Gonzaga makes big comeback, unofficially locks up No. 1 seed

 Tuesday night saw something we really haven't seen in quite some time: Gonzaga trailing big.

BYU led by as many as 14 in the first half and a took a 12-point lead into the locker room during Tuesday's West Coast championship. But like Lazarus, Gonzaga rose from the dead, led by an incredible effort by Jalen Suggs, including a huge three-pointer late in the game to help put the final daggers into BYU's chances. Suggs' 23 points helped Gonzaga pull off the comeback and win, 88-78, to claim yet another West Coast tournament title. And with that, Gonzaga goes into the NCAAs at 26-0 and, while not official until Sunday, will be the overall No. 1 seed when the brackets are unveiled on Sunday.

Elsewhere, four other schools punched their ticket to the dance. Drexel ended Elon's Cinderella run in the Colonial tournament and their hopes at their first NCAA Tournament. Drexel ended their own tournament drought, as the Dragons are dancing for the first time since 1996. Drexel currently sits as the highest No. 15 seed, with a chance to move up to a 14.

Cleveland State held off a game Oakland team in the Horizon League finals, giving the Vikings their first tournament berth since 2009. With all the upsets in other tournaments, Cleveland State has moved up from the First Four to a 15 seed in a matter of days.

Bryant University was another team looking for their first tournament appearance and had the opportunity to host the Northeast Conference championship. But like Elon, they were denied, as Mount St. Mary's, the conference's No. 4 seed in what was only a four-team tournament, advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017, when they won a game in the First Four. As of now, the Mount looks bound for the First Four.

In the Summit League, Oral Roberts built a 25-point halftime lead against North Dakota State. In the late stages of the game, that lead evaporated. But Oral Roberts survived and is dancing for the first time since 2008. This is also the first time since 2011 (Oakland) that someone other than North Dakota State or South Dakota State claimed the Summit's automatic bid to the NCAAs. Like Mount St. Mary's, Oral Roberts is currently set for the First Four.

With five more bids set, here's your updated field.

Last Four Byes: VCU, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan State

Last Four In: Drake, Xavier, Boise State, Colorado State

First Four Out: Utah State, Seton Hall, Syracuse, Saint Louis

Next Four Out: Ole Miss, Stanford, St. John's, Memphis

Bids by Conference:

Big Ten - 9

ACC - 7

Big 12 - 7

SEC - 6

Big East - 4

Pac-12 - 4

Mountain West - 3

American Athletic - 2

Atlantic 10 - 2

Missouri Valley - 2

West Coast - 2

One-bid leagues - 20

Now things really start to get fun, as more power conferences open their tournament action. Here's today's schedule.

ACC Second Round (Greensboro, NC)

No. 9 North Carolina State vs. No. 8 Syracuse, 12:00, ACCN

No. 13 Miami (FL) vs. No. 5 Clemson, 2:30, ACCN

No. 10 Duke vs. No. 7 Louisville, 6:30, ACCN

No. 11 Notre Dame vs. No. 6 North Carolina, 9:00, ACCN

The 8/9 game has some intrigue. NC State has worked their way back into the conversation. The loser is out, the winner still has hope, especially with a date with No. 1 Virginia on the horizon for the winner. As for Duke, this is an absolute must-win. A loss puts them at 12-12 and would spell the end of their run.

Big 12 First Round (Kansas City, MO)

No. 9 Kansas State vs. No. 8 TCU, 6:30, ESPN

No. 10 Iowa State vs. No. 7 Oklahoma, 9:30, ESPN

Big East First Round (New York, NY)

No. 9 Marquette vs. No. 8 Georgetown, 3:00, FS1

No. 10 Butler vs. No. 7 Xavier, 6:00, FS1

No. 11 DePaul vs. No. 6 Providence, 9:00, FS1

Xavier lost in this round to DePaul last year and likely would have burst their bubble had the NCAA tournament happened. They're hoping to avoid the same fate tonight against Butler.

Big Sky First Round (Boise, ID)

No. 9 Sacramento State vs. No. 8 Northern Colorado, 11:00 a.m., Pluto TV

No. 10 Northern Arizona vs. No. 7 Portland State, 2:00, Pluto TV

No. 11 Idaho vs. No. 6 Montana, 5:00, Pluto TV

Big Ten First Round (Indianapolis, IN)

No. 13 Minnesota vs. No. 12 Northwestern, 6:30, BTN

No. 14 Nebraska vs. No. 11 Penn State, 9:00, BTN

Minnesota looks for their first win away from home. They need it bad, and then they need another and another if they want to dance.

