SelectionSunday
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By Buzz King (@Fieldof68Freak)
ROAD TO SELECTION SUNDAY – With Championship Week already underway (ASUN #7 seed Austin “Let’s Go Peay” & #10 Central Arkansas were the first to survive & advance Sunday night), we’re adding a new wrinkle this week. After the projection, I’ll put potential tournament teams into five boxes: “auto bid”; “locks”; “almost there”; “squarely on the bubble”; and “longshots”.
I plan to update the Field of 68 outlook daily starting late Wednesday night (after the Kansas City-Oral Roberts 8-9 game) from the Summit League Tournament in Sioux Falls, at least through Thursday, March 13, before I hunker down for the final “Field of 68” projection early Selection Sunday morning.
As always, we start with a projection. In multiple-bid conferences, projected automatic qualifiers (current #1 seed for conference tournament) are noted with a *.
FIELD OF 68 PROJECTION (through games played 3/2/25)
America East (1): Bryant (151)
American (1): Memphis (45)
ACC (5): *Duke (2), Clemson (21), Louisville (24), North Carolina (42), Wake Forest (68)
ASUN (1): Lipscomb (87)
Atlantic 10 (1): VCU (29)
Big East (4): *Saint John’s (19), Marquette (22), UConn (35), Creighton (39)
Big Sky (1): Northern Colorado (124)
Big South (1): High Point (86)
Big Ten (11): *Michigan State (11), Maryland (12), Wisconsin (14), Illinois (16), Purdue (17), Michigan (25), UCLA (27), Oregon (31), Ohio State (36), Indiana (55), Nebraska (57)
Big XII (8): *Houston (3), Texas Tech (7), Iowa State (9), Arizona (10), Kansas (20), BYU (26), Baylor (32), West Virginia (48)
Big West (1): UC-San Diego (34)
Coastal (1): Towson (139)
Conference USA (1): Jacksonville State (115)
Horizon (1): Robert Morris (153)
Ivy (1): Yale (73)
MAAC (1): Quinnipiac (187)
MAC (1): Akron (98)
MEAC (1): Norfolk State (179)
Missouri Valley (1): Drake (60)
Mountain West (4): Utah State (38), Boise State (43), *New Mexico (44), San Diego State (50)
NEC (1): Central Connecticut (157)
OVC (1): Southeast Missouri State (184)
Patriot (1): Bucknell (206)
SEC (10): *Auburn (1), Florida (4), Tennessee (5), Alabama (6), Missouri (13), Kentucky (15), Texas A&M (23), Ole Miss (28), Mississippi State (30), Vanderbilt (37)
SoCon (1): Chattanooga (114)
Southland (1): McNeese (61)
SWAC (1): Southern (219)
Summit (1): Omaha (182)
Sun Belt (1): South Alabama (119)
WCC (2): Gonzaga (8), *Saint Mary’s (18)
WAC (1): Utah Valley (111)
--------------------------------------
Last 4 In: Nebraska (57), Boise State (43), North Carolina (42), (last team in) Wake Forest (68)
First 4 Out: (first team out) Xavier (49), Georgia (33), Villanova (51), Oklahoma (53)
Next 4 Out: UC-Irvine (63), Colorado State (58), Arkansas (47), TCU (70)
On the Radar O’Reilly (6): George Mason (74), San Francisco (62), Cincinnati (40), SMU (41), Texas (46), Northwestern (54)
Last 4 Automatic Qualifiers: Southeast Missouri State (184), Quinnipiac (187), Bucknell (206), Southern (219)
Non-Power 5 At-Large Bids (4): Gonzaga (8), Utah State (38), Boise State (43), San Diego State (50)
----------------------------------------
AVAILABLE BIDS THROUGH SUNDAY, MARCH 2 (10)
1-Bid Conference Placeholders (24)
America East: Bryant
American: Memphis
ASUN: Lipscomb
Atlantic 10: VCU
Big Sky: Northern Colorado
Big South: High Point
