Field of 68 Projection: Big Ten and Big XII Hogging the Tournament Bids

[SelectionSunday]

EDEN PRAIRIE, MN – Our final Field of 68 projection before Christmas finds the Big Ten and Big XII hogging over 25% of the NCAA Tournament field. The Big Ten leads the way with 10 bids (same as last week), while the Big XII picked up a pair of additional bids (Kansas State, Oklahoma) to get to 8.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Big East dropped to 3 bids with stumbling Creighton (losers of 6 straight) and Saint John’s among those falling out of the field after Week 6.

An * denotes the automatic qualifier (conference leader and/or best NET ranking) in a multiple-bid conference. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everyone, and we’ll see you the day after Christmas with our next projection.

Week 6 Team of the Week: #5 UCLA -- The future Big Ten member Bruins (10-2, 2-0 Pac 12) throttled future conference foe Maryland 87-60 in College Park before beating Kentucky 63-53 at Madison Square Garden as part of the CBS Sports Classic.

FIELD OF 68 PROJECTION (December 18, 2022)
America East (1): UMass-Lowell (76)

American (2): *Houston (2), Memphis (42)

ACC (5): Duke (12), Virginia (17), Virginia Tech (20), North Carolina (27), *Miami (59)

ASUN (1): Florida Gulf Coast (77)

Atlantic 10 (1): Saint Louis (87)

Big East (3): *UConn (1), Marquette (28), Xavier (37)

Big Sky (1): Montana State (115)

Big South (1): Longwood (150)

Big Ten (10): *Purdue (3), Indiana (23), Ohio State (29), Illinois (30), Iowa (31), Maryland (34), Rutgers (41), Wisconsin (43), Penn State (50), Michigan State (62)

Big XII (8): *Kansas (6), West Virginia (9), Texas (15), Baylor (19), Iowa State (26), Kansas State (40), Oklahoma (56), TCU (84)

Big West (1): UC-Irvine (70)

Colonial (1): College of Charleston (55)

Conference USA (1): FAU (13)

Horizon (1): Milwaukee (176)

Ivy (1): Yale (46)

MAAC (1): Iona (38)

MAC (1): Kent (33)

MEAC (1): NCCU (189)

Missouri Valley (1): Bradley (78)

Mountain West (5): *Utah State (10), New Mexico (21), Boise State (36), San Diego State (39), UNLV (58)

NEC (1): Wagner (262)

OVC (1): SIU-Edwardsville (121)

Pac 12 (4): *UCLA (5), Arizona (8), Arizona State (25), Utah (32)

Patriot (1): Navy (124)

SEC (6): *Tennessee (4), Alabama (7), Mississippi State (16), Arkansas (18), Kentucky (35), Auburn (48)

SoCon (1): Chattanooga (100)

Southland (1): Nicholls (215)

SWAC (1): Grambling (131)

Summit (1): Oral Roberts (71)

Sun Belt (1): Southern Miss (24)

WCC (2): *Saint Mary’s (11), Gonzaga (14)

WAC (1): Sam Houston (22)
_______________________________
Last 4 In: Rutgers (41), Auburn (48), Oklahoma (57), UNLV (58)

First 4 Out: NC State (49), James Madison (51), Saint John’s (73), LSU (81)

8 to Watch: Colorado (44), Oklahoma State (45), Creighton (47), North Texas (52), Florida (53), Nevada (57), Charlotte (64), UCF (65)

Non-Power 6 At-Large Bids (6): Gonzaga (14), New Mexico (21), Boise State (36), San Diego State (39), Memphis (42), UNLV (58)
_______________________________________
In With the New (6): Boise State, Kansas State, Longwood, Navy, Nicholls, Oklahoma

