouldn't fret, as they still remain at a Western site, San Jose, for the first weekend.

Georgetown also slips down to the 5 line, after their loss Saturday to newcomer Notre Dame, the Hoyas third in four games and second straight at home.

Temple (East) and Gonzaga (West) jumped up to line 4, where Big Ten teams Michigan State (South) and Wisconsin (Midwest) remain.

Making A Move: Tennessee is back on the upswing, thanks to their win over Kentucky Saturday. The Volunteers move up to a 6 this week, and top seed candidates are undoubtedly happy about that, as UT now owns wins (albeit home victories) over two teams who are likely to be on the top line. Facing the Vols in an 8/9 game in Round Two would be a unique challenge.

Maryland is now a lock after a thrilling double OT win at Virginia Tech Saturday, a game delayed by three hours because of a series of water main breaks. The Terps are proving to be the second best team in the ACC, as they stand at 21-7 overall and 11-3 in the conference, heading into Wednesday's home game with Duke.

Wake Forest is heading in the wrong direction, however, as they lost at home to North Carolina Saturday, the third straight defeat for the Demon Deacons. Wake could continue to drop with a game at Florida State and home contest with Clemson still to come.

Texas is another team taking a tumble, as they fall to a 7 after their defeat at Texas A&M. The Longhorns started 17-0, but have gone 5-7 since. It's not inconceivable that they could fall from No. 1 in the country to an 8/9 game, especially when you consider a road trip to Baylor awaits on Saturday.

Conference Regular Season Titles: Championship Week is upon us and that means several conferences have determined their regular season champions. So without further delay, here are the teams you'll see in my projections as auto bid holders for the foreseeable future.

America East: Stony Brook
Atlantic Sun: Belmont (tie, but superior overall record against D-I opponents)
Big Sky: Weber State
Big South: Coastal Carolina
Colonial: Old Dominion
Conference USA: UTEP
Horizon: Butler
Metro Atlantic: Siena
Mid-Eastern: Morgan State
Missouri Valley: Northern Iowa
Mountain West: New Mexico
Northeast: Quinnipiac (tie, but superior overall record)
Ohio Valley: Murray State
Pac-10: California
Patriot: Lehigh
Southern: Wofford
Southland: Sam Houston State
Summit: Oakland
Sun Belt: North Texas (tie, but superior overall record)
West Coast: Gonzaga

Visit Bubble Watch for a detailed look at the last few teams in and the group that hopes to replace them, along with game previews and recaps.

Bubble Watch Update: Notre Dame And San Diego State Jump In

2010-02-28T23:58:41Z

More photos » Nick Wass - AP

12 days ago: Nortre Dame's Tim Abromaitis (21) shoots over Georgetown's Chris Wright, left, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Browse more photos »

Editor's Note: This entry is cross-posted at SB Nation.

Here is the updated look at the NCAA Tournament field. Click here for my Saturday morning bracket. My next projection will be released around noon on Monday.

One-Bid Leagues (15)

America East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Mid-American, Mid-Eastern, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Southwestern, Summit, Sun Belt

Shot At Two (9)

West Coast: Gonzaga (lock)
Horizon: Butler (lock)
Missouri Valley: Northern Iowa
Conference USA: UTEP
Pacific-10: California
Western Athletic: Utah State
Colonial: Old Dominion
Ivy: Cornell
Metro Atlantic: Siena

Locks (28)

ACC: Duke*, Maryland, Clemson, Florida State, Wake Forest
A-10: Temple*, Xavier, Richmond
Big East: Syracuse*, Villanova, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Georgetown
Big Ten: Purdue*, Ohio State, Michigan State, Wisconsin
Big 12: Kansas*, Kansas State, Baylor, Missouri, Texas, Texas A&M
Horizon: Butler*
MWC: New Mexico*, BYU
SEC: Kentucky*, Vanderbilt, Tennessee
WCC: Gonzaga*

Teams with an asterisk own their respective conference's automatic bid.

