SelectionSunday
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THE ROAD TO INDIANAPOLIS – It’s hard to believe we’re only a month & change away from another college basketball season, likely the final one culminating with a 68-team bracket. By all accounts it appears we’re headed for a 72- or 76-team field starting with the 2026-27 season (sigh), but we can talk about that next offseason.
You can track our (final) weekly “Field of 68” projections right here on the “St. Thomas Basketball & Summit League” forum. Same stuff as previously when in the “Golden Gopher Basketball” forum, but now in a new location. To mix things up a bit, this season I’ll use Bart Torvik (T-Rank) team rankings in the weekly projections.
We start with my final Preseason Field of 68 projection, highlighted by a combined 21 bids for the Big Ten (11) and SEC (10). An * denotes the projected automatic qualifier in a multiple-bid conference, while a team’s current T-Rank is noted in parentheses.
Soon it will be time to set aside all the NIL, pay-for-play, and schools begging fans for more money nonsense and turn our attention back to actual ACTION ON THE COURT. As always enjoy the journey!
FIELD OF 68 PROJECTION (9/24/25)
America East (1): Vermont (183)
American (2): *USF (65), Memphis (69)
ACC (5): *Duke (2), Louisville (11), North Carolina (18), NC State (39), SMU (46)
ASUN (1): Queens (246)
Atlantic 10 (2): VCU (51), *Loyola-Chicago (90)
Big East (4): *Saint John’s (8), UConn (10), Creighton (23), Marquette (53)
Big Sky (1): Idaho (181)
Big South (1): Winthrop (182)
Big Ten (11): Michigan (3), *Purdue (4), Illinois (7), UCLA (9), Ohio State (19), Michigan State (22), USC (25), Wisconsin (29), Oregon (30), Iowa (38), Nebraska (44)
Big XII (7): *Houston (1), BYU (6), Arizona (12), Iowa State (15), Kansas (17), Texas Tech (27), Baylor (34)
Big West (1): UC-Irvine (94)
Coastal (1): Towson (134)
Conference USA (1): Liberty (81)
Horizon (1): Wright State (210)
Ivy (1): Yale (92)
MAAC (1): Siena (168)
MAC (1): Miami-Ohio (108)
MEAC (1): Norfolk State (298)
Missouri Valley (1): Illinois State (99)
Mountain West (2): *Boise State (48), Utah State (64)
NEC (1): LIU (272)
OVC (1): Southeast Missouri State (166)
Patriot (1): Navy (205)
SEC (10): Florida (5), *Tennessee (13), Kentucky (14), Arkansas (16), Alabama (20), Vanderbilt (21), Auburn (26), Missouri (28), Oklahoma (31), Texas (36)
SoCon (1): East Tennessee State (178)
Southland (1): McNeese (104)
SWAC (1): Jackson State (185)
Summit (1): St. Thomas (130)
Sun Belt (1): James Madison (139)
WCC (3): *Gonzaga (24), Saint Mary’s (54), San Francisco (59)
WAC (1): Utah Valley (121)
Last 4 In: Nebraska (44), SMU (46), VCU (51), Marquette (53)
Last 4 Automatic Qualifiers: Wright State (210), Queens (246), LIU (272), Norfolk State (298)
First 4 Out: Virginia (35), Ole Miss (43), San Diego State (45), Notre Dame (66)
A Dozen to Watch: Cincinnati (32), Georgia (33), Texas A&M (37), Mississippi State (40), Maryland (41), Indiana (42), Villanova (50), Clemson (52), Providence (58), George Washington (60), Grand Canyon (78), Saint Louis (80)
Non-Power 5 At-Large Bids (5): VCU (51), Saint Mary’s (54), San Francisco (59), Utah State (64), Memphis (69)
Multiple-Bid Conferences (9): Big Ten (11), SEC (10), Big XII (7), ACC (5), Big East (4), WCC (3), American (2), Atlantic 10 (2), Mountain West (2)
NCAA Tournament Eligible for the First Time: East Texas A&M (Southland), Lindenwood (OVC), Queens (ASUN), St. Thomas (Summit), Southern Indiana (OVC), Stonehill (NEC)
Ineligible for NCAA Tournament/In Transition to Division 1: Le Moyne (NEC), Mercyhurst (NEC), West Georgia (ASUN), New Haven (NEC)
__________________________________
National Coach of the Year: Rick Pitino (Saint John’s)
Big Ten Coach of the Year: Matt Painter (Purdue)
Summit League Coach of the Year: Johnny Tauer (St. Thomas)
National Player of the Year: Braden Smith (Purdue)
Big Ten Player of the Year: Braden Smith (Purdue)
Summit League Co-Players of the Year: Kalen Garry (South Dakota State), Nolan Minessale (St. Thomas)
Sweet 16 Sleepers: Iowa, NC State, San Francisco, Vanderbilt
Destined for Disappointment: Cincinnati, Georgia, Indiana, San Diego State
Mid-Major Team of the Year (excludes Power 5, American, A-10, Mountain West, WCC): Illinois State
Final 4: Houston, Michigan, Purdue, Saint John’s
National Champion: Purdue
NIT Champion: Saint Louis
Next Field of 68 Projection: Monday, November 10
You can track our (final) weekly “Field of 68” projections right here on the “St. Thomas Basketball & Summit League” forum. Same stuff as previously when in the “Golden Gopher Basketball” forum, but now in a new location. To mix things up a bit, this season I’ll use Bart Torvik (T-Rank) team rankings in the weekly projections.
