College Hoops Today

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BRACKET BREAKDOWN: Dec. 29th

Who’s ready for a new weekly column?

Between now and Selection Sunday, each Friday I’ll give a “BRACKET BREAKDOWN” with my 68 projected teams for the 2024 NCAA Tournament along with my Top 16 seeds as well as emerging trends.

*The team who’s currently in first place in their respective conference will be listed as that league’s “automatic qualifier”.

The Current Field

Atlantic Sun (1)
Kennesaw State (AQ)

America East (1)
New Hampshire (AQ)

American Athletic Conference (2)
Florida Atlantic (AQ), Memphis

Atlantic 10 (1)
Dayton (AQ)

ACC (5)
Clemson (AQ), Virginia, Miami, North Carolina, Duke

Big 12 (8)
Houston (AQ), Kansas, BYU, Oklahoma, Baylor, Texas, Iowa State, Kansas State

Big East (5)
Providence (AQ), Villanova, Marquette, Creighton, UConn

Big Sky (1)
Weber State (AQ)

Big South (1)
Longwood (AQ)

Big Ten (8)
Indiana (AQ), Purdue, Illinois, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Nebraska, Michigan State

Big West (1)
CSUN (AQ)

CAA (1)
UNC Wilmington (AQ)

Conference-USA (1)
Liberty (AQ)

Horizon League (1)
Purdue Fort Wayne (AQ)

Ivy League (1)
Princeton (AQ)

MAAC (1)
Marist (AQ)

MAC (1)
Bowling Green (AQ)

MEAC (1)
Norfolk State (AQ)

Missouri Valley (1)
Indiana State (AQ)

Mountain West (4)
Nevada (AQ), Colorado State, New Mexico, San Diego State

NEC (1)
Fairleigh Dickinson  (AQ)

OVC (1)
UT Martin (AQ)

Pac-12 (3)
Arizona (AQ), Colorado, Utah

Patriot League (1)
Colgate (AQ)

SEC (9)
Ole Miss (AQ), Tennessee, Auburn, Kentucky, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, South Carolina

Southern (1)
Samford (AQ)

Southland (1)
McNeese (AQ)

SWAC (1)
Bethune-Cookman (AQ)

Summit (1)
Denver (AQ)

Sun Belt (1)
James Madison (AQ)

WCC (1)
Gonzaga (AQ)

WAC (1)
Grand Canyon (AQ)

First Four Out

Butler, Virginia Tech, Washington, Utah State

Top 16 Seeds

1: Purdue, Houston, Arizona, Kansas
2: UConn, Tennessee, Marquette, Florida Atlantic
3: Illinois, Wisconsin, Clemson, BYU
4: Kentucky, North Carolina, Memphis, Duke

Five Things To Know

  • Purdue is the only team in college basketball that currently has five Quad 1 wins.
  • UConn’s most favorable path back to the Final Four is through the East Region. Why? If the Huskies are one of the top seeds in that region, they’ll play their first two NCAA Tournament games at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and then Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games at TD Garden in Boston.
  • Barring something unforeseen, the WCC will only be a multi-bid league if a team other than Gonzaga wins the WCC Tournament in Las Vegas. The Bulldogs have won the WCC Tournament in 10 of the last 11 years.
  • Indiana is listed as the Big Ten’s “automatic qualifier” in the projection above only because the Hoosiers are the only team in the Big Ten that’s currently a perfect 2-0 in league play. It’s important to note though, that this team is nowhere near the at-large discussion. Indiana is currently ranked 101st in the NET, with eight of its nine victories coming against Quad 3 and 4 opponents.
  • Dayton’s game at St. Joe’s on Feb. 6th may wind up being its last Quad 1 opportunity during the regular season. The Flyers are currently 9-2 and ranked 22nd in the NET.

Leftovers