Bracketology 01.16.2026 - Welcome to the Journey

WELCOME TO MID-SEASON

We made it, folks!

The 2025-26 midway point is essentially here for the upper echelon of College Hoops. Power programs are sitting near, above, or at 16 of their 31 games, so I’d argue that we can now evaluate 50% or more of the season-long data.

The ACC is the primary story this season as the league has made a leap from four or five bids to the majority of the conference now being alive and well following a mostly impressive non-conference.

ACC made the biggest jump this season, if that is not clear.

It's January 12th. Only four teams are in rough shape: Pitt, BC, G-Tech, and FSU.

Everyone else (14 teams deep) owns a Top 74 NET and a Top 77 resume. ACC will have a surplus of meaningful games the rest of the way. https://t.co/ns6505abj6

— Rocco Miller (@RoccoMiller8) January 12, 2026

PROGRAMMING NOTE

The plan here is to provide a much more elaborate set of thoughts and preview for the next eight weeks of projections following the upcoming MLK Day weekend, on Tuesday, January 20th.

Also, be sure to join me this Monday on Field of 68 for the debut episode of Fielding The 68. Show airs LIVE at 5 PM ET / 2 PM PT.

bRACKET

Bracket projections are based on the 2025-26 NCAA Committee Principles and Selection Process. Projected Conference Champions are based on which team has the inside track to the top seed within its conference tournament.

Forecasted At-Large Bids Stolen: 1: Mountain West (San Diego State). The Annual Average = 2.3 Bids taken per year. However, in the age of super conferences - bid steals are sadly trending downward.

FIRST FOUR OUT: Texas, Oklahoma State, George Mason, Auburn

NEXT TEAMS OUT: Virginia Tech. Indiana, TCU, Creighton

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER: @RoccoMiller8

2026 Preseason Bracket Forecast

The 2025-26 College Basketball season has finally arrived.

A preseason bracket exercise is once again part of the celebratory package of gifts today. The following bracket forecast is based on a number of factors including but not limited to: perceived team strength, perceived coaching strength, roster evaluations, strength of schedule evaluations, and conference tournament locations, including league tournament format.

BRACKET

Bracket projections are based on the 2025-26 NCAA Committee Principles and Selection Process. Projected Conference Champions are based on which team has the inside track to the top seed within its conference tournament.

Forecasted At-Large Bids Stolen: 0: The Annual Average = 2.4 Bids disappear per year during Championship Week.

FIRST FOUR OUT: West Virginia, Boise State, Nebraska, SMU

NEXT TEAMS OUT: Georgetown, San Francisco, USC, Memphis

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER/X: @RoccoMiller8

Selection Sunday! Final Bracket

THE FINAL BRACKET oF 2025

A THANK YOU + SCHEDULING SOON!

Appreciate everyone who has come to find the work here valuable. Please remember that the offseason is right around the corner and non-conference schedule pages will once again be posted sometime around April/May as I consult with all 31 conferences on schedule building.

FIELDING THE 68 SHOW LIVE

Coming soon! Our final episode is a 90-minute special and easily the most anticipated. Brad Wachtel and I will join Jeff Goodman to analyze each selection tonight. Join us 30 minutes before the actual selection show at 5:30 ET. This Link will also allow you to re-watch today’s show.

Bracket projections are based on the 2024-25 NCAA Committee Principles and Selection Process. Projected Conference Champions are based on which team has the inside track to the top seed within its conference tournament.

Forecasted At-Large Bids Stolen: 1 (Colorado State - MWC): The Annual Average = 2.4 Bids taken per year.

FINAL BRACKET

FIRST FOUR OUT: Boise State, North Carolina, UC Irvine, Dayton

NEXT TEAMS OUT: Texas, San Francisco, George Mason, Wake Forest

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER: @RoccoMiller8

Bracketology 03.14.25

INTRO

Are we having fun yet?

Seriously, are we? Pins and needles are the best way to describe these days for teams like Indiana, Xavier, West Virginia, Baylor, even Vanderbilt, and certainly Oklahoma. Then you have squads like Baylor and San Diego State who have a few more warts than they wished.

On the flipside - Boise State, Colorado State, UC Irvine, North Carolina, and others continue to play basketball with chances to improve their chances or just flat-out earn an automatic bid.

If this feels like a boatload of insecure teams because it is. Cannot recall this many teams with a case for exclusion mixed with inspired teams looking to replace them in the field. Should be another wild day of emotions if you are a part of these communities.

FIELDING THE 68 SHOW LIVE

Terrific segue for today’s Fielding The 68 Show Live at 5 PM Eastern.

We will have all of the latest updates, including Memphis surviving today against Wichita State. The link here will work for re-watch purposes.

BRACKET

Bracket projections are based on the 2024-25 NCAA Committee Principles and Selection Process. Projected Conference Champions are based on which team has the inside track to the top seed within its conference tournament.

Forecasted At-Large Bids Stolen: 0 (Highly Unlikely): The Annual Average = 2.4 Bids taken per year.

FIRST FOUR OUT: UC Irvine, Boise State, Dayton, Colorado State

NEXT TEAMS OUT: Texas, San Francisco, George Mason, Wake Forest

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER/X or BLUESKY: @RoccoMiller8

Bracketology 03.10.25

MOCK SELECTION WEEKEND IS COMPLETE

As a quick reminder, I was honored to once again serve as part of a four-day exercise with a panel of six to go through each step of the NCAA’s selection, seeding, and bracketing process. Each policy, procedure, and principle was followed just like I do here for Bracketeer.Org.

This group exercise is healthy. Allowing for different perspectives on resumes, team stories, and injury reminders in certain cases. Most importantly, the selection committee decides each bracket slot by way of discussion and not by a silver bullet metric or blind voting. I thought the group this year did a great job of focusing on these areas and saving the metrics as a method to check our work instead of leading with the metrics, which can be a fatal flaw for others.

If you are interested in re-watching, all four sessions from the weekend can be found HERE on the YouTube channel under “Banner Brackets.”

FIELDING THE 68 SHOW LIVE

As we charge forward with the second week of Championship Week and our final week of forecasting the bracket for 2025, Fielding The 68 is cranking up the heat!

Join me, Brad Wachtel, and Paul Fritschner as we break down the latest consensus projections and highlight several tournament hopefuls.

BRACKET

Bracket projections are based on the 2024-25 NCAA Committee Principles and Selection Process. Projected Conference Champions are based on which team has the inside track to the top seed within its conference tournament.

Forecasted At-Large Bids Stolen: 0 (Highly Unlikely): The Annual Average = 2.4 Bids taken per year.

FIRST FOUR OUT: North Carolina, Dayton, San Francisco, Boise State

NEXT TEAMS OUT: Colorado State, Wake Forest, Ohio State, George Mason

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER: @RoccoMiller8