We start with my final Preseason Field of 68 projection, highlighted by a combined 21 bids for the Big Ten (11) and SEC (10). An * denotes the projected automatic qualifier in a multiple-bid conference, while a team’s current T-Rank is noted in parentheses.
Soon it will be time to set aside all the NIL, pay-for-play, and schools begging fans for more money nonsense and turn our attention back to actual ACTION ON THE COURT. As always enjoy the journey!
FIELD OF 68 PROJECTION (9/24/25)
America East (1): Vermont (183)
American (2): *USF (65), Memphis (69)
ACC (5): *Duke (2), Louisville (11), North Carolina (18), NC State (39), SMU (46)
ASUN (1): Queens (246)
Atlantic 10 (2): VCU (51), *Loyola-Chicago (90)
Big East (4): *Saint John’s (8), UConn (10), Creighton (23), Marquette (53)
Big Sky (1): Idaho (181)
Big South (1): Winthrop (182)
Big Ten (11): Michigan (3), *Purdue (4), Illinois (7), UCLA (9), Ohio State (19), Michigan State (22), USC (25), Wisconsin (29), Oregon (30), Iowa (38), Nebraska (44)
Big XII (7): *Houston (1), BYU (6), Arizona (12), Iowa State (15), Kansas (17), Texas Tech (27), Baylor (34)
Big West (1): UC-Irvine (94)
Coastal (1): Towson (134)
Conference USA (1): Liberty (81)
Horizon (1): Wright State (210)
Ivy (1): Yale (92)
MAAC (1): Siena (168)
MAC (1): Miami-Ohio (108)
MEAC (1): Norfolk State (298)
Missouri Valley (1): Illinois State (99)
Mountain West (2): *Boise State (48), Utah State (64)
NEC (1): LIU (272)
OVC (1): Southeast Missouri State (166)
Patriot (1): Navy (205)
SEC (10): Florida (5), *Tennessee (13), Kentucky (14), Arkansas (16), Alabama (20), Vanderbilt (21), Auburn (26), Missouri (28), Oklahoma (31), Texas (36)
SoCon (1): East Tennessee State (178)
Southland (1): McNeese (104)
SWAC (1): Jackson State (185)
Summit (1): St. Thomas (130)
Sun Belt (1): James Madison (139)
WCC (3): *Gonzaga (24), Saint Mary’s (54), San Francisco (59)
WAC (1): Utah Valley (121)
Last 4 In: Nebraska (44), SMU (46), VCU (51), Marquette (53)
Last 4 Automatic Qualifiers: Wright State (210), Queens (246), LIU (272), Norfolk State (298)
First 4 Out: Virginia (35), Ole Miss (43), San Diego State (45), Notre Dame (66)
A Dozen to Watch: Cincinnati (32), Georgia (33), Texas A&M (37), Mississippi State (40), Maryland (41), Indiana (42), Villanova (50), Clemson (52), Providence (58), George Washington (60), Grand Canyon (78), Saint Louis (80)
Non-Power 5 At-Large Bids (5): VCU (51), Saint Mary’s (54), San Francisco (59), Utah State (64), Memphis (69)
Multiple-Bid Conferences (9): Big Ten (11), SEC (10), Big XII (7), ACC (5), Big East (4), WCC (3), American (2), Atlantic 10 (2), Mountain West (2)
NCAA Tournament Eligible for the First Time: East Texas A&M (Southland), Lindenwood (OVC), Queens (ASUN), St. Thomas (Summit), Southern Indiana (OVC), Stonehill (NEC)
Ineligible for NCAA Tournament/In Transition to Division 1: Le Moyne (NEC), Mercyhurst (NEC), West Georgia (ASUN), New Haven (NEC)
__________________________________
National Coach of the Year: Rick Pitino (Saint John’s)
Big Ten Coach of the Year: Matt Painter (Purdue)
Summit League Coach of the Year: Johnny Tauer (St. Thomas)
National Player of the Year: Braden Smith (Purdue)
Big Ten Player of the Year: Braden Smith (Purdue)
Summit League Co-Players of the Year: Kalen Garry (South Dakota State), Nolan Minessale (St. Thomas)
Sweet 16 Sleepers: Iowa, NC State, San Francisco, Vanderbilt
Destined for Disappointment: Cincinnati, Georgia, Indiana, San Diego State
Mid-Major Team of the Year (excludes Power 5, American, A-10, Mountain West, WCC): Illinois State
Final 4: Houston, Michigan, Purdue, Saint John’s
National Champion: Purdue
NIT Champion: Saint Louis
Next Field of 68 Projection: Monday, November 10