Top Seed Hopefuls Take a Hit

Not much of a change near the bubble, other than moving Texas to the last team in the field with Tulsa and UCLA right on their heels.

The notable events of the week occurred at the top of the bracket, as Wisconsin (at Maryland) and Kansas (at Kansas State) both lost on the road. The Badgers are still in position for a No. 1 seed, though they fell to No. 6 on the seed list, with Gonzaga at No. 4 and Villanova sitting fifth. Kansas, on the other hand, is now eighth on the board and with six losses and no team above them having more than three losses, it will be difficult for the Jayhawks to reach the top line, despite the fact they are second in RPI.

Let's take a look at the bracket heading into the weekend, the second-to-last bracket before conference tournaments begin on Wednesday. (Bracket Matrix)

Last Four Byes: Illinois, Cincinnati, LSU, Georgia
Last Four In: Stanford, Oregon, Purdue, Texas
First Four Out: Tulsa, UCLA, Boise State, Davidson
Next Seven Out: Miami (FL), Pittsburgh, Old Dominion, BYU, Rhode Island, Minnesota, George Washington

Conference Rundown

Big Ten - 8
Big 12 - 7
ACC - 6
Big East - 6
SEC - 6
Pac 12 - 4
American Athletic - 3
Atlantic 10 - 2
Missouri Valley - 2
Mountain West - 2
One-bid leagues - 22

Notable Games

Friday

Harvard at Cornell, 7:00
Princeton at Yale, 7:00
Manhattan at Iona, 7:00, ESPN2
Valparaiso at Cleveland State, 10:00, ESPNU

Saturday

Michigan at Maryland, 12:00, ESPN
Louisville at Florida State, 12:00, ESPN2
Bucknell at American, 12:00
North Carolina State at Boston College, 12:00, ESPN3
Georgetown at St. John's, 12:00, CBS
Missouri at Georgia, 12:00, ESPNU
Rhode Island at La Salle, 12:30, NBC Sports Network
Villanova at Xavier, 2:00, FOX
Northern Iowa at Wichita State, 2:00, ESPN
North Carolina at Miami (FL), 2:00, CBS
TCU at Oklahoma, 2:00, ESPNU
Dayton at VCU, 2:00, ESPN2
Butler at DePaul, 2:00, FOX Sports 2
Cincinnati at Tulane, 2:00, ESPNEWS
Lehigh at Colgate, 2:00
Florida Gulf Coast at Jacksonville, 2:00, ESPN3
Ole Miss at LSU, 2:00, ESPN3
Drexel at William & Mary, 2:00
Louisiana-Monroe at Appalachian State, 3:30
Arkansas at Kentucky, 4:00, CBS
Virginia Tech at Virginia, 4:00, ESPN3
Iowa State at Kansas State, 4:00, ESPN2
West Virginia at Baylor, 4:00, ESPNU
Oklahoma State at Texas Tech, 4:00, ESPNEWS
Wofford at Furman, 4:00
St. Francis (NY) at Bryant, 4:00
Bethune-Cookman at North Carolina Central, 4:00
High Point at Charleston Southern, 4:30
Texas at Kansas, 5:00, ESPN
Montana at Eastern Washington, 5:00
South Dakota State at South Dakota, 5:00, ESPN3
Georgia State at Troy, 5:15
Old Dominion at North Texas, 5:30
Iowa at Penn State, 6:00, ESPNU
Texas Southern at Alabama State, 6:00
Syracuse at Duke, 7:00, ESPN
Stetson at North Florida, 7:00, ESPN3
George Washington at Davidson, 7:00
Harvard at Columbia, 7:00, ESPN3
Pennsylvania at Yale, 7:00, ESPN3
Texas-San Antonio at Louisiana Tech, 7:00, FOX Sports 1
Northwestern at Illinois, 7:00, Big Ten Network
Murray State at Tennessee-Martin, 7:00
Vermont at Albany, 7:00, ESPN3
UNC Wilmington at Elon, 7:00
Boise State at San Diego State, 8:00, ESPN2
Tulsa at Memphis, 8:00, ESPNU
Central Michigan at Northern Illinois, 8:00
New Mexico State at Texas-Pan American, 8:00
Stephen F. Austin at Houston Baptist, 8:00
Sam Houston State at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 8:00
Georgia Southern at Louisiana-Lafayette, 8:15
Auburn at Texas A&M, 8:30
Arizona at Utah, 9:00, ESPN
BYU at Gonzaga, 10:00, ESPN2
UC Davis at Cal Poly, 10:00
Sacramento State at Portland State, 10:05

Sunday

SMU at Connecticut, 2:00, CBS
Iona at Saint Peter's, 2:00, ESPN3
Marquette at Providence, 3:30, FOX Sports 1
Michigan State at Wisconsin, 4:00
Pittsburgh at Wake Forest, 6:30, ESPNU
Oregon at Stanford, 7:00, FOX Sports 1
Purdue at Ohio State, 7:30
Washington State at UCLA, 9:30, FOX Sports 1

Oregon Scores Big, Conferences Enter Season End

A few bubble teams scored good victories over the weekend, but the best win may have been Oregon's victory over Utah. That win puts the Ducks as the last team in today's bracket, joining North Carolina State, Purdue and a suddenly free-falling Texas team that lost to Iowa State to put them at 1-9 against the top 50. And with an RPI ranking dipping below 40, the Longhorns have played their way into a very precarious position. This could be a very telling week for Rick Barnes' team, as they have two road games against West Virginia and Kansas. One win should help. Lose both, and all of a sudden, you're looking at a 1-11 (possibly 1-12 depending on Stanford) record against the top 50.

