Wait right there! Before you scroll down to glaze over the bracket and feel immense sadness, I want to offer this as a glimmer of hope.
Nearly 10 of the top coaches in college basketball have spoken and are on board with the following idea, source told me.
– Selection Sunday on as planned.
– Postpone the NCAA Tournament and continue to monitor the situation.
“We all talked, and agree on this,” once told me.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 12, 2020
For those who don’t know, Goodman’s reach is enormous. He has 261,900+ Twitter followers. The tournament was canceled, not suspended and not delayed. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be uncancelled if things level off as they have in China. After all, logistics aren’t much of an issue considering there are tens of thousands of empty gyms across America. The games don’t need to be played in their pre-assigned venues since no one would be attending, and the players don’t need to travel by plane if timing is no longer an issue.
After all, it seems likely that the vast majority of Americans will be holed up in their homes for the foreseeable future so what a treat it would be if the biggest spring sporting event could still happen. Is it likely? No. Is it possible? Yes. What does it hurt then to dream on what could be? Before we get into the auto-bids, locks, near locks, bubble teams and longshots, let’s look at the teams who have already clinched auto-bids and those who were still in the middle of their conference tournaments and were the highest seed remaining. They would almost certainly be given their conference’s auto-bid rather than each of these conferences playing out the remainder of their tournaments.
Auto-Bids Already Clinched
- Gonzaga (31-2)
- East Tennessee State (30-4)
- Utah State (26-8)
- Liberty (30-4)
- Belmont (26-7)
- Bradley (23-11)
- North Dakota State (24-8)
- Northern Kentucky (23-9)
- Hofstra (26-8)
- Winthrop (24-10)
- Boston University (21-13)
- Robert Morris (20-14)
Auto-Bids Implied
- Kansas (28-3)
- Dayton (29-2)
- Florida St (26-5)
- Oregon (24-7)
- Creighton (24-7)
- Kentucky (25-6)
- Wisconsin (21-10)
- Cincinnati (20-10)
- Akron (24-7)
- Yale (23-7)
- Vermont (26-7)
- N Mex State (25-6)
- North Texas (20-11)
- UC Irvine (21-11)
- Ste F Austin (28-3)
- E Washington (23-8)
- AR Lit Rock (21-10)
- Siena (20-10)
- Prairie View (19-13)
- NC Central (18-13)
If the tournament ends up happening somehow, remember our friends at TeamRankings, who always have the best info come tournament time. I live on that site from Selection Sunday until tip-off. They’ve got all kinds of discounts on their bracket picks and analysis going on before Selection Sunday.
Locks to dance
1 Seeds
- Kansas (28-3) – implied auto-bid
- Gonzaga (31-2) – auto-bid
- Baylor (26-4)
- Dayton (29-2) – implied auto-bid
2 Seeds
- Florida St (26-5) – implied auto-bid
- Duke (25-6)
- Villanova (24-7)
- Creighton (24-7) – implied auto-bid
3 Seeds
- San Diego St (30-2)
- Kentucky (25-6) – implied auto-bid
- Michigan St (22-9)
- Oregon (24-7) – implied auto-bid
4 Seeds
- Maryland (24-7)
- Wisconsin (21-10) – implied auto-bid
- Seton Hall (21-9)
- Louisville (24-7)
