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BRACKET BREAKDOWN: Feb. 9th

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 (2)
South Florida (AQ), Florida Atlantic

Atlantic 10 (1)
Dayton (AQ)

ACC (4)
North Carolina (AQ), Duke, Clemson, Virginia

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

Big East (6)
UConn (AQ), Marquette, Creighton, Providence, Butler, 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)
UNC Wilmington (AQ)

Conference-USA (1)
Louisiana Tech (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)
New Mexico (AQ), San Diego State, Colorado State, Utah State, Boise State

NEC (1)
Central Connecticut (AQ)

OVC (1)
Morehead State (AQ)

Pac-12 (3)
Arizona (AQ), Utah, Washington State

Patriot League (1)
Colgate (AQ)

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

Southern (1)
Samford (AQ)

Southland (1)
McNeese (AQ)

SWAC (1)
Grambling (AQ)

Summit (1)
North Dakota (AQ)

Sun Belt (1)
Appalachian State (AQ)

WCC (1)
Saint Mary’s (AQ)

WAC (1)
Grand Canyon (AQ)

First Four Out

Nevada, Cincinnati, St. John’s, Colorado

Top 16 Seeds

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

Five Things To Know

  • Tennessee has never been a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament, but is currently projected as a number one seed in the bracket above. The Vols are currently 9-5 against Quad 1 and 2 opponents, with a minimum of five Quad 1 opportunities remaining before the SEC Tournament.
  • The games that St. John’s plays at MSG during the Big East Tournament will be treated as home games and not neutral site games by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee, an NCAA official confirmed to College Hoops Today this week. Why is this so significant? The Red Storm — who are currently among the “First Four Out” in the bracket above — will now only be able to count victories against UConn, Marquette, and Creighton as Quad 1 wins during the Big East Tournament. This could be a major storyline during Championship Week if this team stays on the bubble.
  • The biggest five-day stretch of Nevada’s season begins tonight in Reno against San Diego State. Steve Alford’s team will also host New Mexico on Tuesday. Both games are Quad 1 opportunities for the Wolf Pack, who already own four Quad 1 wins and are among the “First Four Out” in the bracket above. Tip off for tonight’s game is at 8 PM ET on CBS Sports Network.
  • How did Saint Mary’s put itself in position to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament after losing home games earlier this season to both Weber State and Missouri State? The rise of the Mountain West had a lot to do with it. Two of the Gaels’ Quad 1 wins are against Colorado State and New Mexico.

Leftovers