Conference USA First Round (Frisco, TX)

East No. 5 Charlotte vs. West No. 4 Texas-San Antonio, 6:30, ESPN+

West No. 6 Rice vs. East No. 3 Marshall, 7:00, ESPN+

West No. 5 UTEP vs. East No. 4 Florida Atlantic, 9:30, ESPN+

East No. 6 Middle Tennessee vs. West No. 3 North Texas, 10:00, ESPN+

MAAC Quarterfinals (Atlantic City, NJ)

No. 9 Iona vs. No. 1 Siena, 5:00, ESPN+

No. 7 Fairfield vs. No. 2 Monmouth, 7:30, ESPN+

Mountain West First Round (Las Vegas, NV)

No. 9 San Jose State vs. No. 8 Wyoming, 2:00, Mountain West Network

No. 10 Air Force vs. No. 7 UNLV, 4:30, MWN

No. 11 New Mexico vs. No. 6 Fresno State, 7:00, MWN

Pac-12 First Round (Las Vegas, NV)

No. 9 Washington State vs. No. 8 Arizona State, 4:00, Pac-12 Network

No. 10 Washington vs. No. 7 Utah, 7:00, Pac-12 Network

No. 11 California vs. No. 6 Stanford, 10:00, Pac-12 Network

Stanford is 2-0 this season against Cal. They need to make it 3-0 to keep any at-large hopes alive. Then they would need to beat Colorado in tomorrow's quarterfinals.

Patriot Semifinals

No. 9 Loyola Maryland at No. 4 Army, 5:30, CBSSN

No. 6 Bucknell at No. 2 Colgate, 7:30, CBSSN

SEC First Round (Nashville, TN)

No. 13 Texas A&M vs. No. 12 Vanderbilt, 7:00, SECN

Southland Second Round (Katy, TX)

No. 8 Southeastern Louisiana vs. No. 5 New Orleans, 6:00, ESPN+

No. 10 Houston Baptist vs. No. 6 Lamar, 9:00, ESPN+

SWAC Quarterfinals (Birmingham, AL)

No. 7 Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs. No. 2 Jackson State, 3:00, ESPN3

No. 8 Mississippi Valley State vs. No. 1 Prairie View A&M, 9:30, ESPN3

UNC Greensboro, Appalachian State officially join the dance party

 Two more tickets to the NCAA Tournament were officially punched Tuesday night. In the Southern Conference, two years after learning they were the last team in the field only to have the bid stolen from them by Oregon, UNC Greensboro took care of business in what was a pretty close game against No. 7 Mercer. But the Spartans are dancing for the fourth time in school history and second time under coach Wes Miller.

Over in the Sun Belt, Appalachian State completed their magical run of winning four games in four days, culminating with an 80-73 victory over Georgia State. The school that has produced NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah, among other alumni, is dancing for only the third time in school history and first time since 2000.

So here's a quick list of the current automatic qualifiers to get you up to speed.

Liberty - Atlantic Sun

Winthrop - Big South

Loyola-Chicago - Missouri Valley

Morehead State - Ohio Valley

UNC Greensboro - Southern

Appalachian State - Sun Belt

Five more teams will join the party tonight. Let's check out the updated bracket and run through today's action.

Last Four Byes: VCU, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan State

Last Four In: Drake, Xavier, Boise State, Colorado State

First Four Out: Utah State, Seton Hall, Syracuse, Saint Louis

Next Four Out: Ole Miss, Stanford, St. John's, Memphis

Bids by Conference:

Big Ten - 9

ACC - 7

Big 12 - 7

SEC - 6

Big East - 4

Pac-12 - 4

Mountain West - 3

American Athletic - 2

Atlantic 10 - 2

Missouri Valley - 2

West Coast - 2

One-bid leagues - 20

Plenty of conference tournament action today with five championship games and the start of the ACC Tournament, featuring Duke in an opening round game.

