Editor’s note: This article is part of the Bracket Central series, an inside look at the run-up to the men’s & women’s NCAA Tournaments, along with analysis and picks during the tournaments.
As the days get longer and the wait until Selection Sunday gets shorter, it becomes easier to lock more teams into the men’s NCAA Tournament field. This was a big separation week for the upper group, as we welcomed five more teams into the utopian realm of Lockdom. That brings the total in that category to 23 squads, along with 12 other “Should Be In” teams. The bubble is shrinking.
Speaking of those locks, we’d like to offer a quick commentary on a couple of teams in that grouping.
First, the conundrum inside a mystery box that is Illinois. The Illini have been classified as a Lock since the first edition of this article, and we stand by that label. But with injuries (Morez Johnson’s broken wrist) and illness (a lot of players, it sounds like?) continuing to plague the roster, the losses are starting to pile up. The end-of-season schedule is no pushover, either, so Illinois’ classification could get tested.
The other team worth mentioning here is Kentucky. The Wildcats may not have had a great week, but the committee slotting them on the No. 3 line during its initial…