Work To Do (12)

ACC:, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech
Big East: Louisville, Marquette, Connecticut
Big Ten: Illinois
Big 12: Oklahoma State
Missouri Valley: Northern Iowa*
MWC: UNLV
SEC: Florida

Of this group, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Oklahoma State and Virginia Tech hold the most precarious positions. These five teams could find themselves among either the Last Four In or First Four Out as the clock ticks down .

That takes care of 61 of the 65 teams. (No, I didn't count wrong, locks Butler and Gonzaga and "work to do" club UNI appear twice.) That leaves me to look at the last four teams in the field and the 10 who have the best shot at replacing them over the next two weeks. I'll do this after the jump.

RPI data from Crashing The Dance and reflects games through Saturday, February 27. All records reflect games played against Division I opponents through Sunday, February 28.

Last Four In

St. Mary's (23-5: 11-3 West Coast; RPI: 46; Non-conf. RPI: 28): After dropping consecutive road games to Gonzaga and Portland, the Gaels really needed a BracketBuster game. However, they skipped the event this season since that would have resulted in a four-game road trip (as SMC was designated as an away team). An extra game would have helped a resume that already includes win over bubble teams Utah State (in Logan) San Diego State (at home) and a two-point loss against Vanderbilt before the Commodores went to Maui. A win over Gonzaga would have been helpful, but the Gaels will fight for a third shot at one in Las Vegas next week. The two could meet for the conference title on March 8.

Notre Dame (19-10; 8-8 Big East; RPI: 67; Non-conf. RPI: 90): The Irish have figured out how to win without the still-injured Luke Harangody, crushing Pitt at home Wednesday, then pounding Georgetown in Washington on Saturday. Given that the Irish’s three setbacks without Harangody were by a total of six points, you have to imagine that Notre Dame would have won at least two of them if he was healthy. Expect the Committee to keep this in mind, especially as the All-Big East forward should return sometime in the next two weeks. The Fighting Irish’s closing stretch provides them with two more opportunities, as they close with UConn at home and Marquette on the road. Notre Dame may need a split to stay in, thanks to home losses against Loyola Marymount, Rutgers and St. John’s; a lackluster 3-5 mark against RPI Top 50 teams (with two wins this week); and a not very good 3-7 road/neutral mark.

UAB (23-5; 11-3 C-USA; RPI: 35; non-conf. RPI: 17): The Blazers continue to hang in there just hanging on, thanks primarily to their early season home wins over lock Butler and fellow bubble team Cincinnati. After Wednesday’s win at UCF, UAB possesses a 11-3 road/neutral record, but that’s a bit deceptive, as the losses came against three of their best four road opponents — Kent State, Memphis and Virginia — none of whom are close to the field. The Blazers will have to close strong to stay in. Things started well with a home win over hapless Tulane, but the final week — featuring a home date with Memphis and road trip to UTEP, who beat UAB at Bartow Arena — is far more crucial.

San Diego State (18-8; 9-5 MWC; RPI: 39; Non-conf. RPI: 39):The Aztecs didn't play this weekend, but they were the beneficiary of losses by Arizona State, Charlotte, Cincinnati and Rhode Island. At one point, SDSU was four points away from owning a 10-game win streak, as they lost to BYU by 2 at home and dropped a 2-point OT game at New Mexico. The Aztecs will wish they had those two games back, as they currently sit at 2-5 against the RPI Top 50 (both wins, over New Mexico and UNLV, came at home) with no opportunities left before the Mountain West Tournament. The Aztecs close the regular season with a winnable home game against Colorado State Wednesday and a road trip to hapless Air Force Saturday.

First Four Out

Cincinnati (16-12; 7-9 Big East; RPI: 57; Non-conf. RPI: 41): The Bearcats continue to struggle, as they remain 5-7 in their last 12, and 2-4 in their last six, after they gave up a lead on the road and fell to West Virginia. The last time Mick Cronin’s team won a game against an opponent who’s a lock or near lock was a pair of wins Vanderbilt and Maryland in Maui. Cincy closes the regular season with two chances to correct that flaw in their resume. The Bearcats host Villanova Tuesday and visit inconsistent Georgetown Saturday.