Colonial Championship (Harrisonburg, VA)

No. 8 Elon vs. No. 6 Drexel, 7:00, CBSSN

Horizon League Championship (Indianapolis, IN)

No. 3 Oakland vs. No. 1 Cleveland State, 7:00, ESPN

Northeast Championship

No. 4 Mount St. Mary's at No. 2 Bryant, 7:00, ESPN2

Summit League Championship (Sioux Falls, SD)

No. 4 Oral Roberts vs. No. 3 North Dakota State, 9:00, ESPN2

West Coast Championship (Las Vegas, NV)

No. 2 BYU vs. No. 1 Gonzaga, 9:00, ESPN

ACC First Round (Greensboro, NC)

No. 13 Miami (FL) vs. No. 12 Pittsburgh, 2:00, ACCN

No. 15 Boston College vs. No. 10 Duke, 4:30, ACCN

No. 14 Wake Forest vs. No. 11 Notre Dame, 7:00, ACCN

Big West First Round (Las Vegas, NV)

No. 9 Long Beach State vs. No. 8 Cal State Northridge, 6:00, ESPN3

No. 10 Cal Poly vs. No. 7 Cal State Fullerton, 9:00, ESPN3

Conference USA First Round (Frisco, TX)

(Note: Florida International had to drop out due to COVID issues, so Middle Tennessee advances to tomorrow's second round)

West No. 7 Southern Mississippi vs. West No. 6 Rice, 8:00, ESPN+

MAAC First Round (Atlantic, NJ)

No. 9 Iona vs. No. 8 Quinnipiac, 5:00, ESPN+

No. 10 Manhattan vs. No. 7 Fairfield, 7:30, ESPN+

Southland First Round (Katy, TX)

No. 9 McNeese vs. No. 8 Southeastern Louisiana, 6:00, ESPN+

No. 10 Houston Baptist vs. No. 7 Incarnate Word, 9:00, ESPN+

Top line all but locked in, Mountain West set for huge week in Vegas

 Ayo Dosunmu returned to the lineup for Illinois and donned the ever-infamous mask. That didn't stop him from scoring 19 points, grabbing four rebounds and dishing out three assists in 36 minutes in Illinois' huge 73-68 win at Ohio State. That gives the Illini a nation-leading nine wins in Quadrant 1 and all but locks up a top seed in the NCAA Tournament, meaning the entire top line is nearly set. Barring something unforeseen, Gonzaga, Baylor, Michigan and Illinois will headline the four regions in Indiana in a week.

Alabama, Iowa and Ohio State certainly all still have a chance, especially Alabama if they sweep the regular-season and conference tournament titles in the SEC. All are likely in good position to be no worse than a No. 2 seed, even Ohio State with their recent struggles.

On the flip side, the Mountain West tournament is set and every bubble team will have a close eye on the action in Vegas. In today's projection, the Mountain West has the last two teams in the field (Boise State and Colorado State) as well as the first team out of the field (Utah State). Boise State's win over BYU and their sweep of Utah State helped push the Broncos win. Colorado State and Utah State split, but no bad losses for the Rams is a plus, while the Aggies have losses to South Dakota State and UNLV. But you can just as easily make a case for Utah State, thanks to their two wins over San Diego State.

The nice thing about the Mountain West bracket is that we are (hopefully) headed for a third meeting with the Rams and Aggies in the semifinals, while Boise State could draw San Diego State in the other semifinal. Both matchups would be extremely huge in the bubble picture. Utah State has won the conference tournament before and taken themselves off the bubble. Can they do it again?

One such bubble team that will be sweating out the week is Drake. They are in the clubhouse after losing the Missouri Valley championship to Loyola-Chicago. Drake will present a 23-4 record and a top-50 NET ranking to the committee with a win over Loyola. They also bring a 5-0 record against Quadrant 2, though all those wins are against Missouri State and Indiana State. Drake sits among the last four in, but it also helped that other bubble teams hurt their case in recent days, teams like Duke, Seton Hall and Saint Louis, among others. It's going to be a long week for Drake.

Along with Loyola-Chicago, Liberty will dance as the Atlantic Sun conference champions. They were going to represent the league, regardless, since their opponent, North Alabama, was ineligible for a tournament as a transitional team. But the Flames are the champions. And in the Ohio Valley, Morehead State knocked off regular-season champion Belmont to punch their first tournament ticket since 2011, when they upset Louisville in the first round as a No. 13 seed. They sit as a No. 14 in today's field.

