Conference Championship week is upon us! Welcome back everyone, after a busy weekend in the world of college hoops, teams have wrapped up their regular seasons and are now preparing for conference tournament week. Some teams are already in action tonight, while a couple of bids have already been rewarded. There were a few games that impacted the potential NCAA tournament field & seeding yesterday, and I'm back to tip-off Championship Week with an updated NCAA Tournament projection. With the 2019-20 college basketball regular season officially in the books, here is a look at how the field shakes out with just conference tournaments left before the committee unveils the 2020 bracket on Sunday evening.
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The changes were minimal, but there was one significant one toward the top of the bracket. Michigan State's big victory at home over Ohio State yesterday got them a share of the Big TEN regular season Title along with Wisconsin and Maryland. The subsequent result boosted the Spartans a seed-line from a 3 up to a 2 and dropped Louisville from a 2 to a 3. The metrics love both, but with a NET of 7, a Big TEN co-championship, and the #1 SOS, Michigan State slides in front of the Cardinals.
The other noteworthy change involved the Houston Cougars, who got a big win over Memphis at home - and along with Tulsa's loss at Wichita State - also got a piece of the American Athletic regular season crown. The Cougars went from an 8 to a 7, and Penn State dropped from a 7 to an 8 on the heels of their surprising 11-point loss to lowly Northwestern over the weekend.
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The only other change happened with teams just outside of the field, as Wichita State moved up to "First 4 Out" after their blowout of Tulsa yesterday, and Memphis slid back to the "Next" category after they were unable to take advantage of a huge resume-boosting opportunity at Houston.
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As we dive into Conference Tournament week and all of the whacky chaos that comes with it, here is a look at my updated NCAA Tournament projected field:
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(Team, followed by conference record & overall record in parentheses)
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[ ^1, -1 indicates movement up & down seed lines, etc. since last projections]
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#1 SEEDS
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KANSAS (17-1, 28-3) *
GONZAGA (15-1, 29-2) *
DAYTON (18-0, 29-2) *
BAYLOR (15-3, 26-4)
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#2 SEEDS
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SAN DIEGO STATE (17-1, 30-2) *
FLORIDA STATE (16-4, 26-5) *
DUKE (15-5, 25-6)
MICHIGAN STATE (14-6, 22-9) * ^1
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#3 SEEDS
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CREIGHTON (13-5, 24-7) *
LOUISVILLE (15-5, 24-7) -1
SETON HALL (13-5, 21-9) *
VILLANOVA (13-5, 24-7) *
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#4 SEEDS
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KENTUCKY (15-3, 25-6) *
MARYLAND (14-6, 24-7) *
OREGON (13-5, 24-7) *
WISCONSIN (14-6, 21-10) *
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#5 SEEDS
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BYU (13-3, 24-7)
OHIO STATE (11-9, 21-10)
WEST VIRGINIA (9-9, 21-10)
BUTLER (10-8, 22-9)
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#6 SEEDS
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ILLINOIS (13-7, 21-10)
ARIZONA (10-8, 20-11)
AUBURN (12-6, 25-6)
VIRGINIA (15-5, 23-7)
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#7 SEEDS
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MICHIGAN (10-10, 19-12)
HOUSTON (13-5, 23-8) * ^1
COLORADO (10-8, 21-10)
IOWA (11-9. 20-11)
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#8 SEEDS
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PENN STATE (11-9, 21-10) -1
SAINT MARY'S (11-5, 25-7)
PROVIDENCE (12-6, 19-12)
LSU (12-6, 21-10)
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#9 SEEDS
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TEXAS TECH (9-9, 18-13)
RUTGERS (11-9, 20-11)
FLORIDA (11-7, 19-12)
USC (11-7, 22-9)
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#10 SEEDS
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E. TENNESSEE ST. (16-2, 29-4) *
MARQUETTE (8-10, 18-12)
OKLAHOMA (9-9, 19-12)
UTAH STATE (12-6, 26-8) $
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#11 SEEDS
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RICHMOND (14-4, 24-7)
UCLA (12-6, 19-12)
ARIZONA STATE (11-7, 20-11)
LIBERTY (13-3, 30-4) *$
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#12 SEEDS
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YALE (11-2, 23-6)
SFA (19-1, 28-3) *
INDIANA (9-11, 19-12) # / N.C. STATE (10-10, 19-12) #
XAVIER (8-10, 19-12) # / CINCINNATI (13-5, 20-10) *#
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#13 SEEDS
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BELMONT (15-3, 26-7) *$
WRIGHT STATE (15-3, 25-6) *
NEW MEXICO STATE (16-0, 25-6) *
VERMONT (14-2, 25-7) *
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#14 SEEDS
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COLGATE (14-4, 25-8) *
AKRON (14-4, 24-7) *
HOFSTRA (14-4, 24-8) *
LOYOLA IL (13-5, 21-11)
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#15 SEEDS
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WINTHROP (15-3, 24-10) *
N.D. STATE (13-3, 23-8) *
NORTH TEXAS (14-4, 20-11) *
LITTLE ROCK (15-5, 21-10) *
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#16 SEEDS
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UC-IRVINE (13-3, 21-11) *
E. WASHINGTON (16-4, 23-8) *
SIENA (15-5, 19-10) * / N.C. CENTRAL (13-3, 17-13) *
PRARIE VIEW (14-3, 18-12) * / MERRIMACK (14-4, 20-11) *
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*-Denotes respective regular season Conference Champion / Co-Champion
$-Denotes Conference Tournament Champion and Automatic Bid to NCAA Tournament
#-Denotes Last 4 In; "First Four play-in game" participants
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LAST 4 IN:
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INDIANA (9-11, 19-12)
XAVIER (8-10, 19-12)
CINCINNATI (13-5, 20-10) *
N.C. STATE (10-10, 19-12)
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FIRST 4 OUT:
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MISSISSIPPI ST. (11-7, 20-11)
TEXAS (9-9, 19-12)
STANFORD (9-9, 20-11)
WICHITA ST. (11-7, 23-8) ^1
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NEXT:
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MEMPHIS (10-8, 21-10) -1
ARKANSAS (7-11, 19-12)
TULSA (13-5, 21-10) *
RHODE ISLAND (13-5, 21-9)
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As always, I appreciate the support, and would love to get your thoughts in the comments section! Another 29 tickets to the "Big Dance" will be punched this week via conference tournament Champions, and the rest will have to await their fate come Selection Sunday. Enjoy was should be an exciting week of action!
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Be sure to checkout today's video with a full rundown of how I see the NCAA tournament field as Championship week tips-off!:
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https://youtu.be/zDYQdkwgOjs
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Chris Elgersma
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You can find me on IG & YouTube @sportsguychris
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I'll be providing weekly top 25 rankings, NCAA tournament projections, and "bubble" assessments as we get closer to the Big Dance. Be sure to check back for plenty of college hoops coverage & everything else in the world of sports!
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