Mississippi State (21-8; 9-5 SEC; RPI: 54; Non-conf. RPI: 77): The SEC West leaders are starting to pull things together, as they now own a three-game win streak after Saturday's win at South Carolina. The Bulldogs’ resume is a bit thin outside of their sweep of archrival (and fellow bubble team) Ole Miss, as a win over Old Dominion in South Padre is the non-conference highlight and losses at Western Kentucky and against Rider in Starkville are major blemishes. MSU’s only real shot at a resume-building win comes at home against Tennessee Saturday. They can't get caught looking ahead at Auburn on Wednesday.

Dayton (19-9; 8-6 A-10; RPI: 43; Non-conf. RPI: 13): After Wednesday night's awful loss at Temple, I said the revolving door was pretty much shut and locked (if you can do such a thing with a revolving door) for the Flyers. However, as Rhode Island and Charlotte both suffered damaging road losses Saturday, Dayton still has some hope. UD’s road/neutral record stands at 5-8, with the best win coming against Georgia Tech in Puerto Rico way back on November 19 and the best true road victory coming against George Mason on December 8. The Flyers can better that Thursday at Richmond. Dayton then closes the regular season with a home game against St. Louis on Saturday.

Minnesota (17-11; 8-8 Big Ten; RPI: 72; Non-conf. RPI: 60): After grabbing a win at Illinois Saturday, the Golden Gophers made a huge jump. Had they beaten Purdue, who played most of the game without Robbie Hummel, Wednesday night in Minneapolis, they'd be in. With Saturday's win, the Golden Gophers are now 5-9 this season against the RPI Top 100. Three of those wins came at The Barn, where they defeated Ohio State, Wisconsin and now-out of the picture Northwestern. Minnesota’s nine-point triumph over Butler in Anaheim is useful, but the losses to Portland and Texas A&M that followed aren’t. Neither was the road loss at Miami days after the California trip. Losses to Indiana (in Bloomington) and Michigan (at home) sting, but the Gophers avenged the IU loss and can avenge the loss to the Wolverines on Wednesday in Ann Arbor. Minnesota closes with a home game against Iowa Sunday.

Next Four Out

Mississippi (19-9; 7-7 SEC; RPI: 53; Non-conf. RPI: 36): The Rebels’ marquee win is better than archrivals' Mississippi State's, as they defeated Kansas State by 12 in Puerto Rico before Thanksgiving. Still, not managing to beat the Bulldogs’ once is an issue, considering that’s the difference in the race for the weaker division of the SEC. Three straight losses, with two coming at home, didn’t help. However, the Rebels’ were able to beat Auburn Wednesday and Alabama Saturday to get back on track. The Rebels close with more SEC West SOS-crushing goodness, as they host LSU Thursday and visit Arkansas Saturday.

Washington (18-9; 8-7 Pac-10; RPI: 59; Non-conf. RPI: 27): The Huskies do own home wins over Texas A&M and Cal, but December losses at Texas Tech and against Georgetown in Anaheim are now missed opportunities in a weak bubble year. A sweep at the hands of tourney-ineligible USC doesn’t help either. In terms of building a late case, the Huskies’ schedule isn't exactly helpful. UW managed to win the first game of their closing road trip, beating Washington State to sweep the hoops’ Apple Cup. Next week, a trip to the Oregon schools awaits. Keep in mind the Huskies are only 2-7 away from Hec Ed.