And then there's Winthrop, who sport the nation's best record outside of Gonzaga. The Eagles enter the tournament at 23-1 and that one loss was by two points. They'll be a trendy upset pick, especially if they do indeed land a No. 12 seed as we are currently projecting.

You'll also notice a few other new teams in the bracket after a number of top seeds were bounced from their conference tournaments, including Wagner in the Northeast (replaced by Bryant) and James Madison in the Colonial (replaced by Northeastern). Southern Utah is also now in as the top seed in the Big Sky and Hartford is the America East AQ after both of the top two seeds were upset in the semifinals. It will be Hartford hosting UMass Lowell on Saturday.

Here is the full bracket update, followed by a rundown of today's tournament action. 

Last Four Byes: VCU, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan State

Last Four In: Drake, Xavier, Boise State, Colorado State

First Four Out: Utah State, Seton Hall, Syracuse, Saint Louis

Next Four Out: Ole Miss, Stanford, St. John's, Memphis

Bids by Conference:

Big Ten - 9

ACC - 7

Big 12 - 7

SEC - 6

Big East - 4

Pac-12 - 4

Mountain West - 3

American Athletic - 2

Missouri Valley - 2

West Coast - 2

One-bid leagues - 20

Monday's tournament action includes two championship games in the Southern Conference and in the Sun Belt.

Southern Conference Championship (in Asheville, NC)

No. 7 Mercer vs. No. 1 UNC Greensboro, 7:00, ESPN

Sun Belt Championship (in Pensacola, FL)

East No. 4 Appalachian State vs. East No. 1 Georgia State, 7:00, ESPN2

Colonial Semifinals (in Harrisonburg, VA)

No. 8 Elon vs. No. 4 Hofstra, 6:00, CBSSN

No. 6 Drexel vs. No. 2 Northeastern, 9:30, CBSSN

Horizon League Semifinals (in Indianapolis, IN)

No. 8 Milwaukee vs. No. 1 Cleveland State, 6:30, ESPNU

No. 4 Northern Kentucky vs. No. 3 Oakland, 9:30, ESPN2

MAAC First Round (in Atlantic City, NJ)

No. 11 Rider vs. No. 6 Canisius, 7:00, ESPN3

Summit League Semifinals (in Sioux Falls, SD)

No. 4 Oral Roberts vs. No. 1 South Dakota State, 6:45, ESPN+

No. 3 North Dakota State vs. No. 2 South Dakota, 9:45, ESPN+

West Coast Semifinals (in Las Vegas, NV)

No. 4 Saint Mary's vs. No. 1 Gonzaga, 9:00, ESPN

No. 3 Pepperdine vs. No. 2 BYU, 12:00 midnight, ESPN2

Rescheduled games puts Mountain West bids on thin ice

 We discussed earlier this week about Boise State's untimely loss to Fresno State. Another rescheduled game this week saw another Mountain West bubble team suffer a blow to their resume. That was Colorado State, who was the victim of a last-second three-point field goal that gave Nevada the 85-82 win over the Rams. 

The silver lining for Colorado State is that this is only a Quad 2 loss for them, instead of the Quad 4 loss for Boise State. Even better for both the Rams and Broncos, some of the other bubble teams haven't fully taken advantage of their miscues, namely Seton Hall.

Seton Hall's Wednesday loss to Connecticut dropped the Pirates to 13-11 overall and currently out of the field, putting Boise State back in and giving the Mountain West three bids in today's projection, but Colorado State and Boise State are currently the last two teams in.

As we check out today's bracket projection, you'll note we have our first official ticket punched to the NCAA Tournament. The Liberty Flames are back in the NCAA Tournament out of the Atlantic Sun. And this is before they even play their championship game. That's because their opponent in the A-Sun final is North Alabama, who is still in a transitional period into Division 1, and therefore ineligible for the NCAA Tournament. So win or lose, Liberty is dancing.

So here is today's bracket update.

Last Four Byes: North Carolina, Louisville, VCU, Drake

Last Four In: Michigan State, Xavier, Colorado State, Boise State

First Four Out: Seton Hall, Ole Miss, Utah State, Stanford

Next Four Out: Duke, Saint Louis, Syracuse, SMU

Bids by Conference

Big Ten - 9

ACC - 7

Big 12 - 7

SEC - 6

Big East - 4

Pac-12 - 4

Mountain West - 3

American Athletic - 2

Atlantic 10 - 2

Missouri Valley - 2

West Coast - 2

One-bid leagues - 20

Saturday has plenty of bubble action, including some key games in two conference tournaments. 

