SelectionSunday
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ROAD TO SELECTION SUNDAY, MN -- Week 6 of the college basketball season brings us six new at-large selections to the bracket: Arizona State, Colorado State, Georgia, Ohio State, Virginia Tech, and Wisconsin. Among the new automatic qualifiers are first-timers Lipscomb (ASUN), Lindenwood (OVC), Marshall (Sun Belt), Sam Houston (Conference USA), and Stephen F. Austin (Southland).
One thing we’ll track throughout the season is non-Power 5 at-large selections. Last year the Selection Committee put four into the field (New Mexico, Saint Mary’s, San Diego State, Utah State), and I would expect that number to be about the same in 2025-26. Currently (see projection below) we have three.
There is a ray of hope for the non-Power 5 to get more at-large bids this season. All early indications suggest the SEC is way down from last season when it received a record 14 tournament bids. Book it, the SEC will not reach 14 this season. But the question is, can non-Power 5 conferences like the American, Atlantic 10, Mountain West, and WCC keep some of those bids away from the Big XII, Big Ten, and ACC? All three conferences are having better seasons in non-conference play than they did last season.
Automatic qualifiers in multiple-bid conferences (noted with an *) hold the best conference record or, in the event of a tie, best NET ranking (noted in parentheses).
FIELD OF 68 PROJECTION (12/8/25)
America East (1): Vermont (177)
American (1): Tulsa (48)
ACC (8): *Duke (2), Louisville (12), North Carolina (14), Virginia (17), Clemson (26), SMU (29), NC State (42), Virginia Tech (54)
ASUN (1): Lipscomb (105)
Atlantic 10 (2): *Saint Louis (30), VCU (47)
Big East (4): *UConn (7), Saint John’s (21), Butler (41), Seton Hall (43)
Big Sky (1): Northern Colorado (120)
Big South (1): High Point (93)
Big Ten (10): Michigan (1), Purdue (9), Michigan State (10), Illinois (13), Nebraska (24), Iowa (28), USC (36), Ohio State (44), *UCLA (50), Wisconsin (55)
Big XII (10): *Iowa State (3), Arizona (6), BYU (8), Kansas (18), Houston (19), Texas Tech (20), Colorado (45), Oklahoma State (52), Baylor (75), Arizona State (77)
Big West (1): Hawaii (113)
Coastal (1): William & Mary (65)
Conference USA (1): Sam Houston (74)
Horizon (1): Youngstown State (154)
Ivy (1): Yale (37)
MAAC (1): Siena (130)
MAC (1): Akron (40)
MEAC (1): Norfolk State (203)
Missouri Valley (1): Belmont (51)
Mountain West (2): *Utah State (27), Colorado State (53)
NEC (1): LIU (189)
OVC (1): Lindenwood (181)
Patriot (1): Colgate (147)
SEC (7): *Vanderbilt (5), Alabama (11), Georgia (16), Florida (22), Arkansas (23), Tennessee (33), Auburn (34)
SoCon (1): East Tennessee State (90)
Southland (1): Stephen F. Austin (116)
SWAC (1): Alabama State (236)
Summit (1): St. Thomas (144)
Sun Belt (1): Marshall (134)
WCC (2): *Gonzaga (4), Saint Mary’s (15)
WAC (1): Utah Valley (62)
---------------------------------
Last 4 In: Butler (41), Ohio State (44), Colorado State (53), Baylor (75)
First 4 Out: Miami-Florida (25), UCF (38), Santa Clara (57), Notre Dame (69)
Last 4 Automatic Qualifiers: Vermont (177), LIU (189), Norfolk State (203), Alabama State (236)
8 to Watch: Indiana (32), Villanova (35), George Washington (46), Boise State (49), Cal (59), TCU (67), Washington (68), Oklahoma (78)
Non-Power 5 At-Large Bids (3): Saint Mary’s (15), VCU (47), Colorado State (53)
Multiple-Bid Conferences (8): Big Ten (10), Big XII (10), ACC (8), SEC (7), Big East (4), Atlantic 10 (2), Mountain West (2), WCC (2)
Movin On ‘In (18): Arizona State, Colorado State, East Tennessee State, Georgia, Hawaii, Lipscomb, Lindenwood, LIU, Marshall, Ohio State, Sam Houston, Siena, Stephen F. Austin, UCLA, Utah Valley, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin, Youngstown State
Droppin’ Out (18): Austin Peay, Cal Baptist, Central Connecticut, George Mason, Indiana, Kansas State, Kentucky, McNeese, Mercer, Missouri, New Mexico State, Oakland, Quinnipiac, Santa Clara, South Alabama, Tennessee State, TCU, UC-San Diego
Next Field of 68 Projection: Monday, December 15
One thing we’ll track throughout the season is non-Power 5 at-large selections. Last year the Selection Committee put four into the field (New Mexico, Saint Mary’s, San Diego State, Utah State), and I would expect that number to be about the same in 2025-26. Currently (see projection below) we have three.