Seton Hall (16-11; 7-9 Big East; RPI: 50; Non-conf. RPI: 76): Remember that string of four games at the end of 2009/start of 2010, where the Pirates lost heartbreakers, including OT games against West Virginia and Virginia Tech? Hall fans are undoubtedly wishing they’d won a couple of those right about now, as those wins would be major boosts to an OK resume. But they didn’t, meaning the Pirates own a 2-9 mark against the RPI Top 50 and a 3-7 road/neutral mark. Those stats aren’t major selling points. One thing Seton Hall has done this season is prove that they can lose to good teams, and they won’t get much of a chance to reverse that down the stretch. Tuesday, they beat Rutgers in the first of two late meetings, but they couldn't win their last game against a contender, as they fell at home to Marquette Sunday. The Pirates may as well start planning for the NIT, as a road trip to Rutgers and Providence won't provide much of a bump.

Rhode Island (20-7; 8-6 A-10; RPI: 33; Non-conf. RPI: 3): The Rams haven't played well of late. They snapped a three-game losing streak with a win over Fordham on February 20, took a week off, then promptly lost at St. Bonaventure. Rhody's marquee non-conference win came against fellow bubble team Oklahoma State, and they own respectable victories over Northeastern, Providence and Boston College. However, none of those teams are locked in right now. Making matters worse is the fact the Rams' best league win is over Dayton, as they're 0-4 against Temple, Richmond and Xavier, the three A-10 teams who look to be in the best shape. Wednesday's game at Charlotte looks to be a matchup for NIT seeding right now, and the Rams' regular season finale is at UMass, an opponent who won't help their computer numbers.

On The Fringe

Arizona State (20-9; 10-6 Pac-10; RPI: 55; Non-conf. RPI: 59): The Sun Devils loss at Cal on Saturday was doubly bad, as it kept them from grabbing an RPI Top 50 win and a share of the Pac-10 crown. The Sun Devils face home games against the L.A. schools next week, but their only real hope is to win the Pac-10 Conference Tournament on March 13. Currently, the only win the Sun Devils can hang their hat on is a home victory over San Diego State on December 19, their lone top 50 win in six tries.

Charlotte (19-9; 9-5 A-10; RPI: 61; Non-conf. RPI: 61): Like Rhode Island, the 49ers have dropped four of their last five, following a three-game losing streak with a victory (at home over St. Joe's) and a defeat (at GW). Bobby Lutz’s team will try to get to 20 victories when they visit Rhode Island and host Richmond, a team they already defeated at the Robins Center. Charlotte’s 9-6 road/neutral mark, featuring wins over the Spiders and Louisville, is a major boost for their hopes. A sweep of Rhode Island and Richmond could put the 49ers back in the picture.

South Florida (17-11; Big East 7-9; RPI: 64; Non-conf. RPI: 67): The Bulls looked like they had turned the corner with a four-game win streak in late January/early February, a run capped by a win at Georgetown on February 3. But that was a mirage, as they’ve since dropped four of six, including an ugly 16-point loss to St. John’s at home on February 20. The Bulls seem to have an issue with playing to the level of their competition, as they’re 4-4 vs. the RPI Top 50, and 1-6 against teams rated between 51 and 100. USF couldn’t grab another marquee road win last week, as they were hammered at Villanova Wednesday, but they did rebound with an exciting home win over Providence Saturday. The Bulls close with a roadie at DePaul and home game with a UConn team who could be desperate for a win.

Games To Watch

Monday
Fresno State at Utah State, 9 p.m. ET (CSN California/Full Court)

Tuesday
Vanderbilt at Florida, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Villanova at Cincinnati, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
Minnesota at Michigan, 7 p.m. ET (Big Ten Network)
South Florida at DePaul, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPNU)
Illinois at Ohio State, 9 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Louisville at Marquette, 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPNU)

Wednesday
Connecticut at Notre Dame, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Charlotte at Rhode Island, 7 p.m. ET (Cox Sports New England)
Mississippi State at Auburn, 8 p.m. ET (SEC Network/Full Court)
Oklahoma State at Texas A&M, 9 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
Memphis at UAB, 9 p.m. ET (CSS)
Colorado State at San Diego State, 10:30 p.m. ET (the mtn.)