Big West: UC-San Diego
Coastal: Towson
Conference USA: Jacksonville State
Horizon: Robert Morris
Ivy: Yale
MAAC: Quinnipiac
MAC: Akron
MEAC: Norfolk State
Missouri Valley: Drake
NEC: Central Connecticut
OVC: Southeast Missouri State
Patriot: Bucknell
SoCon: Chattanooga
Southand: McNeese
SWAC: Southern
Summit: Omaha
Sun Belt: South Alabama
WAC: Utah Valley
Multiple-Bid Conference/Auto Bid Placeholder & Lock (7)
ACC: Duke
Big East: Saint John’s
Big Ten: Michigan State
Big XII: Houston
Mountain West: New Mexico
SEC: Auburn
WCC: Saint Mary’s
Locks Not Among Auto Bids (27)
Alabama, Arizona, BYU, Clemson, Creighton, Florida, Gonzaga, Illinois, Iowa State, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Marquette, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, Oregon, Purdue, San Diego State, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, UCLA, UConn, Wisconsin
Almost There, Seal the Deal With 1 More Regular Season Win (2)
Utah State, Vanderbilt
Squarely on the Bubble (12) – 8 of these would be selected
Baylor, Boise State, Georgia, Indiana, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Villanova, Wake Forest, West Virginia, Xavier
Longshots/I Got 99 Problems, and the Bubble Is 1 (10)
Arkansas, Cincinnati, Colorado State, George Mason, Northwestern, San Francisco, SMU, Texas, TCU, UC-Irvine
Heart of Bubblicious (NET #45-55)
45 Memphis (IN)
46 Texas (OUT)
47 Arkansas (OUT)
48 West Virginia (IN)
49 Xavier (OUT)
50 San Diego State (IN)
51 Villanova (OUT)
52 Santa Clara (OUT)
53 Oklahoma (OUT)
54 Northwestern (OUT)
55 Indiana (IN)
The Local NETters
#93 Minnesota (15-14, 7-11 Big Ten)
#117 St. Thomas (22-9, 12-4 Summit League)
Big Ten +/- Power Rankings (Road Wins – Home Losses)
1 Michigan State (+6)
2 Michigan (+5)
3 Purdue (+3)
4 Maryland (+3)
5 Wisconsin (+3)
6 Illinois (+2)
7 UCLA (+2)
8 Oregon (+1)
9 Indiana (even)
10 Ohio State (-1)
11 Rutgers (-2)
12 Minnesota (-2)
13 Nebraska (-2)
14 Northwestern (-2)
15 USC (-3)
16 Iowa (-3)
17 Washington (-5)
18 Penn State (-5)
Summit League Tournament
March 5 (1st Round)
#8 Kansas City (12-19) vs. #9 Oral Roberts (7-22), 7 p.m.
March 6 (Quarterfinals)
#1 Omaha (19-12) vs. Kansas City/Oral Roberts winner, 6 p.m.
#2 St. Thomas (22-9) vs. #7 Denver (11-20), 8:30 p.m.
March 7 (Quarterfinals)
#3 South Dakota State (20-11) vs. #6 North Dakota (11-20), 6 p.m.
#4 North Dakota State (21-10) vs. #5 South Dakota (18-13), 8:30 p.m.
Gophers Stat Leaders
Dawson Garcia (19.3 points per game), Garcia (7.5 rebounds per game), Femi Odukale (3.6 assists per game), Odukale (1.4 steals per game), Isaac Asuma (37.5% 3PFG), Odukale (1.2 blocks per game)
Tommies Stat Leaders
Miles Barnstable (14.7 points per game), Kendall Blue (4.5 rebounds per game), Drake Dobbs (3.6 assists per game), Nolan Minessale (1.1 steals per game), Ben Oosterbaan (46% 3PFG), Minessale (1.1 blocks per game)
NET Kings
#1 Auburn (27-2)
Kinda’ Bubble Cutline
#50 San Diego State (19-7)
Stuck in the Middle with You
#182 Omaha (17-12)
Bottom of the Barrel
#364 Mississippi Valley State (1-26)
Deep (College Hoops) Thoughts, by Buzz Studley
Seth Davis has an interesting definition of “elite.” And do not schools like Wisconsin, UConn, Michigan State, etc., also have cold weather climates? They seem to do OK, no?
I’m tired of the constant excuses why Minnesota can’t win.
