Championship Thursday: Xavier, Stanford suffer bad losses as week begins to halt from Coronavirus

Wednesday was a pretty light day in terms of the tournament outlook but the bracket still saw a shakeup thanks to two bubble teams suffering untimely losses and Boston University claiming the Patriot League title over Colgate on the road.

Entering the day, Xavier and Stanford were among the last four in and needed to avoid losses Wednesday to stay in the field. Unfortunately, neither of them were able to take care of business as DePaul and California, respectively, knocked them out and may have sent both to the NIT...if we have an NIT. We'll get to that in a moment.

As a result, both are currently out of the field and UCLA and North Carolina State have moved in heading into their respective conference tournaments...or so they thought.

As of early Thursday afternoon, a host of conference tournaments for 2020 have ceased to exist due to the Coronavirus. Those conferences include the ACC, American Athletic, Atlantic 10, Big Ten, Big 12, Conference USA, MAC, Pac-12 SEC, and WAC. We're really starting to think about the possibility of the NCAA Tournament not happening next week, if at all.

The NCAA has already announced the tournament will be played without fans in attendance. It's now very likely they suspend the tournament, following the season suspensions of the NBA and MLS and, likely, the NHL.

We will certainly continue to monitor the situation. As of now, here is the latest projection. The WAC, as of now, was the only conference to officially announce which team would receive the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament (though New Mexico State was the overwhelming favorite anyway). The interesting note here is that Cincinnati was set to be the No. 1 seed in the AAC tournament. If there is an NCAA Tournament, the conference canceling the tournament may have given the Bearcats a free pass into the NCAA Tournament. We'll find out.

Last Four Byes: Oklahoma, USC, Texas Tech, Richmond
Last Four In: Arizona State, Texas, UCLA, North Carolina State
First Four Out: Xavier, Stanford, Wichita State, Northern Iowa
Next Four Out: Memphis, Mississippi State, Rhode Island, Oklahoma State

Conference Breakdown

Big Ten - 10

Big 12 - 6

Pac-12 - 6

ACC - 5

Big East - 5

SEC - 4

West Coast - 3

AAC - 2

Atlantic 10 - 2

Mountain West - 2

One-bid leagues - 22

Championship Wednesday: Gonzaga stamps their mark, four others punch ticket

Five more tickets were punched on the court Tuesday (not including Yale's due to the cancellation of the Ivy League Tournament).

Gonzaga exacted revenge on Saint Mary's from last season's West Coast final, 84-66, to reclaim the crown and lock up the No. 1 seed in the West Region come Sunday when the brackets are revealed. Saint Mary's should be fine as well, but likely will find themselves in the middle of the bracket, most likely an 8/9 game.

The full list of automatic qualifiers is as follows: Liberty (Atlantic Sun), Winthrop (Big South), Hofstra (Colonial), Northern Kentucky (Horizon), Yale (Ivy), Bradley (Missouri Valley), Utah State (Mountain West), Robert Morris (Northeast), Belmont (Ohio Valley), East Tennessee State (Southern), North Dakota State (Summit) and Gonzaga (West Coast).

One more bid will be awarded tonight, starting at 7:00 on CBS Sports Network, as Colgate hosts Boston University for the Patriot League Championship. Colgate is looking for their second-straight Patriot League title while Boston U is looking for their first tournament title in the Patriot League and first NCAA appearance since winning the America East in 2011.

Last Four Byes: Oklahoma, USC, Texas Tech, Richmond
Last Four In: Xavier, Arizona State, Texas, Stanford
First Four Out: UCLA, North Carolina State, Wichita State, Northern Iowa
Next Four Out: Memphis, Mississippi State, Rhode Island, Oklahoma State

Conference Breakdown

Big Ten - 10

Pac-12 - 7

Big East - 6

Big 12 - 6

ACC - 4

SEC - 4

West Coast - 3

AAC - 2

Atlantic 10 - 2

Mountain West - 2

One-bid leagues - 22

Championship Week Tuesday: Two more bids thanks to Coronavirus

One more bid was handed out Monday to the NCAA Tournament as bubble teams everywhere breathed a sigh of relief for the time being.

East Tennessee State pulled away in the second half to defeat Wofford in the Southern Conference final and kept an at-large open for other bubble teams, as the Bucs might have had a case to be selected even with a loss.

Elsewhere Monday, San Francisco gave Gonzaga all they could handle in the West Coast semifinals, but the Bulldogs held off the Dons, 81-77, to advance to tonight's championship against Saint Mary's, who needed a late shot by Jordan Ford with 1.4 seconds left to defeat BYU, 51-50. The Gaels are in a much better position this year than they were last season, when they needed the automatic bid to dance. A win tonight likely ensures, however, they'll wear their home whites in round one.

