Field of 68 Projection: Iowa State & North Carolina Potential Interesting Cases for Selection Committee

[SelectionSunday]

EDEN PRAIRIE, MN – Our latest Field of 68 projection has 9 new teams in the field, highlighted by new at-large entrants Creighton, Memphis, and North Carolina. It’s getting harder and harder to separate the last 4 in and the first 4 out. The most difficult decision I had to make this week? What to do with bubblicious squads Iowa State and North Carolina.

On one hand is Iowa State, which boasts more than enough quality wins, including an impressive non-conference quartet of Creighton, Iowa, Memphis, and Xavier, along with Big XII wins over Texas Tech and Texas. The problem? The Cyclones are in last place in the Big XII with a 3-9 record. That’s a big stain.

Then on the other hand there is North Carolina. The Tar Heels’ best and only decent non-conference win came vs. Michigan, currently among my first 4 out. And it’s not like the Heels have beaten the best teams in the ACC. The Tar Heels are 0-4 vs. Duke, Notre Dame, Miami, and Wake Forest, all included in this week’s Field of 68.

Against my better judgment, despite a 0-7 record vs. Quad 1 opponents, for now I’m putting the Tar Heels in the field ahead of the Cyclones. As much as I value quality wins (which the Cyclones have in spades), I can’t envision the Selection Committee giving an at-large bid to a last-place team in a conference, even if it’s the best conference in college basketball. The good news for the Cyclones is there’s still time.

We’re now just two weeks away from the start of Championship Week. The NEC kicks off the Madness on February 28 with its first-round 8-9 game on the campus of the #8 seed.

*Automatic qualifiers from multiple-bid conferences are listed first. Auto qualifiers own the best conference record or -- in the event of a tie -- the best NET ranking (noted in parentheses).

IN-SEASON FIELD OF 68 PROJECTION #13 (through games played Feb. 13)
America East (1): Vermont (66)

American (2): *Houston (5), Memphis (44)

ACC (5): *Duke (11), North Carolina (37), Wake Forest (40), Notre Dame (56), Miami (68)

ASUN (1): Liberty (103)

Atlantic 10 (1): Davidson (61)

Big East (7): *Providence (29), Villanova (6), UConn (18), Xavier (20), Marquette (30), Seton Hall (34), Creighton (71)

Big Sky (1): Montana State (132)

Big South (1): Longwood (147)

Big Ten (7): *Illinois (13), Purdue (9), Ohio State (17), Iowa (19), Wisconsin (23), Michigan State (24), Indiana (41)

Big XII (6): *Kansas (8), Baylor (4), Texas Tech (12), Texas (15), Oklahoma (36), TCU (54)

Big West (1): Long Beach (155)

Colonial (1): UNC-Wilmington (182)

Conference USA (1): North Texas (42)

Horizon (1): Cleveland (162)

Ivy (1): Yale (144)

MAAC (1): Iona (78)

MAC (1): Toledo (69)

MEAC (1): Norfolk (161)

Missouri Valley (1): Loyola (27)

Mountain West (3): *Wyoming (25), Colorado State (31), Boise (39)

NEC (1): Wagner (112)

OVC (2): *Murray (26), Belmont (47)

Pac 12 (4): *Arizona (2), UCLA (14), USC (28), Oregon (62)

Patriot (1): Colgate (141)

SEC (6): *Auburn (7), Kentucky (3), Tennessee (10), LSU (16), Alabama (22), Arkansas (33)

SoCon (1): Chattanooga (55)

Southland (1): New Orleans (240)

SWAC (1): Texas Southern (186)

Summit (1): South Dakota State (74)

Sun Belt (1): Texas State (136)

WCC (4): *Gonzaga (1), Saint Mary’s (21), San Francisco (32), BYU (51)

WAC (1): New Mexico State (84)
_________________________________
Last 4 In: Oklahoma (36), North Carolina (37), Belmont (47), Creighton (71)

First 4 Out: Michigan (35), Iowa State (43), SMU (45), Dayton (59)

Bottom of the Bracket (last 4 automatic qualifiers): Cleveland (162), UNC-Wilmington (182), Texas Southern (186), New Orleans (240)