Out With the Old (6): American, Creighton, High Point, Middle Tennessee, Northwestern State, Saint John’s
_________________________
RECORD vs. TEAMS IN THE FIELD
Purdue (5-0) – best NET win vs. #9 West Virginia
Mississippi State (3-0) – best NET win vs. #28 Marquette
Arkansas (3-0) – best NET win vs. #39 San Diego State
UConn (2-0) – best NET win vs. #7 Alabama
Sam Houston (2-0) – best NET win @ #32 Utah
Utah State (2-0) – best NET win #71 ORU
New Mexico (1-0) – best NET win @ #11 Saint Mary’s
TCU (1-0) – best NET win vs. #31 Iowa
Arizona State (1-0) – best NET win @ #44 Colorado
Boise State (1-0) – best NET win vs. #44 Colorado
FAU (1-0) – best NET win @ #53 Florida
Iona (1-0) – best NET win #87 Saint Louis
Arizona (4-1) - -best NET win #4 Tennessee
Houston (4-1) – best NET win vs. #11 Saint Mary’s
Tennessee (3-1) – best NET win vs. #6 Kansas
Kansas (3-1) – best NET win vs. #12 Duke
Virginia (3-1) – best NET win vs. #19 Baylor
College of Charleston (3-1) – best NET win vs. #20 Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech (3-1) – best NET win #27 North Carolina
Wisconsin (3-1) - -best NET win @ #28 Marquette
Alabama (5-2) – best NET win @ #2 Houston
Auburn (2-1) – best NET win vs. #61 Northwestern
Gonzaga (5-3) – best NET win vs. #7 Alabama
Duke (3-2) – best NET win #29 Ohio State
Baylor (2-2) – best NET win vs. #5 UCLA
Texas (1-1) – best NET win #14 Gonzaga
Rutgers (2-2) – best NET win #23 Indiana
Iowa State (2-2) – best NET win vs. #27 North Carolina
Maryland (3-3) – best NET win #30 Illinois
UCLA (2-2) – best NET win @ #34 Maryland
Michigan State (2-2) – best NET win vs. #35 Kentucky
Saint Mary’s (2-2) – best NET win vs. #39 San Diego State
Miami (1-1) – best NET win #41 Rutgers
UC-Irvine (1-1) – best NET win @ #54 Oregon
SIU-Edwardsville (1-1) – best NET win #89 Troy
Chattanooga (1-1) – best NET win @ #110 Middle Tennessee
Illinois (2-3) – best NET win vs. #5 UCLA
Marquette (2-3) – best NET win #19 Baylor
Indiana (2-3) – best NET win #27 North Carolina
San Diego State (2-3) – best NET win vs. #29 Ohio State
Utah (1-2) – best win #8 Arizona
North Carolina (2-4) – best NET win vs. #29 Ohio State
Penn State (1-2) – best NET win @ #30 Illinois
Memphis (1-2) -- best NET win vs. #48 Auburn
West Virginia (1-2) – best NET win vs. #53 Florida
Xavier (1-3) – best NET win #9 West Virginia
Iowa (1-3) – best NET win #26 Iowa State
Ohio State (1-3) – best NET win #41 Rutgers
Kentucky (1-3) – best NET win #46 Yale
Bradley (1-3) – best NET win @ #121 SIU-Edwardsville
Saint Louis (1-4) – best NET win #42 Memphis
Kansas State (0-0)
Montana State (0-0)
Southern Miss (0-0)
UNLV (0-0)
Wagner (0-0)
Navy (0-1)
UMass-Lowell (0-1)
Yale (0-1)
Florida Gulf Coast (0-2)
Grambling (0-2)
Longwood (0-2)
NCCU (0-2)
Oklahoma (0-2)
Kent (0-3)
Milwaukee (0-3)
Nicholls (0-3)
Oral Roberts (0-3)

NEXT PROJECTION: Monday, December 26

 

[MennoSota]

Meh. What we know is that the B1G will not be winning the Dance. Does it really matter who gets in?

 

[SelectionSunday]

I suppose that depends on which team(s) you support or follow.