In the Atlantic 10, a huge semifinal tips off at 6:00 when Saint Louis (Next Four Out) takes on Saint Bonaventure. A win for the Billikens would move them closer to the cut line and give them a chance at getting off the bubble completely. A win for the Bonnies should just about put them in the field, but by no means would they be a lock. The Bonnies would be among the last four byes if they didn't have the automatic bid at the moment. 

The A-10's remaining other bubble team, VCU, takes on a dangerous Davidson team in the second semifinal. The two winners today get a week off before meeting in Dayton on March 14 for the Atlantic 10 championship. Richmond lost any remaining hope it had for the dance when they lost to Duquesne in the second round.

Out in St. Louis, Arch Madness has reached their quarterfinal round and the two big dogs in the race both advanced to today's semifinals, but in very different fashions. Top-seeded Loyola-Chicago had no trouble with Southern Illinois to set up today's semifinal with Indiana State. Drake, on the other hand, didn't even take the court for their quarterfinal. Northern Iowa had a COVID issue and had to drop out of the MVC tournament, automatically advancing Drake to the semifinals against Missouri State. 

The dreams of a two-bid Valley are still alive and if Loyola and Drake can advance today, it becomes more likely to be a reality. Even with a loss to Indiana State, the Ramblers are probably a near-lock for the tournament. Drake, however, cannot afford a loss to Missouri State.

We will also dish out a tournament bid in the Ohio Valley. The top two seeds, Belmont and Morehead State, both advanced to today's championship game.

Elsewhere Saturday, Duke and North Carolina tangle in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels can perhaps improve their NCAA seeding with a win, while Duke has to win to give themselves a shot. A loss puts them at 11-11 and a lot of work would have to be done in the ACC tournament.

In the Big Ten, Illinois visits Ohio State. The status of Ayo Dosunmu is still unknown but the Illini have rallied in his absence. A win over the Buckeyes would really help cement their spot on the top line. A win for the Buckeyes not only puts them back in the mix for the top line, but also improves the chances for SEC champion Alabama. It's going to be a run ride to figure out the last spot on the top line. Gonzaga, Baylor and Michigan are pretty much sure bets at this point to headline their respective regions.

Here's a rundown of today's conference tournament action, including one championship game and a number of other tournaments getting underway.

Ohio Valley Championship

No. 2 Morehead State vs. No. 1 Belmont, 8:00, ESPN2

America East Semifinals

No. 6 UMass Lowell at No. 1 UMBC, 2:00, ESPN+

No. 4 Hartford at No. 2 Vermont, 4:00, ESPN+

Atlantic 10 Semifinals (in Richmond, VA)

No. 4 Saint Louis vs. No. 1 Saint Bonaventure, 6:00, CBSSN

No. 3 Davidson vs. No. 2 VCU, 9:00, CBSSN

Colonial First Round (in Harrisonburg, VA)

No. 9 Towson vs. No. 8 Elon, 3:00

No. 10 UNC Wilmington vs. No. 7 William & Mary, 7:00

Missouri Valley Semifinals (in St. Louis)

No. 4 Indiana State vs. No. 1 Loyola-Chicago, 1:00, CBSSN

No. 3 Missouri State vs. No. 2 Drake, 4:00, CBSSN

Northeast Semifinals

No. 3 Sacred Heart at No. 2 Bryant, 12:00, ESPN3

No. 4 Mount St. Mary's at No. 1 Wagner, 2:00, ESPN3

Patriot League Quarterfinals

No. 9 Loyola (MD) at No. 1 Navy, 12:00, ESPN+

No. 7 Boston University at No. 2 Colgate, 1:00, ESPN+

No. 6 Bucknell at No. 3 Lafayette, 2:00, ESPN+

No. 5 American at No. 4 Army West Point, 3:00, ESPN+

Southern Conference Quarterfinals (Asheville, NC)

No. 8 The Citadel vs. No. 1 UNC Greensboro, 12:00, ESPN+

No. 5 East Tennessee State vs. No. 4 Chattanooga, 2:30, ESPN+

No. 7 Mercer vs. No. 2 Wofford, 5:30, ESPN+

No. 6 VMI vs. No. 3 Furman, 8:00, ESPN+

Summit League Quarterfinals (in Sioux Falls, SD)

