Welcome to college basketball’s championship week! With Selection Sunday officially days and not weeks away, Sports Illustrated is bringing you daily (and sometimes hourly) updates to the projected field as conference tournament results come in. From automatic bids being locked up in smaller conferences to key bubble battles in the power leagues, we’re keeping you updated with all the news and notes to get you prepared for the bracket reveal Sunday evening.
Here’s a look at the latest projected men’s field as of March 10:
On the Bubble
Last Four Byes
Vanderbilt Commodores
Baylor Bears
Oklahoma Sooners
Indiana Hoosiers
Last Four In
Arkansas Razorbacks
San Diego State Aztecs
Xavier Musketeers
Ohio State Buckeyes
First Four Out
North Carolina Tar Heels
Colorado State Rams
Boise State Broncos
UC Irvine Anteaters
Next Four Out
Texas Longhorns
SMU Mustangs
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Dayton Flyers
More separation has been created around the cut line after this weekend’s results. Oklahoma, Arkansas and Indiana all added needle-moving wins to their résumés to provide themselves some cushion. In the end, the debate came down to Ohio State, North Carolina, Colorado State and Boise State for the final spot in the field heading into Champ Week. All four have deeply flawed résumés, but for now, the Buckeyes’ quality wins over Kentucky, Maryland and Purdue were enough to overlook their ugly 17–14 overall record. The team making things most interesting at the moment is Colorado State, which continued its surge with a huge road win at Boise State Friday night. An at-large may still be a stretch, but CSU could make a very compelling case with a trip to the Mountain West title game.
It’s also worth noting that the current cut line is likely to move up at some point this week due to bid-stealer situations. The first such scenario (Drake losing in the Missouri Valley tournament and joining the at-large pool) didn’t come to fruition, but several others could emerge over the course of the week.
Automatic Bids to Be Clinched Today
- Sun Belt: No. 4 Arkansas State vs. No. 3 Troy
- SoCon: No. 5 Furman vs. No. 6 Wofford
BOLD indicates clinched automatic bid
* indicates projected automatic bid
South Region
No. 1 Auburn Tigers* vs. No. 16 SIUE Cougars/American Eagles*
No. 8 Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. No. 9 New Mexico Lobos*
No. 5 Arizona Wildcats vs. No. 12 Xavier/Ohio State Buckeyes
No. 4 Maryland Terrapins vs. No. 13 High Point Panthers
No. 6 Illinois Fighting Illini vs. No. 11 Drake Bulldogs
No. 3 Kentucky Wildcats vs. No. 14 Utah Valley Wolverines*
No. 7 Ole Miss Rebels vs. No. 10 Baylor Bears
No. 2 Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. No. 15 Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks
East Region
No. 1 Duke Blue Devils* vs. No. 16 Quinnipiac Bobcats*/Southern Jaguars*
No. 8 Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. No. 9 Creighton Bluejays
No. 5 Saint Mary's Gaels* vs. No. 12 McNeese State Cowboys*
No. 4 Purdue Boilermakers vs. No. 13 Akron Zips*
No. 6 Missouri Tigers vs. No. 11 Indiana Hoosiers
No. 3 Iowa State Cyclones vs. No. 14 Northern Colorado Bears*
No. 7 Memphis Tigers* vs. No. 10 West Virginia Mountaineers
No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide vs. No. 15 Robert Morris Colonials*
Midwest Region
No. 1 Houston Cougars* vs. No. 16 Norfolk State Spartans*
No. 8 UConn Huskies vs. No. 9 Georgia Bulldogs
No. 5 UCLA Bruins vs. No. 12 VCU Rams*
No. 4 Wisconsin Badgers vs. No. 13 Lipscomb Bisons
No. 6 BYU Cougars vs. No. 11 Arkansas Razorbacks/San Diego State Aztecs
No. 3 St. John's Red Storm* vs. No. 14 Furman Paladins*
No. 7 Michigan Wolverines vs. No. 10 Oklahoma Sooners
No. 2 Tennessee Volunteers vs. No. 15 Bryant Bulldogs*
West Region
No. 1 Florida Gators vs. No. 16 Central Connecticut Blue Devils*
No. 8 Kansas Jayhawks vs. No. 9 Utah State Aggies
No. 5 Oregon Ducks vs. No. 12 Liberty Flames*
No. 4 Clemson Tigers vs. No. 13 Yale Bulldogs*
No. 6 Louisville Cardinals vs. No. 11 UC San Diego Tritons*
No. 3 Texas A&M Aggies vs. No. 14 Arkansas State Red Wolves*
No. 7 Marquette Golden Eagles vs. No. 10 Vanderbilt Commodores
No. 2 Michigan State Spartans* vs. No. 15 Towson Tigers*
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Men’s Bracket Watch: Ohio State Nabs Last At-Large Despite Ugly Résumé.