It certainly matters how many get in. The more Big Ten teams that make it, and the more games those teams win in the tournament, the more Big Ten tournament money there is to divvy up among the 14 schools.

Personally, I'd like to see the Gophers contribute to the Big Ten's tournament booty way more often than they currently do.

 

[Wet_Blanket_Guy]

New Mexico, Penn State, Utah … some 2nd year coaches making the tourney - impossible!

Didn’t even mention the likes of Mississippi st - new coach and an entirely new roster

 

[bleedsmaroonandgold]

New Mexico, Penn State, Utah … some 2nd year coaches making the tourney - impossible!

Didn’t even mention the likes of Mississippi st - new coach and an entirely new roster

They should be more focused on recruiting rankings than winning games. If they go on a run, they should decline the banner and instead hang a poster showing how highly-rated their recruiting classes are.

 

[Johnnyboy18]

New Mexico, Penn State, Utah … some 2nd year coaches making the tourney - impossible!

Didn’t even mention the likes of Mississippi st - new coach and an entirely new roster

Welcome to the Field of 68 Projection, Minnesota Gophers

NORTHWOOD, IOWA -- Fresh off its third straight true road win, this one over Michigan in Ann Arbor, my fourth in-season Field of 68 projection welcomes the Minnesota Golden Gophers and 14 other new teams to our tournament field. This is our first projection using the NCAA’s NET rankings, which...

gopherhole.com

1st year coach Ben Johnson making the tourney - impossible. Tournament field in December means nothing.

 

[Gophers7633]

Welcome to the Field of 68 Projection, Minnesota Gophers

NORTHWOOD, IOWA -- Fresh off its third straight true road win, this one over Michigan in Ann Arbor, my fourth in-season Field of 68 projection welcomes the Minnesota Golden Gophers and 14 other new teams to our tournament field. This is our first projection using the NCAA’s NET rankings, which...

gopherhole.com

1st year coach Ben Johnson making the tourney - impossible. Tournament field in December means nothing.

Ben Johnson is 3-21 against P5 teams since this thread last year, beyond awful. My guess is that's 3-40 by the end of the year, unfortunately.

 

[Gophers7633]

As far as the OP, a couple things I'm looking ahead to: Can CofC, FAU, Southern Miss, Fordham, Kent State and Sam Houston State play themselves into at large consideration? I'd say CofC, FAU and Sam Houston State have the best chance. CofC only with the one loss, FAU only with the one loss and 1-1 in Q1 and SHSU, only with 2 losses and is 2-2 in Q1. None of them have losses outside Q1.

Also, sneaky good game Thursday, with Southern Miss playing at UNLV.

 

[SelectionSunday]

Welcome to the Field of 68 Projection, Minnesota Gophers

NORTHWOOD, IOWA -- Fresh off its third straight true road win, this one over Michigan in Ann Arbor, my fourth in-season Field of 68 projection welcomes the Minnesota Golden Gophers and 14 other new teams to our tournament field. This is our first projection using the NCAA’s NET rankings, which...

gopherhole.com

1st year coach Ben Johnson making the tourney - impossible. Tournament field in December means nothing.

No argument here. It’s all about the rhythm of a season. The one that matters is mid-March.

 

[SelectionSunday]

Some at-large teams in my current projection that are lucky to be there (translation: don’t really have much on their resume yet):

Auburn
Boise State
Kentucky
Memphis
Oklahoma
UNLV

 

[howeda7]

Welcome to the Field of 68 Projection, Minnesota Gophers

NORTHWOOD, IOWA -- Fresh off its third straight true road win, this one over Michigan in Ann Arbor, my fourth in-season Field of 68 projection welcomes the Minnesota Golden Gophers and 14 other new teams to our tournament field. This is our first projection using the NCAA’s NET rankings, which...

gopherhole.com

1st year coach Ben Johnson making the tourney - impossible. Tournament field in December means nothing.

Those were the days. How long will that Michigan game stay the peak of Ben's tenure?