This week also marks the final regular season week for some of the smaller conferences. A number of teams have clinched either the outright title or at least a share of the title and the top seed in the tournament. Those teams are: Iona (MAAC), North Carolina Central (MEAC), St. Francis (NY) (Northeast), Murray State (Ohio Valley), Gonzaga (West Coast) and New Mexico State (WAC). Gonzaga is obviously a lock for the NCAA Tournament, but the others have at least clinched an NIT berth, at worst, if they don't win their respective conference tournaments.

Now a look at the bracket and notable games this week, with just 20 days until Selection Sunday.

Last Four Byes: Texas A&M, LSU, St. John's, Stanford
Last Four In: North Carolina State, Texas, Purdue, Oregon
First Four Out: Tulsa, Miami (FL), UCLA, Boise State
Next Four Out: Davidson, Pittsburgh, Old Dominion, Massachusetts

Conference Rundown

Big Ten - 8
Big 12 - 7
ACC - 6
Big East - 6
SEC - 6
Pac 12 - 4
American Athletic - 3
Atlantic 10 - 2
Missouri Valley - 2
Mountain West - 2
One-bid leagues - 22

Notable Games

Monday

Louisville at Georgia Tech, 7:00, ESPN
Xavier at St. John's, 8:00, FOX Sports 1
Lamar at Stephen F. Austin, 8:00
Mississippi Valley State at Texas Southern, 8:30
Kansas at Kansas State, 9:00, ESPN

Tuesday

Wisconsin at Maryland, 7:00, ESPN
Providence at Villanova, 7:00, FOX Sports 1
Texas at West Virginia, 7:00, ESPN2
Kent State at Miami (OH), 7:00
Northern Illinois at Toledo, 7:00, ESPN
Central Michigan at Eastern Michigan, 7:00
LSU at Auburn, 7:00, ESPNU
Syracuse at Notre Dame, 8:00, ESPN3
North Carolina State at North Carolina, 8:00, ESPN3
Texas A&M at Arkansas, 9:00, ESPN
Boston College at Pittsburgh, 9:00, ESPNU
New Mexico at Boise State, 11:00, ESPNU

Wednesday

Kentucky at Mississippi State, 7:00, SEC Network
Virginia at Wake Forest, 7:00, ESPN3
VCU at Richmond, 7:00, ESPN2
Bucknell at Lehigh, 7:00
Colgate at Lafayette, 7:00
North Florida at Florida Gulf Coast, 7:00, ESPN3
George Mason at Dayton, 7:00
Davidson at Rhode Island, 7:00
Indiana at Northwestern, 7:00, Big Ten Network
Albany at UMBC, 7:00
Valparaiso at Detroit, 7:00, ESPN3
James Madison at UNC Wilmington, 7:00
Towson at William & Mary, 7:00
St. Joseph's at Massachusetts, 7:00
Wichita State at Indiana State, 7:05, ESPN3
UCF at Cincinnati, 7:30, CBS Sports Network
Marquette at Butler, 8:00, FOX Sports 1
Tulane at Tulsa, 8:00, ESPNEWS
Duke at Virginia Tech, 9:00, ESPN2
Evansville at Northern Iowa, 9:00
Baylor at Iowa State, 9:00, ESPNU
Florida State at Miami (FL), 9:00, ESPN3
San Jose State at Colorado State, 9:00
Illinois at Iowa, 9:00, Big Ten Network
Georgia at Ole Miss, 9:00, SEC Network
Washington at UCLA, 11:00, ESPN2
Oregon at California, 11:00, ESPNU

Thursday

Nebraska at Ohio State, 7:00, ESPN
Houston at Temple, 7:00, CBS Sports Network
Wofford at Mercer, 7:00, ESPN3
Charleston Southern at Gardner-Webb, 7:00
High Point at UNC Asheville, 7:00, ESPNU
St. Francis (NY) at LIU Brooklyn, 7:00
Minnesota at Michigan State, 7:00, Big Ten Network
Georgia Southern at Appalachian State, 7:30
North Dakota State at Oral Roberts, 8:00, ESPN3
UTEP at Louisiana Tech, 8:00
Old Dominion at Rice, 8:00
Eastern Illinois at Murray State, 8:00
Louisiana-Monroe at South Alabama, 8:05
Georgia State at Arkansas-Little Rock, 8:30
Arizona at Colorado, 9:00, ESPN
SMU at Memphis, 9:00, ESPN2
Rutgers at Purdue, 9:00, ESPNU
Montana State at Eastern Washington, 9:05
Montana at Idaho, 10:00
UC Davis at UC Santa Barbara, 10:00
Arizona State at Utah, 10:30, FOX Sports 1
San Diego at Gonzaga, 11:00, ESPN2
Oregon State at Stanford, 11:00, Pac 12 Network

Purdue Wins at Indiana, Moves Into Field

We have a new team entering the Field of 68 as we begin the last full weekend of February. Win their victory at Indiana on Thursday, the Boilermakers of Purdue enter the fray as the last team in today's projection, giving the Big Ten eight teams currently in the tournament.

Purdue has done a very nice job overcoming their struggles in December, when they lost at Vanderbilt and home against Gardner-Webb and North Florida. With the Indiana win, Purdue now has a season-sweep of the Hoosiers, plus wins over Ohio State, Iowa and North Carolina State, all currently in the field. Also helps that they sit third in the Big Ten standings. Purdue takes the place of Oregon from Monday's projection.