Early Tuesday, we saw a surprise entrant into the NCAA Tournament. Due to concerns from the Coronavirus, the Ivy League decided to cancel the men's and women's conference tournaments this weekend. As a result, Yale, as regular-season champion, gets the automatic bid, just like the old days of the Ivy League, awarding the bid to the regular-season champion. Princeton will represent the league for the women.

Five more bids are up for grabs tonight, starting with three games at 7:00. Those will be in the Horizon League (UIC vs Northern Kentucky, ESPN), Northeast (St. Francis (PA) at Robert Morris, ESPN2) and Colonial (Hofstra vs Northeastern, CBSSN).

At 9:00, Gonzaga meets Saint's Mary's on ESPN for the West Coast title and ESPN2 has the Summit League final between North Dakota and North Dakota State.

Not much change in the bracket other than to show the automatic bids for East Tennessee State and Yale. Likely not much for tomorrow either, but Thursday's bracket might start looking a little different so stay tuned.

Last Four Byes: Oklahoma, USC, Texas Tech, Richmond
Last Four In: Xavier, Arizona State, Texas, Stanford
First Four Out: UCLA, North Carolina State, Wichita State, Northern Iowa
Next Four Out: Arkansas, Memphis, Mississippi State, Rhode Island

Conference Breakdown

Big Ten - 10

Pac-12 - 7

Big East - 6

Big 12 - 6

ACC - 4

SEC - 4

West Coast - 3

AAC - 2

Atlantic 10 - 2

Mountain West - 2

One-bid leagues - 22

Start of Championship Week

With Monday kicking off Championship Week and five tournament bids officially being punched, the tournament field is beginning to take shape. As always, this week will really help determine who is in and who is out.

We already saw some bubble action over the weekend as Utah State removed any doubt regarding their inclusion in the tournament. Stan Merrill's three-pointer with 2.5 seconds left gave the Aggies a 59-56 win over San Diego State to claim the automatic bid and ensure the Mountain West will be a two-bid league. They also have knocked the Aztecs down to a No. 2 seed with Dayton moving up to the top line.

Of course, that may work in the Aztecs' favor, as they now can be slotted for the West region rather than the East and potentially set up a Gonzaga-San Diego State battle for a spot in the Final Four.

Other automatic bids were awarded to Bradley (Missouri Valley), Winthrop (Big South), Liberty (Atlantic Sun) and Belmont (Ohio Valley). Monday sees another bid on the line in the Southern Conference as East Tennessee State battles Wofford. ETSU might have an at-large case if they lose, as they own a win over LSU in Baton Rouge. Of course, they'd rather eliminate any doubt and simply punch their ticket tonight.

Let's take a look at the latest field, where the automatic bids are simply the highest seeds in each conference, which is why Cincinnati is now in the field as the No. 1 seed in the American Athletic.

Last Four Byes: Oklahoma, USC, Texas Tech, Richmond
Last Four In: Xavier, Arizona State, Texas, Stanford
First Four Out: UCLA, North Carolina State, Wichita State, Northern Iowa
Next Four Out: Memphis, Mississippi State, Rhode Island, Purdue

Conference Breakdown

Big Ten - 10

Big East - 7

Big 12 - 6

Pac-12 - 6

ACC - 4

SEC - 4

West Coast - 3

AAC - 2

Atlantic 10 - 2

Mountain West - 2

One-bid leagues - 22

Final Regular Season Weekend, Northern Iowa now sweating

The final regular-season weekend is upon us and we're already seeing some shifts in the bracket from the smaller conferences.

Northern Iowa just gave themselves a long wait until Selection Sunday after their stunning loss Friday against No. 8 seed Drake in the Missouri Valley quarterfinals, a tournament that is already bringing more Arch Madness as the Nos. 6 and 7 seeds (Missouri State and Valparaiso) also advanced to today's semifinals and one of them will play for the automatic bid tomorrow.

As for UNI, it's time to wait and see if they've done enough to convince the committee to give them an at-large bid and make the Missouri Valley a two-bid league. The Panthers have a top-50 NET ranking but only have one quadrant one victory at Colorado. They do also own a neutral-court victory over South Carolina. The question now becomes will that be enough to overcome three quadrant three losses, including the early tournament exit from Drake by 21, a team UNI beat by ten at home and by 27 on the road. As of now, the Panthers sit among the first four out and may have to hope some of the other bubble teams ruin their own chances over the next eight days.

You'll also notice Tulsa is currently in the field as the leader in the American Athletic Conference and can win the regular-season title outright with a win at Wichita State Sunday, the first team out of today's field.

A couple of wins has put Purdue back in the mix. 16-14 certainly looks a lot better than 14-14, which is where Purdue was a few days ago. They'll want to defeat Rutgers today to feel better about their hopes. A loss today puts them at 15 losses and they would likely reach 16 after the Big Ten tournament. No team has ever received an at-large bid with 16 losses. The Boilermakers also sit among the first four out today.

