Bracketology: Updated projected field and trouble on the bubble

Mid-major favorites and bubble teams alike stumbled yesterday. It was normal only in the way that it shook up the Bracketology projected field.

There are only three days left until the selection committee announces the field for the NCAA Tournament. While some teams have played their way firmly into the field, others have moved out with little hope of returning. Time is running out for those teams that are still alive in their conference tournaments, though. The bubble is shrinking practically by the minute and every second of action matters at this point in the year.

This weekend does not get the same hype as next for college basketball but it is still special. These last-ditch efforts by bubble teams and Cinderella runs in mid-major conference tournaments is what puts the Madness in March. Before jumping into the Bracketology projected field entering March 9, here is a summary of what went down yesterday.

• ACC: Virginia handled their business against Louisville. To me, this secured their spot as the top overall seed in the Big Dance. For Louisville, they should still go dancing but this was not an impressive performance. Duke dashed Notre Dame’s NCAA Tournament hopes with a dominating performance. Marvin Bagley III played at an outstanding level, filling up the box score with 33 points and 17 rebounds, for the Blue Devils.
• BIG EAST: Marquette, who moved into the field after beating DePaul, dropped back out today after getting embarrassed in the second half by Villanova. This is nothing to be ashamed of but the Golden Eagles have a lot of waiting with crossed fingers coming up. Providence put their NCAA Tournament hopes on the line against Creighton but were able to come out ahead after an extra five minutes of play. In addition, Butler took down Seton Hall to snag their first-ever Big East Tournament win. These outcomes should solidify the idea that the Big East will send six teams to the Big Dance.
• BIG 12: Baylor and Texas were unable to snag high-quality wins over West Virginia and Texas Tech, respectively. The Bears and Longhorns should be in the field on Sunday but could have improved their seeding. On the other hand, Kansas State picked up a last-second win over TCU thanks to the heroics of Bruce Brown. In similar fashion to Notre Dame, Oklahoma State had their bubble popped after a 14-point loss to Kansas in the Big 12 Tournament.
• SEC: Speaking of buzzer-beaters, Alabama moved into the tournament field in place of Marquette following their win over Texas A&M. Collin Sexton had 27 for the Crimson Tide and they needed every last point.
• PAC-12: UCLA and USC picked up the wins they needed to remain in the NCAA Tournament field but Utah did not. While the Bruins and Trojans will likely be dancing, the Utes all but sealed their fate of not hearing their name called on Selection Sunday.
• OTHERS: Middle Tennessee suffered a disastrous loss to Southern Miss in the CUSA Tournament. The Blue Raiders are now firmly on the bubble and out of my projected field. Boise State also ended the hopes of an at-large bid by falling to Utah State in the MWC Tournament.

Heading into March 9, here is what my projected field looks like, starting with the South Region that is firmly commanded by Virginia.