Here's a look at the full field entering Friday. (Bracket Matrix)

Last Four Byes: Georgia, Texas A&M, LSU, St. John's
Last Four In: Stanford, North Carolina State, Miami (FL), Purdue
First Four Out: Oregon, Tulsa, UCLA, Boise State
Next Four Out: Davidson, Massachusetts, Pittsburgh, Old Dominion
Also Considered: George Washington, BYU, Rhode Island, St. Mary's

Conference Rundown

Big Ten - 8
ACC - 7
Big 12 - 7
Big East - 6
SEC - 6
American Athletic - 3
Pac 12 - 3
Atlantic 10 - 2
Missouri Valley - 2
Mountain West - 2
One-bid Leagues - 22


Notable Games

Friday

Cornell at Yale, 7:00
Penn at Harvard, 7:00, ESPN3
Hartford at Albany, 7:00, ESPNU
Cleveland State at Green Bay, 7:00, ESPN2
Iona at Marist, 9:00, ESPNU

Saturday

Georgia Tech at North Carolina, 12:00, ESPN3
Minnesota at Wisconsin, 12:00, ESPN
Oklahoma at Texas Tech, 12:00, ESPNEWS
Massachusetts at VCU, 12:00, ESPN2
Pittsburgh at Syracuse, 12:00, ESPN3
Seton Hall at St. John's, 12:00, FOX Sports 1
Texas A&M at South Carolina, 12:00, SEC Network
Kansas State at Baylor, 1:00, ESPNU
Florida at LSU, 1:00, CBS
Miami (FL) at Louisville, 2:00, ESPN
Iowa State at Texas, 2:00, ESPN2
Butler at Xavier, 2:00
West Virginia at Oklahoma State, 2:00, ESPNEWS
Kent State at Ohio, 2:00, ESPN3
Buffalo at Bowling Green, 2:00, ESPN3
Toledo at Western Michigan, 2:00
Dayton at Duquesne, 2:00, NBC Sports Network
Austin Peay at Murray State, 2:00, CBS Sports Network
UNC Wilmington at Towson
Villanova at Marquette, 2:30, FOX
IPFW at North Dakota State, 3:00
Louisiana Tech at Old Dominion, 3:00
Nevada at Boise State, 3:00
Clemson at Duke, 4:00, ESPN
TCU at Kansas, 4:00, ESPN2
Notre Dame at Boston College, 4:00, ESPN3
Bradley at Northern Iowa, 4:00
Arkansas at Mississippi State, 4:00, ESPN3
Charleston Southern at Campbell, 4:00
St. Francis (PA) at St. Francis (NY), 4:00
Drexel at Northeastern, 4:00
Morgan State at North Carolina Central, 4:00
Rhode Island at George Mason, 4:00
George Washington at Richmond, 4:00, CBS Sports Network
Eastern Washington at Northern Arizona, 4:05
Ball State at Central Michigan, 4:30, ESPN3
Sam Houston State at Central Arkansas, 5:00
Virginia Tech at North Carolina State, 6:00, ESPN2
Air Force at Colorado State, 6:00
California at Stanford, 6:30, Pac 12 Network
Auburn at Kentucky, 7:00, ESPN
South Carolina Upstate at Florida Gulf Coast, 7:00, ESPN3
The Citadel at Wofford, 7:00
Presbyterian at High Point, 7:00
Fordham at Davidson, 7:00
Columbia at Yale, 7:00
Princeton at Harvard, 7:00, ESPN3
Nicholls State at Stephen F. Austin, 7:00
College of Charleston at James Madison, 7:00
South Alabama at Georgia Southern, 7:30, ESPN3
Tennessee at Ole Miss, 7:30, ESPNU
Oral Roberts at South Dakota State, 8:00, ESPN3
DePaul at Georgetown, 8:00, CBS Sports Network
Georgia at Alabama, 8:00, ESPN2
Louisiana-Monroe at Arkansas State, 8:05
Wright State at Valparaiso, 8:05, ESPN3
Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Texas Southern, 8:30
UCLA at Arizona, 9:00, ESPN
New Mexico State at Grand Canyon, 9:00
Cincinnati at Houston, 9:30, ESPNU
Gonzaga at St. Mary's, 10:00, ESPN2
San Diego State at San Jose State, 10:00, ESPN3
Hawaii at UC Davis, 10:00
North Dakota at Sacramento State, 10:05

Sunday

Boston University at Bucknell, 12:00
Colgate at Loyola (MD), 12:00
Ohio State at Michigan, 1:00, CBS
Utah at Oregon, 3:00, FOX Sports 1
Iowa at Nebraska, 3:00
Cleveland State at Milwaukee, 3:30
Evansville at Wichita State, 4:00, ESPNU
Monmouth at Iona, 4:00, ESPN3
William & Mary at Hofstra, 4:30
Indiana at Rutgers, 5:15, Big Ten Network
Temple at Tulsa, 6:00
Florida State at Virginia, 6:30, ESPNU
Michigan State at Illinois, 7:30, Big Ten Network

Entering the Final Four...Weeks of the Season

In just less than four weeks, the official NCAA Tournament bracket will be unveiled, which means time is quickly running out for teams to make their move and solidify their spot in the Field of 68.

After another crazy weekend of hoops, two teams are back in the field after key victories. North Carolina State shoots right back into the picture, among the Last Four In, after their win at Louisville on Saturday. The Wolfpack already has strong computer numbers (49th in RPI, 36th in non-conference schedule ranking) and now they add a key victory away from home to a resume that included a home win over Duke and another home win over fellow bubble team Boise State.

