Field of 68 Projection: Mountain West & Sun Belt Among Conferences Off To A Strong Start

SelectionSunday

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EDEN PRAIRIE, MN – Our weekly Field of 68 projection has hit the 5-week mark. Resumes are starting to take shape, and we’ll start having less fluctuation in the bracket – there are only 7 new teams this week -- as more conferences begin league play.

A few early-season conference trends stand out. The American and Atlantic 10 are stinking up the joint while, conversely, traditional one-bid conferences like Conference USA and the Sun Belt have multiple teams with strong NET rankings. In Conference USA that includes #11 FAU and #61 UAB. Topping that, the Sun Belt has three teams in the top 50, #21 Southern Miss, #38 Marshall, and #45 James Madison.

In addition, a special shoutout to the Mountain West, which is following up last season’s 4-bid NCAA Tournament (albeit after going 0-4 in the tourney) with a strong start to 2022-23. Currently the MWC has six teams among the top 52; Utah State (12); New Mexico (24); UNLV (36); Boise State (41); Nevada (48); and San Diego State (52).

Week 5 Team of the Week: #5 Alabama -- The Crimson Tide (8-1) went into the Fertitta Center and knocked off top-ranked and previously unbeaten Houston, 71-65. Add that to wins over Michigan State and North Carolina, and the Tide are on their way to building a strong tournament resume.

On to this week’s projection. As always, an * denotes the automatic qualifier (conference leader and/or best NET ranking) in a multiple-bid conference.

FIELD OF 68 PROJECTION (December 11, 2022)
America East (1): UMass-Lowell (50)

American (2): *Houston (2), Memphis (40)

ACC (5): Virginia (9), Duke (13), Virginia Tech (33), North Carolina (37), *Miami (53)

ASUN (1): Florida Gulf Coast (91)

Atlantic 10 (1): Saint Louis (89)

Big East (5): UConn (1), Xavier (39), Marquette (43), Creighton (44), *Saint John’s (70)

Big Sky (1): Montana State (112)

Big South (1): High Point (169)

Big Ten (10): *Purdue (3), Indiana (17), Maryland (19), Illinois (28), Rutgers (29), Ohio State (30), Iowa (31), Penn State (49), Michigan State (58), Wisconsin (64)

Big XII (6): *Kansas (7), West Virginia (8), Texas (10), Baylor (22), Iowa State (34), TCU (81)

Big West (1): UC-Irvine (63)

Colonial (1): College of Charleston (55)

Conference USA (2): FAU (11), *Middle Tennessee (85)

Horizon (1): Milwaukee (170)

Ivy (1): Yale (47)

MAAC (1): Iona (35)

MAC (1): Kent (32)

MEAC (1): NCCU (191)

Missouri Valley (1): Bradley (73)

Mountain West (4): *Utah State (12), New Mexico (24), UNLV (36), San Diego State (52)

NEC (1): Wagner (244)

OVC (1): SIU-Edwardsville (122)

Pac 12 (4): *UCLA (14), Arizona (16), Utah (20), Arizona State (26)

Patriot (1): American (113)

SEC (6): *Tennessee (4), Alabama (5), Mississippi State (6), Arkansas (25), Kentucky (27), Auburn (42)

SoCon (1): Chattanooga (131)

Southland (1): Northwestern State (116)

SWAC (1): Grambling (106)

Summit (1): Oral Roberts (62)

Sun Belt (1): Southern Miss (21)

WCC (2): *Saint Mary’s (15), Gonzaga (18)

WAC (1): Sam Houston (23)
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Last 4 In: North Carolina (37), Auburn (42), Penn State (49), San Diego State (52)

First 4 Out: Marshall (38), Boise State (41), Oklahoma (56). Kansas State (57)

8 to Watch: James Madison (45), Nevada (48), Butler (51), Oklahoma State (54), UAB (61), Indiana State (78), Texas Tech (82), Villanova (115)

Non-Power 6 At-Large Bids (6): FAU (11), Gonzaga (18), New Mexico (24), UNLV (36), Memphis (40), San Diego State (52)

In With the New (7): American, Chattanooga, High Point, Milwaukee, Montana State, Penn State, Saint John’s

Out With the Old (7): Cleveland State, Missouri, Navy, Portland State, Radford, Samford, Texas Tech
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The March for Minnesota (NET Rankings)
#125 Saint Thomas
#241 Minnesota
 




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