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BRACKET BREAKDOWN: March 15th

This is March.

Between now and Selection Sunday, each day I’ll give a “BRACKET BREAKDOWN” with my 68 projected teams for the 2025 NCAA Tournament along with my Top 16 seeds as well as emerging trends.

The team who is currently in first place in their respective conference will be listed as that league’s “automatic qualifier” while the team that’s clinched an automatic qualifier will have a * next to its name.

The Current Field

Atlantic Sun (1)
Lipscomb (AQ) *clinched AQ
America East (1)
Bryant (AQ)
American Athletic Conference (1)
Memphis (AQ)
Atlantic 10 (1)
VCU (AQ)
ACC (3)
Duke (AQ), Clemson, Louisville
Big 12 (8)
Houston (AQ), Kansas, Iowa State, Arizona, Baylor, West Virginia, Texas Tech, BYU
Big East (5)
St. John’s (AQ), Marquette, UConn, Creighton, Xavier
Big Sky (1)
Montana (AQ) *clinched AQ
Big South (1)
High Point (AQ) *clinched AQ
Big Ten (9)
Michigan State (AQ), UCLA, Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Wisconsin, Maryland, Oregon, Indiana
Big West (1)
UC San Diego (AQ)
CAA (1)
UNCW (AQ) *clinched AQ
Conference-USA (1)
Liberty (AQ)
Horizon League (1)
Robert Morris (AQ) *clinched AQ
Ivy League (1)
Yale (AQ)
MAAC (1)
Iona (AQ)
MAC (1)
Akron (AQ)
MEAC (1)
Norfolk State (AQ)
Missouri Valley (1)
Drake (AQ) *clinched AQ
Mountain West (3)
New Mexico (AQ), Utah State, San Diego State, Boise State
NEC (1)
St. Francis PA (AQ) *clinched AQ
OVC (1)
SIU Edwardsville (AQ) *clinched AQ
Patriot League (1)
American (AQ) *clinched AQ
SEC (14)
Auburn (AQ), Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky, Florida, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, Georgia, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas
Southern (1)
Wofford (AQ) *clinched AQ
Southland (1)
McNeese (AQ) *clinched AQ
SWAC (1)
Alabama State (AQ)
Summit (1)
Omaha (AQ) *clinched AQ
Sun Belt (1)
Troy (AQ) *clinched AQ
WCC (2)
Gonzaga (AQ) *clinched AQ, Saint Mary’s
WAC (1)
Utah Valley (AQ)

Last Four In

Xavier, Texas, Boise State, San Diego State

First Four Out

Indiana, North Carolina, Colorado State, Ohio State

Top 16 Seeds

1: Auburn, Duke, Houston, Florida
2: Tennessee, Alabama, Michigan State, St. John’s
3: Texas Tech, Wisconsin, Iowa State, Maryland
4: Purdue, Kentucky, Texas A&M, Arizona

Five Things To Know

  • Michigan State hasn’t been a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament since 2012. Don’t rule that out of the realm of possibility if the Spartans win two more games this weekend in the Big Ten Tournament.
  • Kansas has never been lower than a four seed in the NCAA Tournament under Bill Self. That will change on Sunday at 6 PM ET on CBS.
  • The three West Coast teams from the Big Ten —- Oregon, UCLA, and USC —- have all been eliminated from the Big Ten Tournament. One thing to monitor: Oregon and UCLA will be at a major disadvantage next week if they both have to fly home and then fly back across the country to play in the first round of March Madness.
  • The Mountain West has had multiple teams in the NCAA Tournament every year since 2017.
  • A pair of brothers —- John Groce and Travis Steele —- will go head-to-head for the MAC Tournament title tonight as Akron faces Miami (Ohio).

Leftovers