No. 8 Omaha vs. No. 1 South Dakota State, 6:45, ESPN+

No. 7 Western Illinois vs. No. 2 South Dakota, 9:45, ESPN+

Sun Belt Quarterfinals (in Pensacola, FL)

East No. 3 South Alabama vs. West No. 2 Louisiana, 6:00, ESPN+

West No. 4 Arkansas State vs. East No. 1 Georgia State, 6:30, ESPN+

East No. 6 Troy vs. East No. 2 Coastal Carolina, 8:30, ESPN+

East No. 4 Appalachian State vs. West No. 1 Texas State, 9:00, ESPN+

West Coast Quarterfinals (in Las Vegas)

No. 5 Loyola Marymount vs. No. 4 Saint Mary's, 9:00, ESPNU

No. 7 Santa Clara vs. No. 3 Pepperdine, 12:00 midnight, ESPN2

And now a rundown of the action in the power conferences and more.

ACC

Florida State at Notre Dame, 12:00, ESPN2

Pittsburgh at Clemson, 12:00, ACCN

Virginia at Louisville, 4:00, ESPN2

Duke at North Carolina, 6:00, ESPN

Virginia Tech at North Carolina State was canceled.

The big game, of course, is Duke and North Carolina. As noted above, Duke really needs this one to have some hope heading into next week's ACC tournament.

American Athletic

South Florida at Wichita State, 1:00

The Shockers look to avoid a bad loss and keep their spot as the AQ in the American and would wrap up the regular season championship in the American.

Big 12

Oklahoma State at West Virginia, 2:00, ESPN2

Iowa State at Kansas State, 5:00, ESPN+

The Cowboys and Mountaineers are playing for seeding in both the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments. West Virginia will try to keep pressure on Villanova for a spot on two line.

Big East

Georgetown at Connecticut, 12:00, CBS

Villanova at Providence, 2:30, FOX

Butler at Creighton, 5:00, FOX

Seton Hall at St. John's, 7:00, FS1

Xavier at Marquette, 9:00, FS1

Villanova wrapped up the Big East title earlier this week with their win over Creighton. Now, it's about staying on the two line. Then on FS1, it's a pair of bubble teams. Xavier looks to keep their spot in the field against a Marquette team that recently won in Chapel Hill. Seton Hall absolutely cannot afford a loss to the Johnnies. Entering the Big East tournament at 13-12 would give them absolutely no room error.

Big Ten

Rutgers at Minnesota, 12:00, FOX

Indiana at Purdue, 2:00, ESPN

Illinois at Ohio State, 4:00, ESPN

The Illini and Buckeyes meet in a huge showdown with NCAA No. 1 seed implications. Rutgers had a bit of a stumble but can get themselves right against a Minnesota team that has hit rock bottom and will enter the Big Ten tournament 0-10 away from home. Indiana has at least won away from home, but are in a world of trouble if they can't win at Purdue today.

Mountain West

Utah State at Fresno State, 11:00, FS1

UNLV at Wyoming, 11:00, CBSSN

Utah State will look to avoid the same fate that Boise State suffered earlier this week, a loss to Fresno State. A win keeps them near the cut line. A loss would be devastating going into the conference tournament.

Pac-12

Arizona State at Utah, 2:00, FS1

USC at UCLA, 4:00, CBS

The USC/UCLA winner will be at least the No. 2 seed in the Pac-12 tournament and will be huge Oregon State fans Sunday. If Oregon State upsets Oregon, the USC/UCLA winner would claim the regular season Pac-12 title. The Ducks win the title if they win the Civil War.

SEC

South Carolina at Kentucky, 12:00, ESPN

Mississippi State at Auburn, 1:00, SECN

Alabama at Georgia, 2:00, CBS

LSU at Missouri, 3:00, SECN

Texas A&M at Arkansas, 5:00, SECN

Vanderbilt at Ole Miss, 7:00, SECN

LSU at Missouri is the highlight game here. LSU could use a win at Missouri to move them away from the bubble and secure third place in the SEC. A loss for Missouri could inch them closer to the always-dangerous 8/9 game in the NCAA Tournament. Alabama hopes to keep the pressure on the Big Ten teams, namely Illinois and Ohio State, in their quest for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament after already locking up their first SEC regular-season title since 2002.