Also moving in is UCLA. The Bruins essentially took Oregon's spot in the field after defeating the Ducks on Saturday. Like NC State, UCLA has strong computer numbers (39th in RPI, 48th in NC SOS), which as we know, is something the committee always enjoys seeing, aiding both of these teams despite having 21 losses combined. But with this bubble, it could be all the difference they need to play meaningful basketball in late-March.

Here's the full bracket update. (Bracket Matrix)

Last Four Byes: Temple, St. John's, LSU, Texas A&M
Last Four In: Stanford, North Carolina State, UCLA, Miami (FL)
First Four Out: Oregon, Tulsa, Purdue, Boise State
Next Four Out: Old Dominion, George Washington, BYU, Pittsburgh

Conference Rundown

ACC - 7
Big 12 - 7
Big Ten - 7
Big East - 6
SEC - 6
Pac 12 - 4
American Athletic - 3
Atlantic 10 - 2
Missouri Valley - 2
Mountain West - 2
One-bid Leagues - 22



Games to Watch

Monday

Miami (FL) at Boston College, 3:00, ESPNU
Pittsburgh at Virginia, 7:00, ESPN
Seton Hall at Villanova, 7:00, FOX Sports 1
Abilene Christian at Sam Houston State, 7:30
Coastal Carolina at Radford, 8:00
Stephen F. Austin at Incarnate Word, 8:00
North Carolina Central at Florida A&M, 8:00
Texas Southern at Jackson State, 8:30
Kansas at West Virginia, 9:00, ESPN
Butler at Creighton, 9:15, FOX Sports 1

Tuesday

Kentucky at Tennessee, 7:00, ESPN
Baylor at Texas Tech, 7:00, ESPN2
St. John's at Georgetown, 7:00, FOX Sports 1
Stony Brook at Albany, 7:00
South Carolina at Georgia, 7:00, SEC Network
Saint Louis at VCU, 7:30, CBS Sports Network
Wake Forest at Notre Dame, 7:00, ESPNU
Wichita State at Southern Illinois, 8:05, ESPN3
Texas at Oklahoma, 9:00, ESPN2
Michigan State at Michigan, 9:00, ESPN
LSU at Texas A&M, 9:00, SEC Network
San Diego State at New Mexico, 9:30, CBS Sports Network

Wednesday

Wisconsin at Penn State, 7:00, Big Ten Network
Louisville at Syracuse, 7:00, ESPN
East Carolina at Tulsa, 7:00, ESPNU
Xavier at Cincinnati, 7:00, ESPN2
Loyola (MD) at Bucknell, 7:00
Miami (OH) at Bowling Green, 7:00
Virginia Tech at Miami (FL), 7:00, ESPN3
Gardner-Webb at High Point, 7:00
Davidson at George Washington, 7:00
William & Mary at Northeastern, 7:00
Massachusetts at Rhode Island, 7:00
Presbyterian at Charleston Southern, 7:30
Northern Iowa at Loyola (IL), 8:00, ESPN3
South Dakota State at Western Illinois, 8:00
North Carolina at Duke, 9:00, ESPN
Missouri at Arkansas, 9:00, SEC Network
Providence at DePaul, 9:00, CBS Sports Network
UCLA at Arizona State, 9:00, ESPN2
Northwestern at Minnesota, 9:00, Big Ten Network
Colorado State at Fresno State, 10:00, ESPN3
Boise State at UNLV, 11:00, CBS Sports Network
Colorado at Oregon, 11:00, ESPNU

Thursday

Southern Miss at Old Dominion, 5:30
St. Joseph's at Dayton, 6:00, ESPNU
Nebraska at Maryland, 7:00, Big Ten Network
Temple at SMU, 7:00, ESPN2
Kennesaw State at Florida Gulf Coast, 7:00, ESPN3
UNC Greensboro at Wofford, 7:00
Louisiana Tech at Charlotte, 7:00, CBS Sports Network
Fairleigh Dickinson at St. Francis (NY), 7:00
Purdue at Indiana, 7:00, ESPN
UNC Wilmington at Delaware, 7:00
Troy at North Dakota State, 8:00
Rutgers at Iowa, 8:00, ESPNU
USC at Arizona, 9:00, Pac 12 Network
Eastern Washington at Southern Utah, 9:00
New Mexico State at Utah Valley, 9:00
Ole Miss at Mississippi State, 9:00, ESPN2
San Diego at BYU, 10:00, ESPNU
UC Davis at Long Beach State, 10:00
Gonzaga at Pacific, 11:00
Utah at Oregon State, 11:00, Pac 12 Network
Portland at St. Mary's, 11:00

Valentine's Weekend Bracketology

A host of new teams enter the field as at-larges since our last projection, including Temple, St. John's, Oregon and Boise State. Those out of the field of 68 since then include Old Dominion (losing at Texas-San Antonio), George Washington (losing at Duquesne), Seton Hall (who continues to crumble and one of their better players, Jaren Sina, has left the program) and Tulsa (now in the at-large pool after falling out of first place in the American Athletic).