Then there's UCLA. Those six quadrant one wins might be too much to ignore for the committee, even with the 77 NET ranking (which can still improve). The Bruins have season-sweeps of Arizona and Colorado, plus a split with Arizona State. A win over USC gives them at least a share of the Pac-12 title with Oregon and that should also resonate well with the committee, especially since UCLA is the seventh team out of the conference in this projection.

Saturday will also see the first two tickets officially punched to the big dance, as automatic bids will be handed out in the Mountain West and the Ohio Valley. The Mountain West moved their tournament up a week. We have the expected championship match between San Diego State and Utah State. The Aztecs can all but secure the last No. 1 seed with a win. A loss opens the door for Dayton to claim that spot. Both teams are in search of their first-ever No. 1 seed in the tournament.

San Diego State is set for their best seed since being a No. 2 in 2011, while Dayton hasn't been seeded this high since earning a No. 4 seed in 2003, meaning the Flyers are set for the highest seed in their tournament history.

Utah State can take themselves off the bubble by punching their ticket tonight, while also causing more worry for the other bubble teams. The Aggies are currently among the last four in. Wins over Florida and LSU definitely look good and may still push them in regardless. But a win would end any debate.

The other championship is yet another Murray State vs Belmont battle in the Ohio Valley. This is the third year in a row the Racers and Bruins are meeting in the final. Murray State has won the last two Ohio Valley titles, with 2019 seeing both teams make the NCAA Tournament after the selection committee gave Belmont an at-large bid.

Here's a look at the last tournament field.

Last Four Byes: USC, Providence, Arizona State, Texas
Last Four In: Utah State, Richmond, Stanford, UCLA
First Four Out: Wichita State, Xavier, Northern Iowa, Purdue
Next Four Out: North Carolina State, Arkansas, Memphis, Cincinnati

Conference Breakdown

Big Ten - 10

Pac-12 - 7

Big East - 6

Big 12 - 6

ACC - 4

SEC - 4

West Coast - 3

AAC - 2

Atlantic 10 - 2

Mountain West - 2

One-bid leagues - 22

Start of Chanpionship Fortnight

We have now reached the point of the season where conference tournaments are set to begin and we are less than two weeks away from Selection Sunday. A lot will certainly change, as is evidenced by today's bracket. For one, you will notice UCLA is in as the Pac-12 auto-bid. They sit a half-game ahead of Oregon and can clinch at least a share of the Pac-12 title with a win over USC Saturday.

Also creeping up the charts is Texas, who sit as the second team out in this update but a spot is right there for the taking for the Longhorns. And Providence just keeps on winning and has moved directly into the main bracket, avoiding the First Four.

This will be a quick update as we now will check out the full field of 68.

Last Four Byes: Wichita State, USC, Rutgers, Providence
Last Four In: Utah State, Stanford, Richmond, North Carolina State
First Four Out: Xavier, Texas, Memphis, Arkansas
Next Four Out: Mississippi State, Cincinnati, Rhode Island, Georgetown

Conference Breakdown

Big Ten - 10

Pac-12 - 7

Big East - 6

ACC - 5

Big 12 - 5

SEC - 4

West Coast - 3

AAC - 2

Atlantic 10 - 2

Mountain West - 2

One-bid leagues - 22

Bracketing from the NFL Scouting Combine

Pulling some double duty here as I post an updated bracket from Indianapolis at the NFL Scouting Combine and where the Big Ten will soon hold their conference tournament and Midwest Regionals will take place in the NCAA Tournament. A lot happening here in Indianapolis over the next month.

Last Four Byes: Oklahoma, Wichita State, USC, Stanford
Last Four In: North Carolina State, Richmond, Memphis, Providence
First Four Out: Arkansas, Xavier, UCLA, Cincinnati
Next Four Out: Mississippi State, Rhode Island, Georgetown, Alabama

Conference Breakdown

Big Ten - 10

Big East - 6

Pac-12 - 6

ACC - 5

Big 12 - 5

SEC - 4

AAC - 3

West Coast - 3

Atlantic 10 - 2

Mountain West - 2

One-bid leagues - 22

Top line stays intact, Utah State moves in, Memphis sliding

Valentine's Day is over and that means we're inching closer and closer to Selection Sunday. We stand just four weeks away from the bracket unveiling.

The top half of the bracket is really beginning to take shape. The top line of Baylor, Kansas, Gonzaga and San Diego State is holding firm. The two-line saw a change from the initial committee rankings last week. Maryland moves up in place of West Virginia after their loss at Kansas State. The Terrapins join Duke, Dayton and Louisville.