Boise State's tumble highlights first bracket of March

 The calendar has turned to March, conference tournaments are underway and we are inching closer to finally having an NCAA tournament again after COVID-19 wiped out the 2020 edition.

One of the notable features of this first post of March is that Boise State, who had ben in the field for the longest time, now finds themselves out of today's projected field after their stunning home loss to Fresno State on Tuesday. The Broncos are now the first team out and are replaced by a fellow Mountain West contender, Colorado State.

The Rams had a lengthy layoff, but were able to shake off the rust with two dominating, and needed, wins over Air Force. Colorado State and Boise State split a two-game set at Colorado State in late January. Colorado State also split at San Diego State and at Utah State.

Boise State's loss also helped save Xavier's spot in the field, despite the Musketeers losing to Georgetown on Tuesday. Xavier's profile is boosted by their 22-point December home win over Oklahoma and have a split with Creighton.

Boise State's claim for the dance is a win at BYU in December, a split at Colorado State and a home sweep of Utah State. But they were swept at Nevada (sub-100 NET) and have the aforementioned home loss to Fresno State, which gives them a Quad 4 loss. Boise let a golden opportunity fly out the window when they were swept last week at San Diego State.

In addition, that was Boise State's last regular-season game. That's a bad taste to leave heading into the conference tournament. The Broncos needs to make some noise in Vegas.

This is going to make the Mountain West tournament extremely fun to watch. San Diego State looks like the only sure bet to dance. We also can't count out Utah State, who swept the Aztecs at home and split with Colorado State. But being swept by Boise State, as well as losses to South Dakota State and UNLV (both Quad 3 losses), put a damper on the Aggies' chances. They have the same number of Quad 3 losses as Quad 1 wins (two).

As it stands now in conference play, San Diego State and Colorado State are tied at 13-3, Utah State is right behind at 13-4 and Boise State sits at 14-6. If a team other than San Diego State can claim the Mountain West regular season title, that will give them some added cushion (but still not a huge margin for error) heading into the Mountain West tournament.

Colorado State hosts New Mexico Wednesday and visits Nevada on Friday. Utah State has Wyoming at home Thursday and UNLV at home Saturday. As mentioned earlier, Boise State is done until the Mountain West tournament.

With all that, let's take a look at the full bracket, which includes a more-solid group at the top line after Illinois' impressive win at Michigan on Tuesday.

Last Four Byes: Connecticut, Georgia Tech, VCU, Drake

Last Four In: Michigan State, Seton Hall, Xavier, Colorado State

First Four Out: Boise State, Ole Miss, Utah State, Stanford

Next Four Out: Duke, Saint Louis, Syracuse, SMU

Bids by Conference

Big Ten - 9

ACC - 7

Big 12 - 7

SEC - 6

Big East - 5

Pac-12 - 4

American Athletic - 2

Atlantic 10 - 2

Missouri Valley - 2

Mountain West - 2

West Coast - 2

One-bid leagues - 20

Three conferences have tournament games today, including the start of the Atlantic 10 tournament.

Atlantic 10 First Round (in Richmond, VA)

No. 13 Saint Joseph's vs. No. 12 La Salle, 11:00 a.m., ESPN+

No. 14 Fordham vs. No. 11 George Washington, 2 p.m., ESPN+

Patriot League First Round

No. 10 Lehigh at No. 7 Boston University, 7:00 p.m., ESPN+

Note: No. 9 Loyola (MD) was scheduled to visit No. 8 Holy Cross, but due to a positive COVID-19 test within the Holy Cross program, Loyola will advance to Saturday's quarterfinal against No. 1 Navy.

Ohio Valley Quarterfinals (in Evansville, IN)

No. 8 SIU-Edwardsville vs. No. 1 Belmont, 8:00 p.m., ESPN+

No. 7 SE Missouri State vs. No. 2 Morehead State, 10:30 p.m., ESPN+

As for the rest of Wednesday's action, the highlight matchup comes in the Big East as Villanova hosts Creighton (8:30 p.m., FS1). The Bluejays took the first meeting in Omaha on February 13.

Syracuse looks for another key win as they host Clemson (5:00 p.m., ACCN), while Seton Hall can inch closer to a better standing in the field if they can knock off Connecticut (6:30 p.m., FS1).