As we enter Valentine's Weekend, here's a look at the bracket. Let's see how lucky teams are feeling on this Friday the 13th. (Bracket Matrix)

Last Four Byes: Temple, Michigan State, LSU, St. John's
Last Four In: Texas A&M, Oregon, Miami (FL), Boise State
First Four Out: Tulsa, UCLA, Old Dominion, George Washington
Next Four Out: Purdue, Seton Hall, NC State, BYU

Conference Rundown

Big 12 - 7
Big Ten - 7
ACC - 6
Big East - 6
SEC - 6
Pac 12 - 4
American Athletic - 3
Mountain West - 3
Atlantic 10 - 2
Missouri Valley - 2
One-bid leagues - 22

Games to Watch

Friday

Kent State at Toledo, 6:00, ESPNU
Columbia at Harvard, 6:30, CBS Sports Network
Albany at NJIT, 7:00
Yale at Penn, 7:00
Green Bay at Valparaiso, 7:00, ESPN2
Cleveland State at Detroit, 8:00, ESPNU
Arizona at Washington, 9:00, ESPN
Iona at Manhattan, 10:00, ESPNU

Saturday

North Carolina at Pittsburgh, 12:00, ESPN3
Ohio State at Michigan State, 12:00, ESPN
St. John's at Xavier, 12:30
St. Bonaventure at Dayton, 12:30, NBC Sports Network
Baylor at Kansas, 1:00, CBS
South Carolina at Kentucky, 2:00, ESPN
VCU at George Washington, 2:00, ESPN2
East Carolina at Temple, 2:00, CBS Sports Network
Tulane at Cincinnati, 2:00, ESPNU
Navy at Colgate, 2:00
Davidson at La Salle, 2:00
Auburn at Georgia, 2:00, ESPN3
Saint Louis at Rhode Island, 2:00
Wake Forest at Virginia, 2:30, ESPN3
Akron at Eastern Michigan, 2:30
Delaware at William & Mary, 2:30
Oregon at UCLA, 3:00
North Carolina State at Louisville, 4:00, ESPN
West Virginia at Iowa State, 4:00, ESPN2
Saint Mary's at San Diego, 4:00
Seton Hall at Providence, 4:00
High Point at Campbell, 4:00
Duquesne at Massachusetts, 4:00
LSU at Tennessee, 4:00, SEC Network
North Carolina Central at Bethune-Cookman, 4:00
Stephen F. Austin at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 4:30, ESPN3
North Dakota State at South Dakota State, 5:00, ESPN3
Florida Gulf Coast at Lipscomb, 5:00
Wofford at Western Carolina, 5:00
Charleston Southern at Longwood, 5:00
Oregon State at USC, 5:00, Pac 12 Network
Portland State at Eastern Washington, 5:05
Duke at Syracuse, 6:00, ESPN
Villanova at Butler, 6:00, CBS Sports Network
Wichita State at Illinois State, 6:00, ESPN2
Oklahoma State at TCU, 6:00, ESPNU
Cornell at Harvard, 6:00
Yale at Princeton, 6:00
San Jose State at Wyoming, 6:00
Florida at Texas A&M, 6:30, SEC Network
Florida International at Louisiana Tech, 7:00
Boise State at Fresno State, 7:00, ESPN3
Murray State at SE Missouri State, 7:00
Radford at Presbyterian, 7:30
Pepperdine at Gonzaga, 8:00, ESPN3
Oklahoma at Kansas State, 8:00, ESPN2
Texas Tech at Texas, 8:00, Longhorn Network
Colorado State at San Diego State, 8:00, CBS Sports Network
Maryland at Penn State, 8:30, Big Ten Network
Texas Southern at Grambling State, 8:30
Arkansas at Ole Miss, 9:00, SEC Network
Connecticut at SMU, 9:00, ESPN
Pacific at BYU, 9:00
Cal State Bakersfield at New Mexico State, 9:00, ESPN3
Old Dominion at UTEP, 9:00

Sunday

Illinois at Wisconsin, 1:00, CBS
Valparaiso at Milwaukee, 2:00, ESPN3
Iowa at Northwestern, 3:00, Big Ten Network
UIC at Cleveland State, 3:00
Northern Iowa at Missouri State, 4:00, ESPNU
Iona at Quinnipiac, 4:00
Bucknell at Army, 4:00, CBS Sports Network
Stanford at Colorado, 4:00, FOX Sports 1
Nebraska at Purdue, 5:15, Big Ten Network
Arizona at Washington State, 6:30, FOX Sports 1
Miami (FL) at Boston College, 6:30, ESPNU
Minnesota at Indiana, 7:30, Big Ten Network
California at Utah, 8:30, ESPNU

Seton Hall Stumbles, Illini Fighting Hard

It's been a tough stretch of late for the Pirates of Seton Hall, losing five of their last seven, including Saturday's loss against Marquette. This slump has put the Hall among the last four in for today's bracket. And if they both break the slump soon, they'll find themselves in the NIT. Lucky for them, their remaining schedule is chock full of quality win opportunities, as five of their final seven games are against Georgetown, Providence and Villanova. They also visit fellow bubble team St. John's on February 21.

Illinois, on the other hand, has seemingly risen from the dead. And all without one of the better players in the Big Ten, Rayvonte Rice, who has been out with a broken hand. After picking up a win over the weekend at Michigan State, the Illini has risen into the field. It's still a bit away, but their March 7 date with Purdue could have huge tournament implications. Sparty, on the other hand, is falling closer to the bubble, sitting today among the last four byes.

And now, a look at where Seton Hall, Illinois, Michigan State and the other 65 teams currently in the field stack up. (Bracket Matrix)

Last Four Byes: Michigan State, Texas A&M, Old Dominion, Xavier
Last Four In: Seton Hall, George Washington, Illinois, Miami (FL)
First Four Out: Temple, St. John's, UCLA, North Carolina State
Next Four Out: Purdue, Davidson, Wyoming, Oregon

Conference Rundown

Big 12 - 7
Big Ten - 7
ACC - 6
Big East - 6
SEC - 6
American Athletic - 3
Atlantic 10 - 3
Pac 12 - 3
Conference USA - 2
Missouri Valley - 2
Mountain West - 2
One-bid leagues - 21

Now for the games that will impact Friday's bracket, as we now sit less than five weeks until Selection Sunday.