There is a ray of hope for the non-Power 5 to get more at-large bids this season. All early indications suggest the SEC is way down from last season when it received a record 14 tournament bids. Book it, the SEC will not reach 14 this season. But the question is, can non-Power 5 conferences like the American, Atlantic 10, Mountain West, and WCC keep some of those bids away from the Big XII, Big Ten, and ACC? All three conferences are having better seasons in non-conference play than they did last season.
Automatic qualifiers in multiple-bid conferences (noted with an *) hold the best conference record or, in the event of a tie, best NET ranking (noted in parentheses).
FIELD OF 68 PROJECTION (12/8/25)
America East (1): Vermont (177)
American (1): Tulsa (48)
ACC (8): *Duke (2), Louisville (12), North Carolina (14), Virginia (17), Clemson (26), SMU (29), NC State (42), Virginia Tech (54)
ASUN (1): Lipscomb (105)
Atlantic 10 (2): *Saint Louis (30), VCU (47)
Big East (4): *UConn (7), Saint John’s (21), Butler (41), Seton Hall (43)
Big Sky (1): Northern Colorado (120)
Big South (1): High Point (93)
Big Ten (10): Michigan (1), Purdue (9), Michigan State (10), Illinois (13), Nebraska (24), Iowa (28), USC (36), Ohio State (44), *UCLA (50), Wisconsin (55)
Big XII (10): *Iowa State (3), Arizona (6), BYU (8), Kansas (18), Houston (19), Texas Tech (20), Colorado (45), Oklahoma State (52), Baylor (75), Arizona State (77)
Big West (1): Hawaii (113)
Coastal (1): William & Mary (65)
Conference USA (1): Sam Houston (74)
Horizon (1): Youngstown State (154)
Ivy (1): Yale (37)
MAAC (1): Siena (130)
MAC (1): Akron (40)
MEAC (1): Norfolk State (203)
Missouri Valley (1): Belmont (51)
Mountain West (2): *Utah State (27), Colorado State (53)
NEC (1): LIU (189)
OVC (1): Lindenwood (181)
Patriot (1): Colgate (147)
SEC (7): *Vanderbilt (5), Alabama (11), Georgia (16), Florida (22), Arkansas (23), Tennessee (33), Auburn (34)
SoCon (1): East Tennessee State (90)
Southland (1): Stephen F. Austin (116)
SWAC (1): Alabama State (236)
Summit (1): St. Thomas (144)
Sun Belt (1): Marshall (134)
WCC (2): *Gonzaga (4), Saint Mary’s (15)
WAC (1): Utah Valley (62)
---------------------------------
Last 4 In: Butler (41), Ohio State (44), Colorado State (53), Baylor (75)
First 4 Out: Miami-Florida (25), UCF (38), Santa Clara (57), Notre Dame (69)
Last 4 Automatic Qualifiers: Vermont (177), LIU (189), Norfolk State (203), Alabama State (236)
8 to Watch: Indiana (32), Villanova (35), George Washington (46), Boise State (49), Cal (59), TCU (67), Washington (68), Oklahoma (78)
Non-Power 5 At-Large Bids (3): Saint Mary’s (15), VCU (47), Colorado State (53)
Multiple-Bid Conferences (8): Big Ten (10), Big XII (10), ACC (8), SEC (7), Big East (4), Atlantic 10 (2), Mountain West (2), WCC (2)
Movin On ‘In (18): Arizona State, Colorado State, East Tennessee State, Georgia, Hawaii, Lipscomb, Lindenwood, LIU, Marshall, Ohio State, Sam Houston, Siena, Stephen F. Austin, UCLA, Utah Valley, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin, Youngstown State
Droppin’ Out (18): Austin Peay, Cal Baptist, Central Connecticut, George Mason, Indiana, Kansas State, Kentucky, McNeese, Mercer, Missouri, New Mexico State, Oakland, Quinnipiac, Santa Clara, South Alabama, Tennessee State, TCU, UC-San Diego
Next Field of 68 Projection: Monday, December 15