The Pac-12 will try to get some clarity in their title race. UCLA visits Oregon (9:00, ESPN2) and USC hosts Stanford (10:30 p.m., FS1) in what would be a huge win for the Cardinal, who sit among our first four out entering play today.

Tuesday Bracket Update with Conference Tournaments set to begin Thursday

 

Last Four Byes: Louisville, Maryland, Seton Hall, Oregon

Last Four In: Xavier, Indiana, Stanford, Colorado State

First Four Out: Minnesota, Connecticut, Duke, Richmond

Next Four Out: Utah State, Saint Louis, SMU, Georgia Tech

Conference Breakdown

Big Ten - 9

Big 12 - 7

ACC - 6

SEC - 6

Pac-12 - 5

Big East - 4

Mountain West - 3

American Athletic - 2

Atlantic 10 - 2

Missouri Valley - 2

West Coast - 2

One-bid leagues - 20

Finally Back for 2021, and still weird that Duke, Michigan State and Kentucky may all miss the dance

 It's been quite some time since we got this blog rolling. So let's dust off the old Corral and check out some brackets with less than a month to go before Selection Sunday.

Last Four Byes: Oregon, Xavier, Seton Hall, Maryland

Last Four In: Drake, Saint Bonaventure, North Carolina, Connecticut

First Four Out: Colorado State, Minnesota, Ole Miss, Richmond

Next Four Out: Utah State, Saint Louis, Syracuse, St. John's

Conference Breakdown

Big Ten - 9

Big 12 - 7

ACC - 6

SEC - 6

Big East - 5

Pac-12 - 5

American Athletic - 2

Missouri Valley - 2

Mountain West - 2-

West Coast - 2

One-bid leagues - 20

It obviously goes without saying that this has been one unique season in college basketball. Schedules have been altered due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. And if you've been following the season and the consensus bracket projections, you know that we're looking at a tournament that will not feature the likes of Duke, Michigan State or Kentucky. 

John Calipari's squad is currently sitting at 7-13 and, unless they make a stunning run in the SEC tournament, will miss the dance for the first time since 2013 (the year they lost to Robert Morris in the NIT).

For Tom Izzo and the Spartans, once upon a time, Sparty started 6-0, including a win at Duke in the Champions Classic. They have lost nine of their last 13 since their 6-0 start and sit outside the top 90 of the NET and sit 11th in the Big Ten standings at 4-9. This would be the first time since 1997 Michigan State doesn't hear its name called on Selection Sunday.

Then there's Duke. Just sniffing the top 60 of the NET, the Blue Devils are 9-8 overall with just one of those wins coming against Quadrant 1 and that was against NET No. 65 Notre Dame. They do have a home victory against Clemson to their credit. But their overall record and lack of top wins aren't making up for their pair of Quadrant 3 losses (one of which is actually Michigan State). Of the three teams we're discussing, Duke has the longest streak of consecutive tournament appearances. They haven't been left out of the dance since 1995.

In addition to these blue bloods being out, we also have North Carolina squarely on the bubble. But on the flip side, this has opened the door for more smaller schools to get more of an opportunity. This is why we have teams like Drake and Saint Bonaventure with at-large bids. The Missouri Valley Conference has not seen an at-large bid since Wichita State in 2016. But with Loyola-Chicago and Drake, a two-bid Missouri Valley is a viable possibility.

Drake earning a home split last weekend with the Ramblers kept them on the right side of the at-large conversation. The Missouri Valley tournament is going to be an exciting one. Here's hoping for a final between Drake and Loyola, a situation that could all but ensure both teams head to Indiana for the Big Dance.

That, of course, is another big change to the 2021 tournament, for those of you just catching up. The entire NCAA Tournament will take in the state of Indiana, with majority of the games being in Indianapolis, while Indiana and Purdue will also host some games. Also, this year's tournament will have 37 at-large bids, instead of 36, as the Ivy League decided not to play basketball. In fact, the league just announced they are not sponsoring spring sports, meaning the league will officially lose an entire academic year worth of sports, including two straight spring seasons, after the pandemic also wiped out the 2020 spring sports season.

This is going to be a fascinating final run to the bracket and to see how the committee values these teams with so many unbalanced schedules and odd number of games due to many games being postponed and even canceled. We'll dive more as we get closer to Selection Sunday. But it's good to be back.