Monday

Duke at Florida State, 7:00, ESPN
Oklahoma State at Baylor, 7:00, ESPNU
Stephen F. Austin at Northwestern State, 7:30
Texas College at Sam Houston State, 7:30
UNC Asheville at Gardner-Webb, 8:00, ESPN3
Iowa State at Oklahoma, 9:00, ESPN

Tuesday

Kentucky at LSU, 7:00, ESPN
Notre Dame at Clemson, 7:00, ESPN2
Georgetown at Seton Hall, 7:00, FOX Sports 1
Kent State at Akron, 7:00, ESPN3
Toledo at Buffalo, 7:00, ESPN3
Western Michigan at Bowling Green, 7:00, ESPN3
Michigan State at Northwestern, 7:00, Big Ten Network
Albany at Binghamton, 7:00
Cincinnati at Temple, 7:30, CBS Sports Network
Iona at Fairfield, 8:00, ESPN3
Wisconsin at Nebraska, 9:00, ESPN
Kansas at Texas Tech, 9:00, ESPN2
Xavier at Marquette, 9:00, FOX Sports 1
Arkansas at Auburn, 9:00, ESPNU
Dayton at Saint Louis, 9:30, CBS Sports Network
New Mexico at Colorado State, 11:00, ESPNU

Wednesday

Kansas State at West Virginia, 7:00, ESPNU
La Salle at VCU, 7:00, CBS Sports Network
Penn State at Ohio State, 7:00, Big Ten Network
Bucknell at Navy, 7:00
Miami (FL) at Wake Forest, 7:00, ESPN3
Winthrop at High Point, 7:00
Longwood at Radford, 7:00
George Mason at Davidson, 7:00
Georgia at Texas A&M, 7:00, SEC Network
Elon at William & Mary, 7:00
George Washington at Duquesne, 7:00
Coastal Carolina at Charleston Souther, 7:30
Virginia at North Carolina State, 8:00, ESPN3
Villanova at Providence, 8:00, FOX Sports 1
Pittsburgh at Louisville, 8:00, ESPN3
Illinois State at Northern Iowa, 8:00, ESPN3
Indiana State at Wichita State, 8:00, ESPN3
TCU at Texas, 8:00, Longhorn Network
Colgate at Boston University, 8:00
Indiana at Maryland, 9:00, Big Ten Network
DePaul at St. John's, 9:00, CBS Sports Network
Oregon at USC, 9:00, ESPN2
Oregon at UCLA, 10:00, Pac 12 Network
Wyoming at San Diego State, 11:00, CBS Sports Network

Thursday

Tulsa at Connecticut, 7:00, ESPN2
North Florida at South Carolina Upstate, 7:00, ESPN3
Florida Gulf Coast at Northern Kentucky, 7:00
Presbyterian at UNC Asheville, 7:00
Minnesota at Iowa, 7:00, Big Ten Network
Purdue at Rutgers, 7:00, ESPNU
Wagner at St. Francis (NY), 7:00
Ole Miss at Florida, 7:00, ESPN
Florida Atlantic at Louisiana Tech, 7:30
Arkansas State at Georgia Southern, 7:30
UAB at North Texas, 8:00
Old Dominion at Texas-San Antonio, 8:00
UL Lafayette at UL Monroe, 8:00
SIU-Edwardsville at Murray State, 8:00
Loyola Marymount at Gonzaga, 9:00, ESPN3
Stanford at Utah, 9:00, Pac 12 Network
SMU at Houston, 9:00, ESPNU
Seattle at New Mexico State, 9:00, ESPN3
Michigan at Illinois, 9:00, ESPN
Sacramento State at Eastern Washington, 9:05
CS Fullerton at UC Davis, 10:00

Temple Moves In, UCLA and Purdue Rising

A new team enters the field since Monday's projection. With St. John's getting pounded by Butler, Temple has moved up to the last team in the field. Strong computer numbers, a good road/neutral record are helpful, but what's starting to loom large with this bubble is their 25-point win over Kansas back on December 22. The Johnnies sit as the first team out of today's projection. More on the bubble after we take a look at the full bracket. (Bracket Matrix)

Last Four Byes: Seton Hall, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Old Dominion
Last Four In: Xavier, Miami (FL), George Washington, Temple
First Four Out: St. John's, Illinois, UCLA, Purdue
Next Four Out: North Carolina State, Davidson, Wyoming, Michigan

Conference Rundown

Big 12 - 7
ACC - 6
Big East - 6
Big Ten - 6
SEC - 6
American Athletic - 4
Atlantic 10 - 3
Pac 12 - 3
Conference USA - 2
Missouri Valley - 2
Mountain West - 2
One-bid Leagues - 21

Two teams that have made some noise recently and making a late charge to the tournament are Purdue and UCLA. Both struggled in non-conference play, particularly Purdue, losing at home to Garnder-Webb and North Florida.

But both have started to compile some quality wins in recent weeks. The Boilermakers have beaten Ohio State, Indiana and Iowa all at home, while the Bruins defeated Utah at home and just won at Stanford to complete the season sweep of the Cardinal.

The Bruins have the edge thanks to a better performance away from home as well as better computer numbers. UCLA ranks 45th in RPI, while Purdue is 72. Bruins also beat out Purdue on non-conference schedule rank (48 vs. 219).

As we head into the weekend, here's a look at the games that will impact the bracket.

