(Editor’s note: This is part of the Bracket Central Series, an inside look at the run-up to the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments, along with analysis and picks during the tournaments.)
As Conference tournament week winds down, the number of automatic qualifiers and at-large bids continue to dwindle. Though the bids won’t be doled out until Selection Sunday, looking at every resume case by case gives us a pretty good idea of who’s in, who’s out and a small gray area that’s up in the air: The Bubble.
Mississippi State provides us one of the most significant cases to delve into when looking at how the selection committee makes decisions, and in turn, how I build the bracket with that in mind.
I currently have the Bulldogs slated as one of the first teams projected outside the tournament, and they’re one of the teams that has tested my understanding of what the committee is looking at the most. Why? Let me explain.
| Last four in | First four out | Next four out | Last four byes |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Texas A&M |
Mississippi State |
Villanova |
Michigan |
|
Arizona |
Green Bay |
George Mason |
Vanderbilt |
|
Columbia |
Washington State |
VCU |
Auburn |
|
Miami |
Penn State |
Washington |
Marquette |
Multi-bid conferences
| Conference | Bids |
|---|---|
|
ACC |
9 |
|
SEC |
8 |
|
Big Ten |
7 |
|
Big 12 |
7 |
|
Pac-12 |
7 |
|
Big East |
3 |
|
Ivy |
2 |