5 Seeds
- Ohio State (21-10)
- Auburn (25-6)
- BYU (24-8)
- Virginia (23-7)
6 Seeds
- Providence (19-12)
- Butler (22-9)
- W Virginia (21-10)
- Penn State (21-10)
7 Seeds
- Houston (23-8)
- Iowa (20-11)
- Michigan (19-12)
- Arizona (21-11)
8 Seeds
- Illinois (21-10)
- LSU (21-10)
- Florida (19-12)
- Marquette (18-12)
At-Large Bubble (Most likely in)
9 Seeds
- E Tenn St (30-4) – auto-bid
- Rutgers (20-11)
- Cincinnati (20-10) – implied auto-bid
- St Mary’s (26-8)
10 Seeds
- Colorado (21-11)
- Utah State (26-8)
- Oklahoma (19-12)
- Indiana (20-12)
At-Large Bubble (As close as it gets)
11 Seeds
- Texas (19-12)
- Ste F Austin (28-3) – auto-bid
- Arizona St (20-11)
- USC (22-9)
12 Seeds
- Purdue (16-15) – *play-in game*
- Xavier (19-13) – *play-in game*
- Texas Tech (18-13) – *play-in game*
- Wichita St (23-8) – *play-in game*
- Akron (24-7) – implied auto-bid
- Yale (23-7) – implied auto-bid
First Teams Out
- NC State (20-12)
- Miss State (20-11)
- Stanford (20-12)
- Oklahoma St (18-14)
- Tennessee (17-14)
- UCLA (19-12)
- Minnesota (15-16)
At-Large Bubble (Long Shots)
- Rhode Island (21-9)
- Arkansas (20-12)
- Memphis (21-10)
- Syracuse (18-14)
- N Iowa (25-6)
- Alabama (16-15)
- Richmond (24-7)
- Clemson (16-15)
- S Carolina (18-13)
Small Conference Auto-Bids
13 Seeds
- Liberty (30-4)
- Vermont (26-7)
- N Mex State (25-6)
- Belmont (26-7)
14 Seeds
- North Texas (20-11)
- Bradley (23-11)
- Hofstra (26-8)
- UC Irvine (21-11)
15 Seeds
- E Washington (23-8)
- North Dakota State (24-8)
- Northern Kentucky (23-9)
- Winthrop (24-10)
16 Seeds
- AR Lit Rock (21-10)
- Siena (20-10)
- Boston U (21-13) – *play-in game*
- Prairie View (19-13) – *play-in game*
- Robert Morris (20-14) – *play-in game*
- NC Central (18-13) – *play-in game*
The Bracket
Midwest Region
1) Kansas (28-3)
16) Boston U vs NC Central
8) LSU (21-10)
9) Rutgers (20-11)
5) BYU (24-8)
12) Yale (23-7)
4) Wisconsin (21-10)
13) Belmont (26-7)
3) Oregon (24-7)
14) Bradley (23-11)
6) Providence (19-12)
11) Ste F Austin (28-3)
7) Michigan (19-12)
10) Oklahoma (19-12)
2) Villanova (24-7)
15) North Dakota State (24-8)
East Region
1) Dayton (29-2)
16) Siena (20-10)
8) Marquette (18-12)
9) St Mary’s (26-8)
5) Auburn (25-6)
12) Xavier/Texas Tech
4) Maryland (24-7)
13) Vermont (26-7)
3) Michigan St (22-9)
14) Hofstra (26-8)
6) Butler (22-9)
11) Texas (19-12)
7) Houston (23-8)
10) Indiana (20-12)
2) Florida St (26-5)
15) Winthrop (24-10)
West Region
1) Gonzaga (31-2)
16) Robert Morris vs Prairie View
8) Florida (19-12)
9) Cincinnati (20-10)
5) Ohio State (21-10)
12) Akron (24-7)
4) Louisville (24-7)
13) N Mex State (25-6)
3) San Diego St (30-2)
14) UC Irvine (21-11)
6) W Virginia (21-10)
11) Arizona St (20-11)
7) Iowa (20-11)
10) Colorado (21-11)
2) Creighton (24-7)
15) E Washington (23-8)
South Region
1) Baylor (26-4)
16) AR Lit Rock (21-10)
8) Illinois (21-10)
9) E Tenn St (30-4)
5) Virginia (23-7)
12) Purdue/Wichita St
4) Seton Hall (21-9)
13) Liberty (30-4)
3) Kentucky (25-6)
14) North Texas (20-11)
6) Penn State (21-10)
11) USC (22-9)
7) Arizona (21-11)
10) Utah State (26-8)
2) Duke (25-6)
15) Northern Kentucky (23-9)
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