Next Field of 68: late Wednesday evening, March 5
ROAD TO SELECTION SUNDAY – With Championship Week already underway (ASUN #7 seed Austin “Let’s Go Peay” & #10 Central Arkansas were the first to survive & advance Sunday night), we’re adding a new wrinkle this week. After the projection, I’ll put potential tournament teams into five boxes: “auto bid”; “locks”; “almost there”; “squarely on the bubble”; and “longshots”.
I plan to update the Field of 68 outlook daily starting late Wednesday night (after the Kansas City-Oral Roberts 8-9 game) from the Summit League Tournament in Sioux Falls, at least through Thursday, March 13, before I hunker down for the final “Field of 68” projection early Selection Sunday morning.
As always, we start with a projection. In multiple-bid conferences, projected automatic qualifiers (current #1 seed for conference tournament) are noted with a *.
FIELD OF 68 PROJECTION (through games played 3/2/25)
America East (1): Bryant (151)
American (1): Memphis (45)
ACC (5): *Duke (2), Clemson (21), Louisville (24), North Carolina (42), Wake Forest (68)
ASUN (1): Lipscomb (87)
Atlantic 10 (1): VCU (29)
Big East (4): *Saint John’s (19), Marquette (22), UConn (35), Creighton (39)
Big Sky (1): Northern Colorado (124)
Big South (1): High Point (86)
Big Ten (11): *Michigan State (11), Maryland (12), Wisconsin (14), Illinois (16), Purdue (17), Michigan (25), UCLA (27), Oregon (31), Ohio State (36), Indiana (55), Nebraska (57)
Big XII (8): *Houston (3), Texas Tech (7), Iowa State (9), Arizona (10), Kansas (20), BYU (26), Baylor (32), West Virginia (48)
Big West (1): UC-San Diego (34)
Coastal (1): Towson (139)
Conference USA (1): Jacksonville State (115)
Horizon (1): Robert Morris (153)
Ivy (1): Yale (73)
MAAC (1): Quinnipiac (187)
MAC (1): Akron (98)
MEAC (1): Norfolk State (179)
Missouri Valley (1): Drake (60)
Mountain West (4): Utah State (38), Boise State (43), *New Mexico (44), San Diego State (50)
NEC (1): Central Connecticut (157)
OVC (1): Southeast Missouri State (184)
Patriot (1): Bucknell (206)
SEC (10): *Auburn (1), Florida (4), Tennessee (5), Alabama (6), Missouri (13), Kentucky (15), Texas A&M (23), Ole Miss (28), Mississippi State (30), Vanderbilt (37)
SoCon (1): Chattanooga (114)
Southland (1): McNeese (61)
SWAC (1): Southern (219)
Summit (1): Omaha (182)
Sun Belt (1): South Alabama (119)
WCC (2): Gonzaga (8), *Saint Mary’s (18)
WAC (1): Utah Valley (111)
--------------------------------------
Last 4 In: Nebraska (57), Boise State (43), North Carolina (42), (last team in) Wake Forest (68)
First 4 Out: (first team out) Xavier (49), Georgia (33), Villanova (51), Oklahoma (53)
Next 4 Out: UC-Irvine (63), Colorado State (58), Arkansas (47), TCU (70)
On the Radar O’Reilly (6): George Mason (74), San Francisco (62), Cincinnati (40), SMU (41), Texas (46), Northwestern (54)
Last 4 Automatic Qualifiers: Southeast Missouri State (184), Quinnipiac (187), Bucknell (206), Southern (219)
Non-Power 5 At-Large Bids (4): Gonzaga (8), Utah State (38), Boise State (43), San Diego State (50)
----------------------------------------
AVAILABLE BIDS THROUGH SUNDAY, MARCH 2 (10)
1-Bid Conference Placeholders (24)
America East: Bryant
American: Memphis
ASUN: Lipscomb
Atlantic 10: VCU
Big Sky: Northern Colorado
Big South: High Point
Big West: UC-San Diego
Coastal: Towson
