How every team fits in the overall NCAA Tournament picture will always be a point of discussion? We present to you our NCAA Basketball March Madness picks that you can compare with what you have in mind!
* Projected conference winners receive an automatic bid
Projections are as of March 10, 2022 (Previous Projections)
The No. 1 Seeds
1-A. Gonzaga (25-3) *
The Zags' 10-point win over San Francisco on Monday night was an unexpected bounce after they had lost to St. Mary’s in the previous game.
The only potential speed bump to Gonzo’s seemingly inevitable WCC title and No. 1 ranking heading into the Big Dance is the Gaels but can they really pull another upset? Nah.
1-B. Arizona (28-3) *
The Wildcat’s loss to Colorado looks like a wake-up call as they have now won all three of their games last week by an average of 20 points. Included on the Cats’ hit list was a big 91-71 road win over No. 16 USC.
1-C. Baylor (26-5) *
Baylor has shown what it is made of after its impressive 68-61 win over No. 21 Texas and thereafter defeating Iowa State last weekend. Big 12 has boiled down to a two-team conference tournament between the Bears and the Jayhawks.
1-D. Kansas (25-6)
The start of last week wasn’t that good for Jayhawks after experiencing a 10-point loss to TCU. However, they avenged that defeat two nights later when they notched a gritty 72-68 victory over the Frogs in front of the partisan crowd at the Allen Fieldhouse.
Then Kansas truly showed its mettle when they secured an overtime win over No. 21 Texas on Saturday.
The No. 2 Seeds
2-A. Duke (26-5) *
Many people were expecting the proverbial Hollywood ending for Coach K’s last game in front of the Duke faithful after 42 years at the helm playing against his fiercest conference rival, North Carolina.
The Devils were 11-point home favorites but ended up falling 94-81 to the Tar Heels. We suspect Coach K will turn that loss into a teaching moment and Duke will roll to its 16th ACC Tournament championship when the smoke clears.
2-B. Auburn (27-4) *
Auburn had a bad start after losing to Tennessee and Florida. However, their three-point win over Mississippi State was the start of their recovery journey as they also won 82-71 over South Carolina later.
Although we are not convinced Auburn is the real deal, the Tigers have made significant strides since last week in our March Madness Bracket Projections when we had them installed as the 3-D entry.
2-C. Tennessee (23-7)
The seven losses on the Vols’ record is something that speaks volumes of how their season has been.
However, their latest performances are something worth looking into as they have defeated No. 3 Auburn, beat Georgia on the road, and then avenged an earlier loss to No. 14 Arkansas, all in the span of one week.
Can you say underrated?
2-D. Arkansas (24-7)
The Hogs will only drop a few spots on our last week’s rankings because losing a hard-fought decision to the talented Vols is no cause for alarm.
The No. 3 Seeds
3-A. Kentucky (25-6)
Kentucky’s last week’s solid wins over conference rivals Florida and Ole Miss were enough for them to recover from their narrow loss to Arkansas. Are we bowled over with this edition of the Cats? No, but they are a team that could surprise the truly elite.
3-B. Texas Tech (23-8)
The only thing the Red Raiders did last week was lose their only game—a highly competitive game we might add, but a 52-51 loss to Oklahoma State nonetheless.
They are now into Quadrant 3 after this loss but possess the defensive chops to stymie even the most explosive teams.
3-C. Wisconsin (24-6) *
It seems like the Badgers were still celebrating their three-point victory over Purdue when they met lowly Nebraska on Sunday afternoon and dropped a 74-73 stunner to the Huskers.
We still believe Whiskey is the class of the Big Ten and we hope this won’t prove us wrong this week.
3-D. Villanova (23-7) *
Nova defeated their Big East rivals from Providence for the second time in two weeks to secure the regular-season sweep.
What made it even more impressive was that it was hot off the heels of a narrow loss to U Conn. The Cats were not yet done as ended last week with a dominating performance against Butler.
The No. 4 Seeds
4-A. UCLA (23-6)
The Bruins cop the top spot in Quadrant 4 after their impressive 75-68 win over No. 16 USC on Saturday. They will now be Arizona’s biggest challenge in the Pac-12 tourney.
4-B. Providence (24-4)
Providence lost to Villanova in the regular-season finale. However, they put up a spirited fight that saw then rise from a 14-point deficit en route to the 76-74 setback.
There was no divine intervention to be had for the Friars but that doesn’t mean they won’t prevail as one of the favorites in the Big East tournament this week.
4-C. Purdue (25-6)
The Boilermakers lost two of their last three games but we keep on punishing them. The fact is that two losses came from the tough conference rivals, Michigan State and Wisconsin, with both games decided by identical three points.