As for the bubble, San Diego State, at least for now, is not the only Mountain West team in the field. Utah State has moved into the last four in group. Their wins over LSU and Florida could end up looming large among the bubble teams. The downside for the Aggies is they have already been swept in the regular season by the Aztecs. While we can say they could use a win over San Diego State in the Mountain West, that would likely lock up their spot, regardless, as that meeting would likely come in the tournament final and a win would give Utah State the automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.

Memphis has taken a tumble and recently suffered a bad home loss to South Florida. The Tigers are now in danger of missing the tournament in what has been quite the roller-coaster season, which included the suspension and eventual departure from the school of James Wiseman.

Richmond and VCU meet Saturday in a huge bubble contest. Both teams are currently on the outside looking in. VCU suffered an ugly loss Wednesday against George Mason. This game might be more important for the Rams but that certainly doesn't mean this isn't important for the Spiders. The loser will have a bigger hole to climb out of. VCU easily took the first meeting back on January 28, winning at home by 19.

So now let's take a look at the latest bracket before an important weekend of games.

Last Four Byes: Stanford, Cincinnati, Wichita State, Purdue
Last Four In: Memphis, Arizona State, Utah State, Florida
First Four Out: Richmond, Rhode Island, North Carolina State, Xavier
Next Four Out: Mississippi State, VCU, UNC Greensboro, Georgetown

Conference Breakdown

Big Ten - 11

Pac-12 - 6

Big 12 - 5

Big East - 5

SEC - 5

American Athletic - 4

ACC - 4

West Coast - 3

Mountain West - 2

One-bid leagues - 23

Finally back for 2020

It's been a good while coming, but we're finally ready with the first bracket of 2020. I wanted to at least the first bracket ready before Saturday's top-16 reveal by the committee, which is always an interesting exercise to see how the committee values the top teams, especially a season like this one, which has featured so many upsets and craziness across the nation.

We have a strong consensus as to who the top four teams in the country are and who would currently headline each region as of today. The top seeds right now are Baylor, Gonzaga, San Diego State and Kansas. Among that group, it will be interesting to see where the committee slots San Diego State, the last remaining unbeaten team this season at 23-0. Did they show the committee enough to slot them No. 1 overall, ahead of Baylor, who sits atop the AP Poll?

If not, how will they compare to Gonzaga, who has just one loss against Michigan? This is an interesting case. Both teams have four quadrant one victories, but the committee might look at Gonzaga's top wins as a better group than those of San Diego State. The Bulldogs own wins away from home against Arizona and Oregon, along with a home win over BYU. The Aztecs have beaten Creighton, Iowa and BYU away from home. Gonzaga's win over Oregon, who is in play for a No. 2 seed, may be currently enough to push them to the overall No. 2 seed and the West region, sending the Aztecs to the Midwest.

It's not often we see two teams battling for the West region on the top line and not as the final No. 1 seed. But we've got it this season and it's an exciting race to watch.

As for the other side of the bracket, we've got a pair of West Coast teams (Saint Mary's and BYU) and an Atlantic 10 team (Rhode Island) among the last four byes and an Atlantic 10 team (Richmond) among the last four in, helping out the non-power six. Also in that group is defending national champion Virginia, which shows how crazy this season has been. Even last season's runner-up, Texas Tech, currently sits as a No. 9 seed.

You also get a sense of how weak the ACC has been this season. As of now, only four teams from the league are dancing, but three of them all sit on the two-line. You know it's a down year when North Carolina is sitting near the basement of the league.

The last four in are Texas, Richmond, Purdue and Florida. Purdue is helped by their top-30 NET ranking and the fact the Big Ten has been so strong this season. This bracket features 11 teams from the league, which would tie the all-time record for most teams from a single conference in the NCAA Tournament. The Big East sent 11 of their 16 teams back in 2011, the first year the tournament fielded 68 teams.

Just on the outside are Cincinnati, Virginia Tech, North Carolina State and VCU, with Tulsa, UNC Greensboro, Utah State and Minnesota behind them.

With that in mind, let's take a look at the full bracket heading into the weekend and tomorrow's top-16 reveal.

Last Four Byes: Rhode Island, Saint Mary's, BYU, Virginia

Last Four In: Texas, Richmond, Purdue, Florida

First Four Out: Cincinnati, Virginia Tech, North Carolina State, VCU

Next Four Out: Tulsa, UNC Greensboro, Utah State, Minnesota

Also considered: Alabama, Arizona State, Georgetown, Mississippi State, Notre Dame, Providence, SMU, Syracuse, Tennessee, Xavier

Conference Breakdown:

Big Ten - 11

Big 12 - 6

Big East - 5

Pac-12 - 5

SEC - 5

ACC - 4

American Athletic - 3

Atlantic 10 - 3

West Coast - 3

One-bid leagues - 23