8 to Watch: Virginia Tech (38), Florida (49), San Diego State (50), Mississippi State (53), VCU (67), West Virginia (70), Virginia (77), Rutgers (81)

Non-Power 6 At-Large Bids (7): Saint Mary’s (21), Colorado State (31), San Francisco (32), Boise (39), Memphis (44), Belmont (47), BYU (51)

New to the Field (9): Creighton, Liberty, Long Beach, Memphis, Montana State, North Carolina, Texas Southern, Texas State, Toledo

Dropped from the Field (9): Appalachian, Cal State-Fullerton, Florida, Iowa State, Jacksonville State, Ohio, Saint Louis, Southern, Weber
___________________________
Ineligible for NCAA Tournament (9): Oklahoma State (48), Bellarmine (197), Tarleton (204), Cal Baptist (225), UC-San Diego (259), Dixie (273), North Alabama (305), Merrimack (307), Saint Thomas (313)

 

[SelectionSunday]

Piggy-backing on the North Carolina, "where are the top-shelf wins" theme. ...

The Tar Heels and Iowa are a combined 0-12 vs. Quad 1 opponents.

 

[Fleckoff]

How is Rutgers not in with a 9-5 Big Ten record, wins over Purdue, Michigan State, Ohio State and @ WIsconsin?

 

[howeda7]

How is Rutgers not in with a 9-5 Big Ten record, wins over Purdue, Michigan State, Ohio State and @ WIsconsin?

Net Ranking is 81. Northwestern is 65.

 

[RogueGopher]

How is Rutgers not in with a 9-5 Big Ten record, wins over Purdue, Michigan State, Ohio State and @ WIsconsin?

They do have a ton of bad losses. losses to Lafayette and UMass in the Non-Con with no big win there.
They are playing their best basketball right now which is good for them, still lots of opportunities to build the resume.
Rutgers' remaining schedule:

Maybe need a minimum of 3 more wins here?

 

[ecoperson]

They do have a ton of bad losses. losses to Lafayette and UMass in the Non-Con with no big win there.
They are playing their best basketball right now which is good for them, still lots of opportunities to build the resume.
Rutgers' remaining schedule:
View attachment 16994
Maybe need a minimum of 3 more wins here?

12-8 will sure look a lot better than 11-9 especially as at least one of those last three victories in the 12-8 campaign will be against a team already projected to be in the dance.

 

[Holy Man]

Piggy-backing on the North Carolina, "where are the top-shelf wins" theme. ...

The Tar Heels and Iowa are a combined 0-12 vs. Quad 1 opponents.

If that holds, there is no way UNCheat can possibly be invited. As Bilas always says, "It's who you beat." A lot of ball to be played for some of these teams, though. Would be humorously ironic if someone like UNCheat was denied because of schedule imbalances caused by conference money grubbing in football preventing them from getting enough games against quality teams.

 

[Lion King]

They do have a ton of bad losses. losses to Lafayette and UMass in the Non-Con with no big win there.
They are playing their best basketball right now which is good for them, still lots of opportunities to build the resume.
Rutgers' remaining schedule:
View attachment 16994
Maybe need a minimum of 3 more wins here?

Net rankings are a joke.
Its just a formula power conferences got installed to assure they get most of the at large bids.

 

[rowdaboat]

Unless ISU wins out there's no reason to set the precedent of allowing such a shitty in-conference team in. Just admit they overachieved for 2 months and it caught up to them

 

[howeda7]

Unless ISU wins out there's no reason to set the precedent of allowing such a shitty in-conference team in. Just admit they overachieved for 2 months and it caught up to them

We wouldn't know anything about that.

 

[SelectionSunday]

How is Rutgers not in with a 9-5 Big Ten record, wins over Purdue, Michigan State, Ohio State and @ WIsconsin?

Several awful losses. But they’ll get there if they scalp a couple more big dogs. Hoping they do.

 

[SixBySix]

We wouldn't know anything about that.

To be fair, no one is making the case that we're on the bubble either (NCAA bubble at least).

 

[Lion King]

Several awful losses. But they’ll get there if they scalp a couple more big dogs. Hopi

 

[Lion King]

Not this year !