Thursday
Seton Hall at Rutgers, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Dayton at Richmond, 7 p.m. ET (CBS College Sports)
USC at Arizona State, 8:30 p.m. ET (FSN/Comcast SportsNet)
LSU at Mississippi, 9 p.m. ET (ESPN2)

Friday
Northern Iowa vs. Drake/Southern Illinois (Missouri Valley Quarterfinal No. 1), 1 p.m. ET (FS Midwest/CSN Chicago)

Saturday
Old Dominion vs. Towson/UNC Wilmington (Colonial Quarterfinal No. 1), 12 p.m. ET (CSN New England/Comcast Network/Full Court)
Nebraska at Oklahoma State, 1:30 p.m. ET (Big 12 Network/Full Court)
Syracuse at Louisville, 2 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Connecticut at South Florida, 2 p.m. ET (Big East Network/Full Court)
Notre Dame at Marquette, 2 p.m. ET (Big East Network/Full Court)
Missouri Valley Semifinal No. 1, 2:30 p.m. ET (FS Midwest/CSN Chicago)
UCLA at Arizona State, 4 p.m. ET (CBS)
Rhode Island at Massachusetts, 4 p.m. ET (Cox Sports New England)
Mississippi at Arkansas, 4 p.m. ET (SEC Network/Full Court)
Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech, 4 p.m. ET (Raycom/Full Court)
TBD vs. Siena (Metro Atlantic Quarterfinal No. 2), 4:30 p.m. ET (MSG/FCS Atlantic/Full Court)
Tennessee at Mississippi State, 6 p.m. ET (ESPN)
California at Stanford, 6 p.m. ET (FSN/Comcast SportsNet)
St. Louis at Dayton, 7 p.m. ET (WHIO/CSN Philly/CSN Washington+)
Washington at Oregon State, 8 p.m. ET (FSN Northwest)
San Diego State at Air Force, 9 p.m. ET (the mtn.)
New Mexico State at Utah State, 9 p.m. ET (CW 30/Aggie Vision/Full Court)

Saturday Bracketology: Duke Jumps To The Top Line

2010-02-27T13:44:36Z

More photos » Sara D. Davis - AP

14 days ago: Duke's Brian Zoubek (55) celebrates his basket during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Tulsa in Durham, N.C., Thursday, Feb. 25, 2010. Duke won 70-52. (AP Photo/Sara D. Davis)

Browse more photos »

This bracket is cross-posted at SB Nation.

As Selection Sunday is now a little more than two weeks away, it's time to start putting out brackets a bit more frequently. My next projection will come Monday, and I'll continue on the Saturday/Monday schedule for one more week.

During Championship Week, I'll post a new bracket on Tuesday and Wednesday if necessary to reflect conference title games. Starting Thursday, I'll go daily (or more frequently, if events warrant) until I post my final projection at around 5 p.m. ET on Selection Sunday.

As for this bracket, there are two big changes. Duke replaces Purdue on the top line for the moment. If the Boilermakers can beat Michigan State without Robbie Hummel (Sunday, 4 p.m. ET, CBS) they'll move back up, provided Villanova doesn't stun Syracuse at the Carrier Dome (Saturday, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN) later in the evening.

The other change is that San Diego State is out after their loss to BYU Wednesday. The Aztecs are the first team out, certainly not dead, but they need to make some noise at the Mountain West Tournament to get back. Charlotte replaces them, though at this point, I could have drawn any one of four names from a hat to fill that final spot.

It's a safe bet that a completely different team will be the final at-large on Monday.

Click here to see the full bracket.

Here are links to my seed list and tracking spreadsheet.