Friday

Siena at Iona, 7:00, ESPNU
Jacksonville at North Florida, 7:00, ESPN3
Charleston Southern at Radford, 7:00
Dayton at George Washington, 7:00, ESPN2
Harvard at Brown, 7:00
Dartmouth at Yale, 7:00
High Point at Coastal Carolina, 9:00, ESPNU

The big game, of course, is Dayton at George Washington. The Colonials can keep pace and stay two games behind VCU in the Atlantic 10 race and also move further ahead of the cut line. A few conference leaders in action as well, including Iona, North Florida, Radford and Yale. Teams like Harvard and High Point are right in the mix should Yale and/or Radford lose, particularly Harvard since they visit the Bulldogs Saturday.

Saturday

Baylor at West Virginia, 12:00, ESPNU
Creighton at St. John's, 12:00
Marquette at Seton Hall, 12:00, CBS Sports Network
Illinois at Michigan State, 12:00, ESPN
Tennessee at Georgia, 12:00, ESPN2
Notre Dame at Duke, 1:00, CBS
Temple at Memphis, 1:00, ESPNEWS
South Dakota State at IUPUI, 1:00, ESPN3
Providence at Xavier, 1:00, FOX Sports 1
Wofford at VMI, 1:00
Georgetown at Villanova, 2:00, FOX
Kansas at Oklahoma State, 2:00, ESPN
Texas Tech at Iowa State, 2:00, ESPNU
VCU at St. Bonaventure, 2:00, NBC Sports Network
American at Colgate, 2:00
Wyoming at Air Force, 2:00
Wright State at Cleveland State, 2:00, ESPN3
North Carolina at Boston College, 3:00, ESPN3
Oklahoma at TCU, 3:00, ESPNEWS
South Dakota at North Dakota State, 3:00
Purdue at Minnesota, 3:00, Big Ten Network
DePaul at Butler, 3:30, FOX Sports 1
Florida Gulf Coast at Stetson, 3:30, ESPN3
Texas at Kansas State, 4:00, ESPN
UNLV at Colorado State, 4:00, CBS Sports Network
St. Francis (NY) at Wagner, 4:00
Mississippi State at Arkansas, 4:00, SEC Network
Arizona at Arizona State, 4:30, FOX
Eastern Washington at Montana State, 4:35
Portland State at Sacramento State, 5:05
Northwestern at Wisconsin, 5:30, Big Ten Network
Alabama at LSU, 6:00, ESPN2
Texas A&M at Missouri, 6:00, ESPNU
North Carolina Central at North Carolina A&T, 6:00
Ole Miss at Auburn, 6:30, SEC Network
Louisville at Virginia, 7:00, ESPN
Miami (OH) at Kent State, 7:00
New Mexico State at UMKC, 7:00, ESPN3
Duquesne at Davidson, 7:00
Harvard at Yale, 7:00
Charlotte at Old Dominion, 7:00
UC Irvine at Long Beach State, 7:00, ESPN3
Buffalo at Akron, 7:00, ESPN3
UMass Lowell at Albany, 7:30
Drake at Northern Iowa, 8:00, ESPN3
South Florida at Cincinnati, 8:00, CBS Sports Network
SMU at Tulsa, 8:00, ESPNU
Missouri State at Wichita State, 8:00, ESPN2
Bowling Green at Northern Illinois, 8:00
Louisiana Tech at Middle Tennessee, 8:00
Rice at Western Kentucky, 8:00
William & Mary at UNC Wilmington, 8:00
Prairie View at Texas Southern, 8:30
Kentucky at Florida, 9:00, ESPN
Utah at Colorado, 10:00, Pac 12 Network
UC Davis at CS Northridge, 10:30
Gonzaga at San Francisco, 11:30, ESPN2

Some top games obviously jump out (Louisville-Virgina, Notre Dame-Duke, Baylor-West Virginia, Georgetown-Villanova).

Can Purdue win at Minnesota, avoid a letdown, and possibly find themselves into Monday's projection? Also in Big Ten action, Illinois is also on the road as a bubble team, visiting East Lansing. A win there will be huge for the Illini.

Sunday

Michigan at Indiana, 1:00, CBS
Marist at Iona, 2:00
Holy Cross at Bucknell, 2:00, CBS Sports Network
Maryland at Iowa, 3:15, Big Ten Network
Oakland at Valparaiso, 3:30
Ohio State at Rutgers, 5:30, Big Ten Network
San Diego State at Boise State, 6:00, CBS Sports Network
Clemson at Miami (FL), 6:30, ESPNU
USC at Stanford, 8:30, ESPNU

Solid day of Big Ten action here. We also have one of the last four teams in the field in action with Miami hosting Clemson. Iona, Valpo and Bucknell are hoping to leave the weekend leading their respective conferences.

Enjoy the weekend, everyone. We will reconvene Monday to pick up the pieces and form a new puzzle.

The "Recovering From the Super Bowl" Bracketology

Welcome to February, friends. Hope you all enjoyed the Super Bowl as much as I did. That was an amazing game. Congratulations to the New England Patriots on winning the Super Bowl and to Tom Brady and Bill Belichick on winning their fourth Super Bowl together.

But now it's all about college basketball, as we are less than six weeks from Selection Sunday on March 15. A wild weekend saw Virginia suffer their first defeat to Duke, but remain No. 2 on the seed list, since they do only have one loss. Duke, however, did move up to No. 4, making them the last No. 1 seed in today's bracket, heading the South Region. Kentucky and Gonzaga remain on the top line with them.

