TLS Bracketology (3/8/17)

Welcome back to another edition of Top Level Sports Bracketology.  Only a few teams in my current field have played since Monday, so not much has changed with the bracket.  A couple more teams locked up automatic bids, and you’ll see all the teams already in the Big Dance in blue.  South Dakota St. is the only new edition, and the Jackrabbits are on the 16-line after winning the Summit.  The move boosted Jacksonville St. up to a #15 seed.  Notably, St. Mary’s moved below Notre Dame but remain on the 6-line after defeating BYU and falling to Gonzaga while Syracuse’ loss to Miami in the ACC tournament makes them to my last team in.

Teams bolded are currently the highest seed remaining in their conference tournaments.  Teams in yellow are what I’d consider locks for at least at-large bids, where teams in orange are predicted to participate in the “First Four” play-in games.  Currently, I see six at-large bids up for grabs, with 13 teams having a chance to snatch them.  However, this number could always decrease if we have any bid thieves.  Here’s how the field looks now.

Here are the teams on the outside of the bubble looking in.  Georgia Tech fell off the list after losing to Pitt in the opening round of the ACC tournament.  Honestly, I’m not sure Houston is still alive either, but if they manage to beat Cincinnati before falling to SMU in the finals of the American tournament, it’s possible they’d still be considered.

Nothing’s changed here since last time, but here’s a refresher on how many bids are going to each conference.

Again, comment with any questions on seeding.  I’ll do a further analysis of the bubble tomorrow, and update the bracket Friday.  Until then, happy hoops.