Predicting the Tournament Field - Updated Bracketology

As of games through Sunday, March 6, 2016.

WARNING: The predicted field/seeding is highly likely to change from day to day or minute to minute.

*Automatic bids in italics

1 SEEDS: Kansas; Virginia; Oklahoma; Villanova.

2 SEEDS: Michigan State; Oregon; West Virginia; North Carolina.

3 SEEDS: Miami; Xavier; Utah; Duke.

4 SEEDS: Texas; Iowa State; Indiana; Iowa.

5 SEEDS: Purdue; Kentucky; Texas A&M; Maryland.

6 SEEDS: California; Arizona; Baylor; Wisconsin.

7 SEEDS: Notre Dame; Texas Tech; Seton Hall; Oregon State.

8 SEEDS: Colorado; Connecticut; Syracuse; Dayton.

9 SEEDS: Providence; Butler; Vanderbilt; Cincinnati.

10 SEEDS: USC; Wichita State; Pittsburgh; St. Joe’s.

11 SEEDS: Tulsa vs. Michigan; VCU vs. Florida; Saint Mary’s; Valparaiso.

12 SEEDS: San Diego State; Monmouth; Arkansas Little Rock; Northern Iowa.

13 SEEDS: Hofstra; Akron; Chattanooga; South Dakota State.

14 SEEDS: Yale; Stony Brook; UC Irvine; UAB.

15 SEEDS: S. F. Austin; New Mexico State; Weber State; UNC Asheville.

16 SEEDS: Lehigh; Wagner; Hampton vs. Florida GC; Texas Southern vs. Austin Peay.

LAST FOUR IN: Tulsa; VCU; Florida; Michigan.

FIRST FIVE OUT: St. Bonaventure; Gonzaga; Florida State; South Carolina; Georgia Tech.

NEXT FIVE OUT: George Washington; Washington; Princeton; Temple; Stanford.

CONFERENCE BREAKDOWN: ACC (7); Big Ten (7); Big 12 (7); Pac 12 (7); Big East (5); SEC (4); AAC (3); Atlantic 10 (3); Missouri Valley (2).

Note: Automatic bids are determined by the highest RPI team remaining in each Conference/Conference Tournament.

Eye on the Tourney: Today's Games to Watch

A busy Saturday brings us a few marquee match-ups with high NCAA Tournament seed ramifications, as a number of crucial contests will go a long way towards determining whether some teams are lucky enough to be seeded at all. 

Let's take a look.

Xavier (14-7, 5-4) at Seton Hall (14-6, 4-4) 12PM, Newark, NJ, FS1

The cluttered and underrated Big East (2nd rated RPI conference) gets us started with a match-up of two teams currently in the NCAA field, but eager to secure a spot at the expense of the other. Both are coming off of big wins. Xavier finally got a big road win (at Georgetown), while the Hall snapped a three-game losing streak at Marquette. The Pirates have some good news in the form of freshman Isaiah Whitehead's return. Prediction: Seton Hall 66, Xavier 63.

Providence (16-5, 6-2) at St. John's (12-7, 2-5) 12PM, New York, NY, FOX

More Big East action here, as underrated Providence goes into The World's Most Famous Arena and attempts to avenge the sound defeat they suffered at the hands of the Red Storm a couple weeks ago. The Johnnies will need to get this game as well, since they have lost six of their last eight and are seeing their tournament hopes dim with each disappointing loss. The Friars are looking like solid tourney participants and will want to keep up their current momentum. Point guard Kris Dunn has been spectacular of late and is coming off a triple-double performance versus DePaul. Prediction: St. John's 73, Providence 71.

Arkansas (16-4, 5-2) at Florida (11-9, 4-3) 1PM, Gainesville, FL, CBS

On to the SEC where Florida is very down, but not completely out. Something tells me the Gators are primed to make a run at the dance, after their tough 2-point victory at fellow bubble resident Alabama, this week. The Razorbacks are currently looking like the second best in the league and about a 6 seed in the NCAAs, but that's a tenuous position at best. Prediction: Florida 74, Arkansas 69.

#11 North Carolina (17-4, 7-1) at #10 Louisville (17-3, 5-2) 4PM, Louisville, KY, ESPN

Enter the marquee match-ups and the top-heavy ACC. Despite the rankings and even the records, UNC has the far better resume between the two teams. Louisville has yet to beat an elite opponent, including their one-point loss in Chapel Hill earlier this month. If the Cardinals are going to live up to their projections, it will likely have to start today against the talented, but injury plagued Tar Heels. Prediction: Louisville 75, North Carolina 70.

