Here’s my latest projected NCAA tournament field of 68 (* = conference champion).
| Seed | Team | Conference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Syracuse* | Big East |
| 2 | Ohio State* | Big Ten |
| 3 | Baylor | Big 12 |
| 4 | Indiana | Big Ten |
| 5 | San Diego State | Mountain West |
| 6 | Florida State | ACC |
| 7 | Vanderbilt | SEC |
| 8 | Memphis | Conference USA |
| 9 | Alabama | SEC |
| 10 | Connecticut | Big East |
| 11 | BYU | West Coast |
| 12 | Kansas State/Miami | Play-in |
| 13 | Akron* | MAC |
| 14 | Iona* | MAAC |
| 15 | Bucknell* | Patriot |
| 16 | Vermont*/Long Island* | Play-in |
| Seed | Team | Conference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kentucky* | SEC |
| 2 | North Carolina | ACC |
| 3 | Georgetown | Big East |
| 4 | Michigan | Big Ten |
| 5 | Wichita State* | Missouri Valley |
| 6 | Temple* | Atlantic 10 |
| 7 | Notre Dame | Big East |
| 8 | Southern Mississippi* | Conference USA |
| 9 | Harvard* | Ivy |
| 10 | Iowa State | Big 12 |
| 11 | Illinois | Big Ten |
| 12 | Texas/N.C. State | Play-in |
| 13 | Middle Tennessee* | Sun Belt |
| 14 | Davidson* | Southern |
| 15 | Belmont* | Atlantic Sun |
| 16 | Miss. Valley State*/UNC Asheville* | Play-in |
| Seed | Team | Conference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Missouri* | Big 12 |
| 2 | Michigan State | Big Ten |
| 3 | Marquette | Big East |
| 4 | Wisconsin | Big Ten |
| 5 | Gonzaga | West Coast |
| 6 | Creighton | Missouri Valley |
| 7 | New Mexico* | Mountain West |
| 8 | Virginia | ACC |
| 9 | Mississippi State | SEC |
| 10 | California* | Pac-12 |
| 11 | Seton Hall | Big East |
| 12 | Xavier | Atlantic 10 |
| 13 | Oral Roberts* | Summit |
| 14 | George Mason* | CAA |
| 15 | Valparaiso* | Summit |
| 16 | Texas-Arlington* | Southland |
| Seed | Team | Conference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Duke* | ACC |
| 2 | Kansas | Big 12 |
| 3 | UNLV | Mountain West |
| 4 | Louisville | Big East |
| 5 | Florida | SEC |
| 6 | Saint Mary's* | West Coast |
| 7 | Murray State* | Ohio Valley |
| 8 | Purdue | Big Ten |
| 9 | Saint Louis | Atlantic 10 |
| 10 | West Virginia | Big East |
| 11 | Minnesota | Big Ten |
| 12 | Central Florida | Conference USA |
| 13 | Long Beach State* | Big West |
| 14 | Nevada* | WAC |
| 15 | Weber State* | Big Sky |
| 16 | Norfolk State* | MEAC |
Top seeds
Kentucky: Shot-blocking freshman Anthony Davis reminds John Calipari of one player: Marcus Camby.
Syracuse: The once-beaten Orange could be unbeaten had Fab Melo not missed three games.
Missouri: Why are the Tigers good? No team shoots better than the Tigers from inside the three-point arc.
Duke: Sure, they have their flaws, but smart scheduling helped Duke rank in the top two in RPI and strength of schedule.
Rising
Wichita State: The class of the Valley has lost just one game – in triple overtime – since New Year’s.
New Mexico: Impressive win at San Diego State lifted the Lobos into first place in the nation’s fifth-best league (in terms of RPI).
Texas: The Longhorns, who have not missed the NCAA tournament since 1998, are starting to pick up steam.
Marquette: Buzz Williams’s team could be the most unsung of all teams in contention for a top four NCAA tourney seed.
Falling
Virginia: After a strong first three months of season, the Cavaliers are beginning to slide in less-than-elite ACC.
Illinois: Disastrous slide could ultimately cost team tournament bid and Coach Bruce Weber his job.
West Virginia: The Mountaineers do not have enough quality nonconference wins to survive further fall in standings.
Saint Mary’s: The Gaels look to halt current skid Saturday at Murray State in the best BracketBusters matchup.
Sleepers
Oral Roberts: One of the nation’s best free throw-shooting teams, they are as hot as anyone, losing one game since Dec. 15.
Saint Louis: Coach Rick Majerus, a man who knows how to win in March, has not seen his team lose yet this month.
California: Everyone is so down on the Pac-12, perhaps it can find a Cinderella team out of its one-bid league.
Xavier: The Musketeers, ranked 14th in the preseason, have been such a disappointment, perhaps they can now surprise folks.
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