Daniel Evans (@bracketexpert) is RTC’s new resident bracketologist. According to Bracket Matrix, he ranks as one of the top bracketologists among those who have produced brackets for more than three years, including two seasons with perfect bracket projections. He updates the field daily on his site, Bracketology Expert, and will be producing a weekly bracket update here at RTC on Fridays. RTC Bubble Watch will publish on Sunday nights and Thursday afternoons for the rest of the season.
- New in This Update:
- Saturday was one of the busiest days of the year. Florida Gulf Coast, Harvard, and Belmont clinched NCAA Tournament spots by clinching automatic bids.
- Kansas is off the No. 1 line after losing badly to Baylor. Georgetown replaces the Jayhawks after routing Syracuse on Saturday, although it was a close comparison between the Hoyas and Cardinals.
- Florida is off the No. 2 line after losing to Kentucky. Meanwhile, the Wildcats move into my Last Four In after the come from behind win to defeat the Gators.
- It seemed like more underdogs won their favorites on Saturday. New Mexico fell off the No. 2 line after losing to Air Force late. Minnesota continued to slide after losing an ugly game to Purdue. Tennessee knocked off Missouri, Oklahoma lost to TCU, NC State fell at Florida State, and Utah dominated Oregon.
LAST FOUR IN: Colorado, Kentucky, La Salle, Saint Mary’s (last team in)
FIRST FOUR OUT: Virginia (first team out), Mississippi, Alabama, Baylor
NEXT FOUR OUT: Southern Miss, Iowa, Maryland, Xavier
NOTE: Projected conference champions (or auto bid winners) are in capital letters.
(full bracket after the jump)
Conference Roundup: Big East (8), Big Ten (7), Big 12 (5), Pac-12 (5), ACC (5), Atlantic 10 (5), Mountain West (5), SEC (3), Missouri Valley (2), West Coast (2)
S-Curve Rankings: (differences between S-curve and actual bracket seeding are the result of changes to prevent procedural errors)
- 1s: Duke, Gonzaga, Indiana, Georgetown
- 2s: Louisville, Kansas, Michigan, Michigan State
- 3s: Miami (Fla.), New Mexico, Florida, Arizona
- 4s: Marquette, Ohio State, Kansas State, Oklahoma State
- 5s: Pittsburgh, Saint Louis, Syracuse, Wisconsin
- 6s: Unlv, Ucla, Notre Dame, Butler
- 7s: Vcu, North Carolina, Memphis, Creighton
- 8s: Illinois, Colorado State, N. C. State, Cincinnati
- 9s: Oregon, San Diego State, Wichita State, Missouri
- 10s: Villanova, California, Minnesota, Boise State
- 11s: Temple, Oklahoma, Iowa State, Belmont
- 12s: Tennessee, Colorado, Kentucky, La Salle, Middle Tennessee, Saint Mary’s
- 13s: Akron, Louisiana Tech, Bucknell, Davidson
- 14s: South Dakota State, Stephen F. Austin, Valparaiso, Harvard
- 15s: Stony Brook, Montana, Florida Gulf Coast, Long Beach State
- 16s: Niagara, Northeastern, Charleston Southern, Southern, LIU-Brooklyn, Norfolk State