All articles tagged with #selection sunday
SMU earned the final at-large bid expecting star guard B.J. Edwards to play, but he did not suit up in the First Four, contributing to an 89-79 loss to Miami (Ohio); the outcome sparked questions about whether the committee was duped, though coach Andy Enfield said there was no wrongdoing and pointed to Edwards' injury and SMU's overall metrics as justification for the bid.
Will Leitch argues Bruce Pearl’s rise to the center of Selection Sunday drama highlights the contradictions of modern college basketball: a coach banned by the sport now dominates the airwaves while debates over Miami (OH)’s missing berth reveal the folly and power dynamics of at-large bids, culminating in Pearl becoming the sport’s public face amid the tournament’s chaos.
On Selection Sunday, the Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball team is projected as a 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, with ESPN, HerHoopStats and CBS all placing Iowa on the 2-line though exact seeding order and opponents vary by projection. First‑round foes discussed include Cal Baptist (in several brackets), while second‑round opponents range from Georgia/Syracuse to Notre Dame or Clemson depending on the bracket. The piece also surveys likely 7/10 seeds and other potential region mates, notes Iowa’s 26-win season and the season‑long impact of Taylor McCabe’s ACL injury, and highlights regional alignments (some projections pair the Iowa City region with the Fort Worth bracket). Overall, Iowa’s seed status and path remain fluid as Selection Sunday conclusions roll in.
With Selection Sunday approaching, Michigan is projected as a top seed in most NCAA bracket forecasts, frequently a No. 1 seed in the Midwest with Buffalo hosting the opening weekend and a Chicago Round of 32 path ahead. Yet projections vary: Duke is often the No. 1 overall seed, while Bracket Matrix has Michigan No. 2 overall behind Duke; outlets differ on opponents (UConn, Houston, Iowa State, Alabama among other top seeds) and exact seedings. Purdue’s Big Ten title game could still influence seeds, but Michigan’s bracket outlook remains favorable.
Ahead of Selection Sunday, Andy Katz released his final 68-team bracket, keeping Duke as the No. 1 overall seed and moving Iowa State to No. 2, along with a complete seed list and conference breakdown for the 2026 NCAA men’s tournament.
Arkansas defeated Vanderbilt 86-75 to win the SEC Tournament, their first title since 2000, led by Darius Acuff Jr.’s 28 points and 11 assists with key bench scoring from DJ Wagner. The result could shift NCAA bracket seed lines ahead of Selection Sunday as both teams bid for favorable placements and momentum heading into the NCAA Tournament.
On3's early bracketology for the 2026 NCAA Tournament projects a 68-team field with Duke as the No. 1 overall seed after the ACC title, Purdue a top-2 seed, Florida a 1-seed in the South, Arizona a 1-seed in the West, and UConn/Houston among the upper seeds, with live updates through Selection Sunday.
USA TODAY’s final bracketology projects Duke as the overall No. 1 seed in the East, with Michigan, Florida and Arizona placed in their regional zones (Midwest/South/West). The bubble narrows as several contenders falter in conference play, allowing others to claim spots; Miami (Ohio) earns a bid as MAC champion, while Akron secures the automatic bid. The last four in are Texas, Missouri, SMU and Miami (Ohio); Oklahoma, San Diego State, New Mexico and Auburn are the first four out. Conference bids breakdown: SEC 10, Big Ten 9, ACC 8, Big 12 8, with the remainder from smaller leagues.
With Selection Sunday two days away, the latest bracketology projects have Duke as the overall No. 1 seed and a shrinking bubble as teams press their cases. Iowa State climbs to a 2-seed after a Big 12 win, while Arizona, Florida, and Michigan remain near the top seeds depending on late results. Seedings continue to hinge on NET rankings and quadrant data, with daily updates tracking last Four In/Out and potential top-seed swaps ahead of Selection Sunday.
As Selection Sunday nears, the men’s NCAA tournament bubble narrows with key late-season results: San Diego State’s tight win over New Mexico boosts SDSU’s at-large case while New Mexico likely heads to the NIT; Seton Hall and Oklahoma stumble in ways that erase late hopes for an at-large bid; Ole Miss remains alive in the SEC race, pursuing a potential auto-bid, while Santa Clara looks poised to be in the field and Cincinnati linger on the fringe. Indiana, Texas A&M, VCU, and others remain in the mix, with the article outlining team statuses across conferences using Locks, Should Be In, In the Mix, and On the Fringe to project the bracket.
With Selection Sunday looming, the NCAA bracket is in flux as several bubble teams—notably Miami (Ohio) and other contenders like Seton Hall, New Mexico, and San Diego State—vie for at-large bids while conference-tournament results could reshape the field. Miami’s 31–0 regular season followed by a MAC tournament exit has experts divided on its inclusion, and outcomes in conferences like the A-10 (Saint Louis and VCU) could further alter who earns bids and whether some teams must settle for the First Four or a bye."
Auburn falls out of SI’s projected bracket at 17–16, while SMU and Texas cling to at‑large hopes. NC State and UCF look safe, but several bubble teams—Seton Hall, SDSU, New Mexico, Oklahoma—still must win to feel secure. Friday’s bubble games (VCU–Duquesne, Seton Hall–St. John’s, Oklahoma–Arkansas, SDSU–New Mexico) could reshape the field as SI provides a region‑by‑region projection and notes that final bids and seeding will hinge on the next 1–2 days of results.
Nicole Auerbach argues that Miami (OH) should earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament despite an undefeated regular season and a weaker schedule, pointing to Wins Above Bubble (1.7, 37th) and Strength of Record (28th) to show the RedHawks performed better than typical bubble teams. She criticizes the reluctance of high-major programs to play mid-majors and urges the Selection Committee to reward mid-major excellence by including Miami on Selection Sunday, rather than excluding a 31–1 team that dominated its schedule.
With Selection Sunday looming, FOX Sports' Mike DeCourcy projects Texas as one of the Last Four In and Indiana as First Four Out. Texas has six Quad 1 wins but a five-loss stretch in the last six games, while Indiana has dropped six of seven after a Big Ten Tournament defeat. The Last Four In are VCU, SMU, Texas and New Mexico; the First Four Out are Auburn, Seton Hall, San Diego State and Indiana. SEC leads with 10 teams in the projected field, followed by the Big Ten with nine; the ACC and Big 12 each have eight, while the Big East and West Coast have three apiece. Selection Sunday is three days away and these projections will continue to evolve.
An opinion piece arguing that the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks’ 31–1 season should secure an NCAA tournament bid, criticizing the current bubble-driven process and urging the committee to reward undefeated regular seasons and mid-major merit over schedule strength, with Miami expected to be named on Selection Sunday.