Selection Monday is here. And if the NCAA committee went around in circles as much as we did, today’s bracket announcement will provide plenty of room for debate.
For us, that debate centers on the ACC, where 11 teams are in the mix for a spot in the Field of 64. Eleven. To get 11, that takes a spot from a Midwest or West Coast team, likely a Minnesota, Nebraska, Long Beach State or Washington. We put in 10, and strongly considered backing that down to nine, which caused us to chase our tails. Phil, taking the lead from the committee’s RPI-heavy Regional site selections, thinks that bodes well for North Carolina and Georgia Tech, two teams with terrific RPIs but plenty of issues down the stretch. Sean favored Boston College over North Carolina and Georgia Tech, grouping the Eagles with Duke and Wake Forest.
Elsewhere around the country, conference foes are nearly indistinguishable. Minnesota and Nebraska. Washington, Oregon State and Arizona State. Long Beach State and Cal State Fullerton, which took the Big West’s automatic bid. Often, we were left saying: If this team is in, then this other team should be in, too.
So, here’s our prediction for what we think the committee will do – not necessarily what we would do – today.
| College Station | Fort Worth |
| 1. Texas A&M (1)* | 1. TCU* |
| 2. Oklahoma State | 2. Dallas Baptist* |
| 3. Sam Houston State* | 3. Minnesota |
| 4. Fairfield* | 4. Oral Roberts* |
| Louisville | Lafayette |
| 1. Louisville (2) | 1. UL Lafayette* |
| 2. Ohio State* | 2. Tulane |
| 3. Wright State* | 3. Saint Mary’s* |
| 4. Western Michigan* | 4. Rhode Island* |
| Gainesville | Charlottesville |
| 1. Florida (3) | 1. Virginia |
| 2. Duke | 2. Coastal Carolina* |
| 3. Gonzaga | 3. UConn* |
| 4. Bethune-Cookman* | 4. Navy* |
| Coral Gables | Nashville |
| 1. Miami (4) | 1. Vanderbilt |
| 2. UCSB | 2. Bryant* |
| 3. Washington | 3. Georgia Tech |
| 4. Binghamton* | 4. Xavier* |
| Clemson | Columbia |
| 1. Clemson (5)* | 1. South Carolina |
| 2. Arizona | 2. East Carolina |
| 3. Long Beach State | 3. North Carolina |
| 4. Western Carolina* | 4. William & Mary* |
| Starkville | Tallahassee |
| 1. Mississippi State (6) | 1. Florida State |
| 2. Southern Miss* | 2. FAU |
| 3. South Alabama | 3. Oregon State |
| 4. Southeast Missouri* | 4. Stetson* |
| Baton Rouge | Raleigh |
| 1. LSU (7) | 1. NC State |
| 2. Louisiana Tech | 2. UNCW |
| 3. Southeastern Louisiana | 3. Arizona State |
| 4. Utah Valley* | 4. Princeton* |
| Lubbock | Oxford |
| 1. Texas Tech (8) | 1. Ole Miss |
| 2. Rice | 2. Wake Forest |
| 3. New Mexico* | 3. Cal State Fullerton* |
| 4. Utah* | 4. Alabama State* |
Last six in: Georgia Tech, Long Beach State, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oregon State, Washington
First six out: Boston College, Creighton, Houston, Michigan, Nebraska, Northwestern State