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BRACKET BREAKDOWN: Feb. 2nd

And Here. We. Go!

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)
Eastern Kentucky (AQ)

America East (1)
Vermont (AQ)

American Athletic Conference (1)
Florida Atlantic (AQ)

Atlantic 10 (2)
Richmond (AQ), Dayton

ACC (3)
North Carolina (AQ), Duke, Clemson

Big 12 (9)
Houston (AQ), Texas Tech, Kansas, Baylor, BYU, Oklahoma, Iowa State, TCU, Texas

Big East (6)
UConn (AQ), Marquette, Creighton, Providence, St. John’s, Seton Hall

Big Sky (1)
Eastern Washington (AQ)

Big South (1)
High Point (AQ)

Big Ten (6)
Purdue (AQ), Wisconsin, Northwestern, Illinois, Nebraska, Michigan State

Big West (1)
UC Irvine (AQ)

CAA (1)
Drexel (AQ)

Conference-USA (1)
Sam Houston (AQ)

Horizon League (1)
Green Bay (AQ)

Ivy League (1)
Cornell (AQ)

MAAC (1)
Quinnipiac (AQ)

MAC (1)
Akron (AQ)

MEAC (1)
NC Central (AQ)

Missouri Valley (1)
Indiana State (AQ)

Mountain West (5)
Utah State (AQ), San Diego State, Colorado State, New Mexico, Boise State

NEC (1)
Central Connecticut (AQ)

OVC (1)
Morehead State (AQ)

Pac-12 (4)
Arizona (AQ), Colorado, Utah, Washington State

Patriot League (1)
Colgate (AQ)

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

Southern (1)
Samford (AQ)

Southland (1)
McNeese (AQ)

SWAC (1)
Grambling (AQ)

Summit (1)
South Dakota State (AQ)

Sun Belt (1)
Appalachian State (AQ)

WCC (1)
Saint Mary’s (AQ)

WAC (1)
Grand Canyon (AQ)

First Four Out

Gonzaga, Butler, Cincinnati, Memphis

Top 16 Seeds

1: Purdue, UConn, Houston, North Carolina
2: Wisconsin, Marquette, Tennessee, Arizona
3: Kansas, Creighton, Alabama, Duke
4: Auburn, Iowa State, Illinois, Dayton

Five Things To Know

  • Wisconsin currently has six Quad 1 ones wins — only Purdue, UConn, and Houston have more.
  • Butler’s next five games will determine whether or not it can put itself in a favorable position to make the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs play back-to-back road games at Creighton and UConn and then will return to Hinkle Fieldhouse to host Providence, Marquette, and Creighton. This is a key five-game stretch for Thad Matta’s squad.
  • The winner of Saturday’s game between Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s in Spokane will pick up a Quad 1 victory. The Bulldogs currently do not own a Quad 1 win on their resume.
  • If Houston winds up as the top overall seed in the South Region, it will wind up playing Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games at American Airlines Center in Dallas. That’s just under four hours away from the Cougars’ campus.
  • Boise State went up 12 spots in the NET — from 56 to 44 — following Wednesday night’s win at New Mexico.

Leftovers