SelectionSunday
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I’m updating the “Field of 76” projection every first of the month until a final Oct. 31 preseason projection. The season starts Nov. 1 with a game in Rome (Notre Dame vs. Villanova).
Minnesota and St. Thomas are among those back in the field (for now), with the Gophers slotting as one of the "last 4 in" and the Tommies projecting as a #15 seed and the last automatic qualifier avoiding the Tuesday-Wednesday Opening Round. Marquette, Virginia Tech, and Doug Gottlieb's Green Bay squad are among newbies to the field.
There remain 10 conferences garnering multiple bids, but the American (adds South Florida) has replaced the WCC, which now includes only Santa Clara after Saint Mary's drops out. Also new to the projection is Virginia replacing Illinois in the Final Four to join mainstays Michigan State, Florida, and Texas.
An * denotes the automatic qualifier in a multiple-bid conference. Teams' place in the field (1 through 76) is determined by current Torvik (T-Rank) rankings.
FIELD OF 76 PROJECTION (7/1/26)
America East (1): Vermont (70)
American (2): *Wichita State (50), South Florida (54)
ACC (7): Duke (1), *Virginia (8), Louisville (10), Miami (24), Virginia Tech (31), NC State (33), SMU (41)
ASUN (1): Queens (75)
Atlantic 10 (2): VCU (42), *Saint Louis (49)
Big East (5): Saint John’s (11), *UConn (13), Villanova (25), Marquette (29), Providence (43)
Big Sky (1): Eastern Washington (69)
Big South (1): High Point (51)
Big Ten (12): Illinois (4), *Michigan State (7), Michigan (9), Nebraska (15), Ohio State (16), UCLA (21), Indiana (27), Purdue (28), USC (30), Iowa (38), Wisconsin (39), Minnesota (52)
Big XII (9): *Houston (3), Arizona (5), Kansas (12), Iowa State (18), Texas Tech (26), BYU (34), Cincinnati (35), TCU (40), Oklahoma State (46)
Big West (1): Utah Valley (59)
Coastal (1): UNC-Wilmington (58)
Conference USA (1): Liberty (61)
Horizon (1): Green Bay (68)
Ivy (1): Princeton (65)
Metro (1): Merrimack (67)
MAC (1): Toledo (60)
MEAC (1): Howard (74)
Missouri Valley (2): *UIC (56), Murray State (57)
Mountain West (2): *Grand Canyon (45), New Mexico (48)
NEC (1): Le Moyne (76)
OVC (1): Southeast Missouri State (73)
Pac 12 (2): *Gonzaga (6), Utah State (47)
Patriot (1): American (71)
SEC (11): *Florida (2), Texas (14), Tennessee (17), Alabama (19), Arkansas (20), Vanderbilt (22), Kentucky (23), Auburn (32), Missouri (36), Oklahoma (37), LSU (44)
SoCon (1): East Tennessee State (66)
Southland (1): McNeese (53)
SWAC (1): Bethune-Cookman (72)
Summit (1): St. Thomas (64)
Sun Belt (1): James Madison (63)
UAC (1): Tarleton State (62)
WCC (1): Santa Clara (55)
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Last 12 In (Opening Round): Cincinnati, LSU, New Mexico, Providence, South Florida, Utah State, VCU, Virginia Tech, (last 4) Minnesota, Murray State, Oklahoma State, SMU
First 4 Out: Colorado State, Creighton, Florida State, Maryland
12 to Watch: Baylor, Clemson, Dayton, DePaul, George Washington, Illinois State, Nevada, North Carolina, Saint Mary’s, Texas A&M, UC-Irvine, Xavier
Last 12 Automatic Qualifiers (Opening Round): Princeton (65), East Tennessee State (66), Merrimack (67), Green Bay (68), Eastern Washington (69), Vermont (70), American (71), Bethune-Cookman (72), Southeast Missouri State (73), Howard (74), Queens (75), Le Moyne (76)
Non-Power 5 At-Large Bids (5): Murray State, New Mexico, South Florida, Utah State, VCU
Multiple-Bid Conferences (10): Big Ten (12), SEC (11), Big XII (9), ACC (7), Big East (5), Missouri Valley (2), Mountain West (2), Pac 12 (2), American (2), Atlantic 10 (2)
Final Four Projection: Florida, Michigan State, Texas, Virginia
National Champion: Michigan State
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Summit League Projection
1 St. Thomas
2 North Dakota State
3 South Dakota State
4 Oral Roberts
5 South Dakota
6 Omaha
7 North Dakota
8 Kansas City
Minnesota and St. Thomas are among those back in the field (for now), with the Gophers slotting as one of the "last 4 in" and the Tommies projecting as a #15 seed and the last automatic qualifier avoiding the Tuesday-Wednesday Opening Round. Marquette, Virginia Tech, and Doug Gottlieb's Green Bay squad are among newbies to the field.