Conference USA: Jacksonville State
Horizon: Robert Morris
Ivy: Yale
MAAC: Quinnipiac
MAC: Akron
MEAC: Norfolk State
Missouri Valley: Drake
NEC: Central Connecticut
OVC: Southeast Missouri State
Patriot: Bucknell
SoCon: Chattanooga
Southand: McNeese
SWAC: Southern
Summit: Omaha
Sun Belt: South Alabama
WAC: Utah Valley
Multiple-Bid Conference/Auto Bid Placeholder & Lock (7)
ACC: Duke
Big East: Saint John’s
Big Ten: Michigan State
Big XII: Houston
Mountain West: New Mexico
SEC: Auburn
WCC: Saint Mary’s
Locks Not Among Auto Bids (27)
Alabama, Arizona, BYU, Clemson, Creighton, Florida, Gonzaga, Illinois, Iowa State, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Marquette, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, Oregon, Purdue, San Diego State, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, UCLA, UConn, Wisconsin
Almost There, Seal the Deal With 1 More Regular Season Win (2)
Utah State, Vanderbilt
Squarely on the Bubble (12) – 8 of these would be selected
Baylor, Boise State, Georgia, Indiana, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Villanova, Wake Forest, West Virginia, Xavier
Longshots/I Got 99 Problems, and the Bubble Is 1 (10)
Arkansas, Cincinnati, Colorado State, George Mason, Northwestern, San Francisco, SMU, Texas, TCU, UC-Irvine
Heart of Bubblicious (NET #45-55)
45 Memphis (IN)
46 Texas (OUT)
47 Arkansas (OUT)
48 West Virginia (IN)
49 Xavier (OUT)
50 San Diego State (IN)
51 Villanova (OUT)
52 Santa Clara (OUT)
53 Oklahoma (OUT)
54 Northwestern (OUT)
55 Indiana (IN)
The Local NETters
#93 Minnesota (15-14, 7-11 Big Ten)
#117 St. Thomas (22-9, 12-4 Summit League)
Big Ten +/- Power Rankings (Road Wins – Home Losses)
1 Michigan State (+6)
2 Michigan (+5)
3 Purdue (+3)
4 Maryland (+3)
5 Wisconsin (+3)
6 Illinois (+2)
7 UCLA (+2)
8 Oregon (+1)
9 Indiana (even)
10 Ohio State (-1)
11 Rutgers (-2)
12 Minnesota (-2)
13 Nebraska (-2)
14 Northwestern (-2)
15 USC (-3)
16 Iowa (-3)
17 Washington (-5)
18 Penn State (-5)
Summit League Tournament
March 5 (1st Round)
#8 Kansas City (12-19) vs. #9 Oral Roberts (7-22), 7 p.m.
March 6 (Quarterfinals)
#1 Omaha (19-12) vs. Kansas City/Oral Roberts winner, 6 p.m.
#2 St. Thomas (22-9) vs. #7 Denver (11-20), 8:30 p.m.
March 7 (Quarterfinals)
#3 South Dakota State (20-11) vs. #6 North Dakota (11-20), 6 p.m.
#4 North Dakota State (21-10) vs. #5 South Dakota (18-13), 8:30 p.m.
Gophers Stat Leaders
Dawson Garcia (19.3 points per game), Garcia (7.5 rebounds per game), Femi Odukale (3.6 assists per game), Odukale (1.4 steals per game), Isaac Asuma (37.5% 3PFG), Odukale (1.2 blocks per game)
Tommies Stat Leaders
Miles Barnstable (14.7 points per game), Kendall Blue (4.5 rebounds per game), Drake Dobbs (3.6 assists per game), Nolan Minessale (1.1 steals per game), Ben Oosterbaan (46% 3PFG), Minessale (1.1 blocks per game)
NET Kings
#1 Auburn (27-2)
Kinda’ Bubble Cutline
#50 San Diego State (19-7)
Stuck in the Middle with You
#182 Omaha (17-12)
Bottom of the Barrel
#364 Mississippi Valley State (1-26)
Deep (College Hoops) Thoughts, by Buzz Studley
Seth Davis has an interesting definition of “elite.” And do not schools like Wisconsin, UConn, Michigan State, etc., also have cold weather climates? They seem to do OK, no?
I’m tired of the constant excuses why Minnesota can’t win.
Next Field of 68: late Wednesday evening, March 5