The Rundown

Top Four Seeds: Kansas, Syracuse, Kentucky, Duke
Last Four In: Rhode Island, Oklahoma State, UAB, Charlotte
First Four Out: San Diego State, Cincinnati, Notre Dame, Arizona State
Next Four Out: Mississippi State, Mississippi, Washington, Dayton

Conference Breakdown

Big East: 8
Syracuse (1), Villanova (2), West Virginia (3), Georgetown (3), Pittsburgh (4), Louisville (9),
Marquette (9), Connecticut (10)

ACC: 7
Duke (1), Wake Forest (6), Maryland (7), Clemson (8), Florida State (8), Georgia Tech (8), Virginia Tech (10)

Big 12: 7
Kansas (1), Kansas State (2), Baylor (5), Missouri (6), Texas (6), Texas A&M (7), Oklahoma State (12)

A-10: 5
Temple (5), Richmond (6), Xavier (7), Rhode Island (11), Charlotte (13)

Big Ten: 5
Purdue (2), Ohio State (3), Michigan State (4), Wisconsin (4), Illinois (9)

SEC: 4
Kentucky (1), Vanderbilt (4), Tennessee (8), Florida (10)

MWC: 3
New Mexico (3), BYU (3), UNLV (7)

C-USA: 2
UTEP (11), UAB (12)

WCC: 2
Gonzaga (5), St. Mary's (10)

Visit Bubble Watch for a detailed look at the last few teams in and the group that hopes to replace them, along with game previews and recaps.

NIT (And CBI/CIT)-ology: February 24

2010-02-24T23:00:28Z

More photos » Skip Peterson - AP

Chris Wright and Dayton are a top seed in the NIT, for the moment . (AP Photo/Skip Peterson)

Browse more photos »

If you think picking 34 at-large teams for the NCAA Tournament is difficult this season, picking another 64 for the NIT, CBI, and CollegeInsider.com Tournament isn't going to be much of a picnic either.

North Carolina is still in the NIT field and Arizona sneaks in as well. Keep in mind that while there is no rule stating a team has to have a record above .500 to be selected, no team with a losing mark has yet to be chosen. With that in mind, I've kept that principle in place until the NIT Selection Committee says otherwise.

The CBI could have a semifinal round featuring Boston College, UCLA, Michigan and Arkansas. If UNC loses a few more games, they could trump the Razorbacks in the South region.

After the jump, I'll have the projections for college basketball's other three postseason tournaments.

NIT

Dayton Region
(8) Iona at (1) Dayton
(5) VCU at (4) Minnesota
(6) Virginia at (3) Seton Hall
(7) Arizona at (2) Mississippi State

Cincinnati Region
(8) NC State at (1) Cincinnati
(5) Northeastern at (4) Memphis
(6) Wichita State at (3) Washington
(7) Alabama at (2) Notre Dame

Charlotte Region
(8) Marshall at (1) Charlotte
(5) St. John's at (4) Miami
(6) Washington State at (3) South Florida
(7) Louisiana Tech at (2) Mississippi

Tempe Region
(8) Colorado State at (1) Arizona State
(5) St. Louis at (4) Tulsa
(6) South Carolina at (3) Northwestern
(7) North Carolina at (2) William & Mary

Breakdown
Big East: 5
ACC, Pac-10, SEC: 4
Atlantic 10, Colonial, C-USA: 3
Big Ten: 2
Metro Atlantic, Missouri Valley, Mountain West, WAC: 1

First Four Out: Boston College, Nevada, Arkansas, New Mexico State

CBI

East Region
Vermont at Boston College
Buffalo at Georgia

West Region
Stanford at Nevada
Pacific at UCLA

South Region
Wright State at Arkansas
IUPUI at Bradley

Midwest Region
Indiana State at Michigan
Green Bay at NM State

Breakdown
Horizon, Missouri Valley, Pac-10, SEC, WAC: 2
America East, ACC, Big Ten, Big West, Mid-American, Summit: 1

CIT

The CollegeInsider.com Tournament pairs teams after the completion of each round of play.

First Round
Akron at Duquesne
Harvard at Quinnipiac
Missouri State at Western Kentucky
Montana at Portland
Morehead at Illinois State
South Dakota (Great West) at Northern Colorado
Western Carolina at George Mason
Wofford at Princeton

Breakdown
Big Sky, Ivy, Missouri Valley, Southern: 2
Atlantic 10, Colonial, Great West, Mid-American, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Sun Belt, West Coast: 1