#14 Wichita State (18-2, 9-0) at #16 Northern Iowa (19-2, 8-1) 4PM, Cedar Falls, IA, ESPN2

It's not often that the Missouri Valley presents a must-see match-up in late January, but that's the case today. Many wondered whether anyone in the MVC would step up and challenge Wichita State's supremacy and the Panthers have come out of nowhere to do just that this season. UNI, like the Shockers, look like NCAA Tournaments locks. Wichita State will look to make a statement versus the league up-start, while Northern Iowa will be eager to protect their home court. Prediction: Wichita State 68, Northern Iowa 65.

#18 Texas (14-6, 3-4) at #23 Baylor (14-5, 3-4) 6PM, Waco, TX, ESPN2

You can't have a Saturday Games to Watch this year without an appearance from the Big 12. Texas, though very much on the radar and tournament bound, has been a bit disappointing despite their abundance of talent. Good leagues can do that to teams and Baylor knows all about disappointment. The Bears, too, look like a sure fire tourney team, but their eventual seed is very much uncertain. Both teams want this game badly. Prediction: Texas 72, Baylor 69.

#4 Duke (17-3, 4-3) at #2 Virginia (19-0, 7-0) 7PM, Charlottesville, VA, ESPN

Back to the ACC for the unquestioned game of the day. This is big boy stuff here, with #1 seeds in the mix. Virginia has been as impressive as any team in the country this year, and yes, that includes that team in Lexington. It's offense versus defense, but also a lot of youth versus a lot of experience. Charlottesville will be rocking. Prediction: Virginia 67, Duke 61.

#20 Oklahoma (13-7, 4-4) at Oklahoma State (13-6, 4-4) 8PM, Stillwater, OK, ESPN2

We finish with another Big 12 match-up of virtual tourney locks. Add to that the in-state component and identical league records and you have what should be a knock-down, drag-out affair. Oklahoma has the higher ceiling of the two, but the Cowboys are home where they rarely lose. The Sooners, like Texas, have been slightly disappointing of late, but they are coming off a 45-point victory at Texas Tech. Prediction: Oklahoma 70, Oklahoma State 66.

Other games of note...

#5 Wisconsin (18-2, 6-1) at Iowa (13-7, 4-3) 12PM, Iowa City, IA, ESPN

Kansas State (12-9, 5-3) at #9 Kansas (17-3, 6-1) 2PM, Lawrence, KS, ESPN

George Washington (16-5, 6-2) at Rhode Island (13-5, 6-2) 4PM, Kingston, RI

Georgia (14-5, 5-2) at South Carolina (9-9, 1-6) 4PM, Columbia, SC, ESPNU

Other Top 25 games:

#8 Notre Dame (20-2, 8-1) at Pittsburgh (12-8, 3-5) 12PM, Pittsburgh, PA, ESPN3

Texas Tech (11-10, 1-7) at #21 West Virginia (17-3, 5-2) 12PM, Morgantown, WV, ESPNU

#19 Georgetown (14-6, 6-3) at Creighton (10-12, 1-8) 2PM, Omaha, NE, CBSS

#7 Villanova (18-2, 5-2) at DePaul (11-11, 5-4) 2PM, Rosemont, IL, FS1

TCU (14-6, 1-6) at #15 Iowa State (15-4, 5-2) 2PM, Ames, IA, ESPNU

#24 Butler (15-6, 5-3) at Marquette (10-10, 2-6) 2PM, Milwaukee, WI

Richmond (11-9, 4-3) at #13 VCU (18-3, 8-0) 2PM, Richmond, VA, ESPN2

Fresno State (8-11, 5-3) at #25 Colorado State (17-3, 5-3) 6PM, Fort Collins, CO, CBSS

Alabama (12-7, 3-4) at #1 Kentucky (20-0, 7-0) 7PM, Lexington, KY, SECN

UCF (8-11, 2-7) at #22 SMU (16-4, 8-1) 8PM, Dallas, TX, ESPNU

Memphis (13-7, 6-3) at #3 Gonzaga (20-1, 10-0) 10PM, Spokane, WA, ESPN2

Vegas pick (6-6): 

Georgetown -2.5 at Creighton

Today's Games to Watch - Saturday, 12/13/14

After a couple of soft schedule days, college basketball kicks back into high gear today with several big time match-ups.