There remain 10 conferences garnering multiple bids, but the American (adds South Florida) has replaced the WCC, which now includes only Santa Clara after Saint Mary's drops out. Also new to the projection is Virginia replacing Illinois in the Final Four to join mainstays Michigan State, Florida, and Texas.
An * denotes the automatic qualifier in a multiple-bid conference. Teams' place in the field (1 through 76) is determined by current Torvik (T-Rank) rankings.
FIELD OF 76 PROJECTION (7/1/26)
America East (1): Vermont (70)
American (2): *Wichita State (50), South Florida (54)
ACC (7): Duke (1), *Virginia (8), Louisville (10), Miami (24), Virginia Tech (31), NC State (33), SMU (41)
ASUN (1): Queens (75)
Atlantic 10 (2): VCU (42), *Saint Louis (49)
Big East (5): Saint John’s (11), *UConn (13), Villanova (25), Marquette (29), Providence (43)
Big Sky (1): Eastern Washington (69)
Big South (1): High Point (51)
Big Ten (12): Illinois (4), *Michigan State (7), Michigan (9), Nebraska (15), Ohio State (16), UCLA (21), Indiana (27), Purdue (28), USC (30), Iowa (38), Wisconsin (39), Minnesota (52)
Big XII (9): *Houston (3), Arizona (5), Kansas (12), Iowa State (18), Texas Tech (26), BYU (34), Cincinnati (35), TCU (40), Oklahoma State (46)
Big West (1): Utah Valley (59)
Coastal (1): UNC-Wilmington (58)
Conference USA (1): Liberty (61)
Horizon (1): Green Bay (68)
Ivy (1): Princeton (65)
Metro (1): Merrimack (67)
MAC (1): Toledo (60)
MEAC (1): Howard (74)
Missouri Valley (2): *UIC (56), Murray State (57)
Mountain West (2): *Grand Canyon (45), New Mexico (48)
NEC (1): Le Moyne (76)
OVC (1): Southeast Missouri State (73)
Pac 12 (2): *Gonzaga (6), Utah State (47)
Patriot (1): American (71)
SEC (11): *Florida (2), Texas (14), Tennessee (17), Alabama (19), Arkansas (20), Vanderbilt (22), Kentucky (23), Auburn (32), Missouri (36), Oklahoma (37), LSU (44)
SoCon (1): East Tennessee State (66)
Southland (1): McNeese (53)
SWAC (1): Bethune-Cookman (72)
Summit (1): St. Thomas (64)
Sun Belt (1): James Madison (63)
UAC (1): Tarleton State (62)
WCC (1): Santa Clara (55)
--------------------------------
Last 12 In (Opening Round): Cincinnati, LSU, New Mexico, Providence, South Florida, Utah State, VCU, Virginia Tech, (last 4) Minnesota, Murray State, Oklahoma State, SMU
First 4 Out: Colorado State, Creighton, Florida State, Maryland
12 to Watch: Baylor, Clemson, Dayton, DePaul, George Washington, Illinois State, Nevada, North Carolina, Saint Mary’s, Texas A&M, UC-Irvine, Xavier
Last 12 Automatic Qualifiers (Opening Round): Princeton (65), East Tennessee State (66), Merrimack (67), Green Bay (68), Eastern Washington (69), Vermont (70), American (71), Bethune-Cookman (72), Southeast Missouri State (73), Howard (74), Queens (75), Le Moyne (76)
Non-Power 5 At-Large Bids (5): Murray State, New Mexico, South Florida, Utah State, VCU
Multiple-Bid Conferences (10): Big Ten (12), SEC (11), Big XII (9), ACC (7), Big East (5), Missouri Valley (2), Mountain West (2), Pac 12 (2), American (2), Atlantic 10 (2)
Final Four Projection: Florida, Michigan State, Texas, Virginia
National Champion: Michigan State
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Summit League Projection
1 St. Thomas
2 North Dakota State
3 South Dakota State
4 Oral Roberts
5 South Dakota
6 Omaha
7 North Dakota
8 Kansas City