2015 Barnes Bracketology - Mar. 6

In or out? That's the question all of the bubble teams are thinking right now? Have we done enough to be considered in the field of 68 or are we still on the outside? It's enough to make a coach and player go crazy but for myself, it just means comparing a few resumes and making a decision. Still time before selection Sunday so no need to panic for any team. Just take care of business and it will take care of itself. But if you don't, you put your fate in the hands of people who are very much a wild card each and every season.

MY PROJECTED FIELD OF 68
(changes in italics)

LOCKS: Getting down to the end here and sometimes, all it takes it just a simple win, even against an inferior team, to lock up your spot. This week, 4 teams did just that. Ohio State, Michigan State, Iowa and Cincinnati joined these ranks and it was well-deserved for all after a whole season of waffling.

This group is in order, so you have an idea of how they rank on my S-Curve.

LOCKS (32): Kentucky, Virginia, Duke, Villanova, Wisconsin, Arizona, Kansas, Gonzaga, Maryland, Baylor, Utah, Notre Dame, Wichita State, Iowa State, North Carolina, Oklahoma Arkansas, Northern Iowa, SMU, West Virginia, Louisville, Providence, Georgetown, Dayton, VCU, Butler, San Diego State, St. John's, Ohio State, Cincinnati, Michigan State, Iowa



AUTOS: Championship week is underway for some of these conferences. None of them affecting my decisions from Sunday, but I did make one change as I felt necessary.

Teams that have clinched their berth will appear in bold

AUTOS (21): America East - Albany, Atlantic Sun - North Florida, Big Sky - Eastern Washington, Big South - High Point, Big West - UC Davis, Colonial - William & Mary, Conference USA - Louisiana Tech, Horizon - Valparaiso, Ivy - Harvard, MAAC - Iona, MAC - Central Michigan, MEAC - NC Central, Northeast - St. Francis (NY), Ohio Valley - Murray State, Patriot - Bucknell, Southern - Wofford, Southland - Stephen F. Austin, SWAC - Texas Southern, Summit - South Dakota State, Sun Belt - Georgia State, WAC - New Mexico State

AT-LARGE: Good luck every trying to figure out this group. Some weeks, the teams near the top of this group show up as if they know they have an NCAA berth on the line. Others lay an egg on their home floor and the road floor and keep themselves in limbo. The newcomer to the group is Davidson, who did a nice job beating VCU. Texas A&M falls out after an uninspiring loss to the Gators.

These are in order, so the last four teams will be playing in the "First Four" in Dayton.

AT-LARGE (15): Temple, Oklahoma State, Colorado State, Georgia, Xavier, Ole Miss, NC State, Boise State, Indiana, Oregon, LSU, Purdue, Davidson, UCLA, BYU

 BUBBLE WATCH

BUBBLE: Selection Sunday is just around the corner and I can assure you this is not where you want to be: on the bubble. Some of these schools have some big opportunities ahead in the conference tournament. Others do not. S e shall see just how much emphasis is put into politicking.

These are in order, so to figure out the first teams out, head to the final team from the AT-LARGE category and look for all the teams behind them.

BUBBLE (30): Temple, Oklahoma State, Colorado State, Georgia, Xavier, Ole Miss, NC State, Boise State, Indiana, Oregon, LSU, Purdue, Davidson, UCLA, BYU, Texas A&M, Illinois, Texas, Miami (FL), Tulsa, Pittsburgh, Old Dominion, Stanford, Rhode Island, UMass, Louisiana Tech, UConn, Richmond

SEEDING

CONFERENCE BREAKDOWN
 Big Ten (7), ACC (6), Big East (6), Big 12 (6), SEC (5), Pac-12 (4), American (3), Mountain West (3), A-10 (3),  Missouri Valley (2), West Coast (2)

NEW TEAMS IN: Davidson

NEW TEAMS OUT: Texas A&M

(Click on bracket to enlarge)
MIDWEST vs. WEST
EAST vs. SOUTH

**Kentucky is the overall top seed

GAMES TO WATCH

TBA

Next update after Sunday's games.

MB