MID-WEEK RECAP
Michigan State’s loss at Minnesota, Gonzaga’s meteoric loss at Portland, combined with Kansas earning a stunning road win at Texas Tech, meant that a full re-evaluation of the 3-seeds and beyond was required forensics.
Tennessee was able to win out on the evaluation vs. Texas Tech for the final four-seed slot. The Vols have twice as many wins vs. the field as the Red Raiders, and now have an edge in performance measurements.
St. John’s earned the final five-seed in a narrow comparison with Arkansas, North Carolina, and Saint Louis. The Johnnies are lacking an elite-level win, but have been dominant in enough road games. SJU is also 6-0 in true road games vs. the top two Quadrants.
NC State - The Wolfpack are not only establishing themselves as a true NCAAT team, but the Pack are also fast risers. Road wins at SMU and at Clemson are quality headliners at the top of the resume. NC State did a nice job of scheduling to own 11 top-two Quadrant wins. The Pack’s collection of these 11 wins is more than any team below Vandy on the board.
Utah State’s statement road win at New Mexico has them back on the rise. USU is winning comps over Villanova, UCF, and others today to be a Top 31 selection on the Big Board
We welcome Oklahoma State to the projected field. The Cowboys’ wins over BYU, UCF, and Texas A&M all came at home, but they also own a Q2 road win at Utah to help supplement. The NCAA WAB tool is a fan as well, now 39th there.
Seton Hall’s convincing loss at Villanova punts the Pirates well outside of the cut-line.
FIELDING THE 68 SHOW LIVE
Today is Episode #4 of another outstanding season of Fielding The 68. Come hear about where the bracket stands every Monday and Friday at 5 PM ET / 2 PM PT. Live analysis and discussions about all teams in the mix for March Madness. Can be found on the Field of 68 Platform.
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 (Unlikely): The Annual Average = 2.3 Bids taken per year.
FIRST FOUR OUT: Missouri, San Diego State, Ohio State, Virginia Tech
NEXT TEAMS OUT: Texas, VCU, Seton Hall, West Virginia
FOLLOW ME ON X/TWITTER and BLUESKY: @RoccoMiller8