One adjustment I made to the bracket: Going through conference leaders and using head-to-head to break ties, I noticed that San Diego State had a H2H victory over Wyoming, therefore the Aztecs have the auto-bid from the Mountain West and Wyoming now sits among the first four out. With Wyoming out, St. John's and Ole Miss are among the last four in. The Johnnies moved into the field after completing the season sweep of Providence and the Rebels moved in after Wyoming was taken out. George Washington and Old Dominion are the other two at-large teams currently slatted for Dayton.

Here now is the full bracket. (Link to Bracket Matrix)

Last Four Byes: Oklahoma State, Xavier, Texas A&M, Miami (FL)
Last Four In: George Washington, St. John's, Old Dominion, Ole Miss
First Four Out: Tennessee, North Carolina State, Kansas State, Wyoming
Next Four Out: Davidson, Temple, Illinois, Florida

Conference Rundown:
Big 12 - 7
Big East - 7
ACC - 6
Big Ten - 6
SEC - 6
American Athletic - 3
Atlantic 10 - 3
Pac 12 - 3
Mountain West - 2
Conference USA - 2
Missouri Valley - 2
One-bid leagues - 21

Teams like Tennessee and NC State were helped by other bubble teams falling over the weekend (Kansas State losing to Kansas, Davidson losing to St. Joseph's). NC State, of course, nailed a three at the buzzer from Trevor Lacey to defeat Georgia Tech that might have saved their season.

Florida is creeping up a bit after their win over Arkansas but they still have some work to do, having to overcome an underwhelming non-conference output. Saturday's game against Kentucky is a great place to start.

And if you want to talk about underwhelming, look no further than the soon-to-be former national champion UConn Huskies. Kevin Ollie's team is 11-9 after a stunning loss at Houston, who was 0-8 in AAC play entering Sunday. UConn is also currently outside the RPI top 100. The only way the Huskies will get a shot at defending their title is by winning the AAC Tournament. Luckily for UConn, that takes place only about 40 minutes from campus, in Hartford, CT.

One more note, all the best wishes to VCU's Briante Weber. You always hate to see a great guy like Weber have his college career cut short by an injury, but unfortunately, that's what happen to Weber. The VCU guard tore his ACL, MCL and meniscus against Richmond on Saturday. We'll see how the Rams fare after this, but everyone will tell you Weber epitomized HAVOC.

We'll be back here on Friday to prep for what should be another exciting weekend. Until then, here are some games to keep an eye on until then. (All times EST)

Monday:

Virginia at North Carolina, 7:00, ESPN
Iowa State at Kansas, 9:00, ESPN
Florida A&M at North Carolina Central, 7:30
Green Bay at Wright State, 8:00
Alabama A&M at Texas Southern, 9:00, ESPNU

Tuesday:

Georgia at Kentucky, 7:00, ESPNU
Indiana at Wisconsin, 7:00, ESPN
Louisville at Miami (FL), 8:00, ESPN3
West Virginia at Oklahoma, 8:00, ESPN2
Northern Iowa at Indiana State, 7:05
St. John's at Butler, 7:00, FOX Sports 1
UNC Asheville at Coastal Carolina, 7:00
Radford at High Point, 7:00
Mississippi State at Tennessee, 7:00, SEC Network
North Carolina State at Wake Forest, 8:00, ESPN3
Virginia Tech at Syracuse, 9:00, ESPNU
Seton Hall at DePaul, 9:00, FOX Sports 1
Florida at Vanderbilt, 9:00, ESPN
South Carolina at Arkansas, 9:00, SEC Network
Rutgers at Illinois, 9:30, Big Ten Network

Wednesday:

Georgia Tech at Duke, 7:00, ESPN2
Marquette at Villanova, 7:00, FOX Sports 1
Boston College at Notre Dame, 7:00, ESPN3
Wichita State at Bradley, 8:00, ESPN3
VCU at George Mason, 7:00, CBS Sports Network
Penn State at Maryland, 8:30, Big Ten Network
Oklahoma State at Texas, 8:00, Longhorn Network
TCU at Baylor, 8:30, ESPNEWS
Providence at Georgetown, 9:00, CBS Sports Network
Temple at South Florida, 6:30, ESPNEWS
Ohio State at Purdue, 6:30, Big Ten Network
Bucknell at Lafayette, 7:00
Kent State at Western Michigan, 7:00
Akron at Ohio, 7:00, ESPN3
St. Bonaventure at Davidson, 7:00
New Hampshire at Albany, 7:00, ESPN3
Texas A&M at Ole Miss, 7:00, SEC Network
Youngstown State at Cleveland State, 7:00, ESPN3
Detroit at Valapraiso, 8:05
Kansas State at Texas Tech, 9:00, ESPNU
Creighton at Xavier, 9:00, FOX Sports 1
Colorado State at Wyoming, 9:00
San Diego State at Nevada, 10:00

Thursday:

Gonzaga at Santa Clara, 11:00, ESPN2
Tulsa at Houston, 7:00, ESPNEWS
Colgate at Holy Cross, 7:00, CBS Sports Network
Wofford at East Tennessee State, 7:00
St. Francis (NY) at Central Connecticut State, 7:00
Iowa at Michigan, 7:00, ESPN
Auburn at LSU, 7:00, ESPN2
Georgia State at Georgia Southern, 7:30
William & Mary at College of Charleston, 7:30
New Mexico State at Chicago State, 8:00
Milwaukee at Green Bay, 8:00, ESPN3
Eastern Washington at Montana
Cincinnati at SMU, 9:00, ESPN
Louisiana Tech, 9:00, CBS Sports Network
UCLA at Stanford, 9:00, ESPN2
Belmont at Eastern Kentucky, 9:00
BYU at Pepperdine, 11:00