They subsequently wrapped the season with a win over Indiana.
4-D. Illinois (22-8)
Illinois' spirited win over No. 24 Iowa on Sunday was all they needed to end the season. The Big Ten is wide open entering the postseason and any number of teams could be crowned the conference king…including Illinois.
The No. 5 Seeds
5-A. USC (25-6)
The Trojans have dropped a full quadrant since last week courtesy of their two losses to end the season. But we can’t blame them a lot as the caliber of competition was top-notch including No. 2 Arizona and No. 17 UCLA.
5-B. U Conn (22-8)
The Huskies have been tough down the stretch but they were upended, 64-62, by Creighton which was their second loss to the Bluejays this season. Nevertheless, U Conn recovered after a few days with a solid effort against DePaul.
5-C. Houston (26-5) *
This Houston edition may bear little resemblance to the Phi Slama Jama juggernaut of the 80s. However, they are talented in their own right and were able to pull over four consecutive double-digit wins before losing to Memphis in their regular-season finale.
5-D. North Carolina (23-8)
Vaulting from 7-D to 5-D in one week is what happens when you spoil a party like the one Duke fans were bent on throwing Coach K last week.
The Tar Heels were ready to spoil the party which saw them put together a complete performance as they have all season in their 94-81 stunner.
The No. 6 Seeds
6-A. Iowa (22-9)
The Big Ten is represented yet again and this time we see the Hawkeyes checking in as the top seed in Quadrant 6 after pulling off five remarkable wins before ending their year with a two-point loss to conference opponents Illinois.
6-B. Murray State (30-2) *
Murray State raced to an 18-0 conference mark, and not forgetting the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title, with a scrappy win over Morehead State. Yes, the Racers are the class of the OVC but it’s still just the OVC.
6-C. LSU (21-10)
The Tigers have had a brutal schedule down the home stretch of the season and their losses to South Carolina, No. 6 Kentucky, and No. 14 Arkansas by a combined eight points are enough proof.
LSU also delivered a 20-point blowout over Missouri and an impressive overtime win against Alabama to end their season.
6-D. St. Mary’s (25-6)
Fans would have understood the Gaels had they experienced a letdown against Santa Clara on Monday night in the semifinals of the WCC tournament after shocking the world in their previous game when they defeated the No. 1 team in the nation, Gonzaga.
But St. Mary’s claimed a hotly-contested 75-72 win and will now meet the Zags in the conference finals.
From the No. 7 Seed to the Bubble Boys
The following are the teams projected to go from the No. 7 seeds through the No. 16 seeds and the teams on the bubble for the NCAA Basketball Tournament.
The No. 7 Seeds
7-A. Notre Dame (22-9)
7-B. Texas (21-10)
7-C. Ohio State (19-10)
7-D. Michigan State (19-9)
The No. 8 Seeds
8-A. Colorado State (24-4)
8-B. Boise State (24-7) *
8-C. Creighton (20-10)
8-D. Wake Forest (23-8)
The No. 9 Seeds
9-A. Miami (22-9)
9-B. Seton Hall (20-9)
9-C. TCU (19-11)
9-D. Davidson (25-5 SU) *
The No. 10 Seeds
10-A. Loyola Chicago (25-7)
10-B. SMU (22-7)
10-C. Wyoming (24-7)
10-D. Marquette (19-11)
The No. 11 Seeds
11-A. Toledo (25-6) *
11-B. Belmont (25-7)
11-C. North Texas (23-5) *
11-D. Vermont (26-5) *
The No. 12 Seeds
12-A. Chattanooga (27-7) *
12-B. Towson (25-8) *
12-C. New Mexico State (24-6) *
12-D. Iona (25-6) *
The No. 13 Seeds
13-A. South Dakota State (29-4) *
13-B. Princeton (22-5) *
13-C. Liberty (22-11) *
13-D. Northern Iowa (19-11) *
The No. 14 Seeds
14-A. Longwood (26-6) *
14-B. Montana State (24-7) *
14-C. Georgia State (18-10) *
14-D. Norfolk State (21-6) *
The No. 15 Seeds
15-A. Colgate (22-11) *
15-B. Northern Kentucky (20-11) *
15-C. Long Beach State (18-11) *
15-D. Bryant (21-9) *
The No. 16 Seeds
16-A. Nicholls (21-10) *
16-B. Santa Clara (21-11)
16-C. Navy (21-10)
16-D. Alcorn State (15-15) *
Bubble Boys
A. Ohio (23-8)
B. Iowa State (20-11)
C. Memphis (19-9)
D. Virginia (18-12)