#13 North Carolina (6-2) at #1 Kentucky (10-0) 12PM, Lexington, KY, CBS

Today we have one of the season's marquee match-ups, in a rematch of last season's 82-77 Tar Heel win in Chapel Hill. Many have branded Kentucky as unbeatable, however, UNC is one of the few teams in the country that can match the Wildcats' size and depth of size. They are also one of the few teams that can put at least half as many McDonald's All-Americans on the floor. Big Blue Nation suffered a soon-to-be-determined-how-serious blow, with the loss of junior Alex Poythress for the year due to an ACL tear. Though Kentucky has the bodies to replace him, Poythress was one of their frontline veterans, coming into his own, and often sparked them offensively and defensively in moments of need during close games.  The Tar Heels were a popular preseason Top 5 pick, but have struggled early, losing to Butler and Iowa. This should be a fun game to watch, as UNC will likely be the first team to attempt to run with the gazelles from Lexington. Prediction: Kentucky 83, UNC 77.

#19 Utah (7-1) vs. #10 Kansas (7-1) 3:15PM, Kansas City, MO, ESPN

Very intriguing game, here. Utah has opened eyes this season, jumping out to a more than solid start, with a win versus Wichita State and coming off a nice road win at rival BYU this week. Their road gets tougher today in Kansas City. Yes, we remember, Kansas lost by 32 to Kentucky in November. But, apparently, the Jayhawks remember as well. Bill Self's team has not lost since and their last three wins were solid ones over Michigan State, Florida and Georgetown. Both squads are good on both sides of the ball and both have a wealth of offensive contributors. Prediction: Kansas 66, Utah 61.

#21 Michigan (5-3) at #4 Arizona (9-0) 5:15PM, Tucson, AZ, ESPN

Go Blue has been more blue than go, recently, after losing back-to-back home games to NJIT and Eastern Michigan. They will undoubtedly fall from the rankings unless they can pull off the huge upset in Tucson. It might be more realistic for Michigan to focus on simply playing well. Arizona has been rock solid again this year, as evidenced by their win-loss record. Last Saturday, the Wildcats prevailed in maybe the season's best game to date, a 66-63 overtime win versus Gonzaga. Prediction: Arizona 70, Michigan 62.

#24 Northern Iowa (9-0) at VCU (5-3) 7PM, Richmond, VA, NBCS

The upstart Panthers of Northern Iowa get their first real test of the season in the form of havoc in Richmond. UNI has looked impressive on the court, but their best wins so far have been over the likes of Stephen F. Austin and Richmond. Not exactly murderers row. VCU, on the other hand, has paid for their tough early schedule. Two of their three early losses have come to two of the country's best teams, Villanova and Virginia. So, while this game is obviously huge for the team from the Missouri Valley, it is just as big for the Rams to get back on the national radar. Contrasting styles will be in play here, as VCU will attempt to speed up the methodical Panthers. VCU 71, UNI 67.

#8 Gonzaga (7-1) at UCLA (8-2) 10PM, Los Angeles, CA, ESPN2

The high-powered Zags play their second road game versus a high profile Pac 12 team in as many weeks, after losing a heart-breaker at Arizona last Saturday. That, of course, was Gonzaga's only loss of the season. They possess one of the country's most potent offenses, with nearly 6 players averaging double figures (Gary Bell being the 6th at a 9.6ppg clip). UCLA's record looks OK until you take a closer look and notice that their best wins came over the likes of Long Beach State and San Diego (not State). The Bruins were beaten rather soundly by Oklahoma and blown out by UNC. Prediction: Gonzaga 82, UCLA 72.

Other games of note...

Dayton (7-1) at Arkansas (6-2) 2PM, Fayetteville, AR ESPN2
St. Bonaventure (6-1) at Pittsburgh (4-3) 2PM, Pittsburgh, PA, ESPNU
Saint Mary's (4-1) at Creighton (8-2) 2:15PM, Omaha, NE, FS1
#12 Oklahoma (5-2) at Tulsa (5-4) 2:30PM, Tulsa, OK, CBSS
Xavier (7-2) at Missouri (4-4) 4PM, Columbia, MO, ESPN2
Oregon (4-3) at Illinois (7-2) 7PM, Chicago, IL, BTN
Florida State (4-4) at #22 Notre Dame (9-1) 8PM, South Bend, IN, ESPN2
Cincinnati (6-1) at Nebraska (5-3) 9PM, Lincoln, NE, BTN
Purdue (8-2) at Vanderbilt (4-2) 9PM, Nashville, TN, SECN

Other Top 25 games...

#11 Wichita State (5-1) at Detroit (4-3) 12PM, Detroit, MI, ESPNU
Morehead State (3-7) at #14 Ohio State (7-1) 1PM, Columbus, OH, BTN
Nicholls State (0-4) at #6 Wisconsin (9-1) 3PM, Madison, WI, BTN
Texas State (3-1) at #7 Texas (7-1) 8PM, Austin, TX, LHN