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Bracketology 2020: Way-too-early NCAA Tournament projected field

By Lukas Harkins

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - MARCH 20: A detailed view of a March Madness branded basketball is seen during a practice session before the First Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 20, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - MARCH 20: A detailed view of a March Madness branded basketball is seen during a practice session before the First Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 20, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – FEBRUARY 12: Perry and Nwora of UL celebrate. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – FEBRUARY 12: Perry and Nwora of UL celebrate. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Bids by Conference Breakdown

(Seeds are in parenthesis next to each team.)

ACC – 7 bids: Duke (1), Louisville (2), UNC (2), UVA (3), FSU (7), NC State (9), ‘Cuse (11)

The ACC is always one of the best conferences in the country, but this appears to be a possible down season in terms of depth. After the top four teams, there seems to be a significant drop-off and it will be interesting to see if that is actually how it plays out on the court this season. Even if there are depth issues, though, the top of the conference will be flat-out elite to carry the torch.

SEC – 7 bids: UK (1), Florida (2), LSU (5), Auburn (7), Bama (8), Miss St (8), Ole Miss (9)

Kentucky and Florida look poised to be absolutely elite teams this season. They both have national title aspirations and it will be difficult for anyone else to catch them at the top of the conference. With that said, though, the SEC is seemingly on the rise as a result of some superb coaching hires. The conference now boasts a ton of great coaches and a few budding recruiting stars. You can expect that the SEC will remain one of the top basketball leagues for the next few years. They are no longer just Kentucky, Florida, and the others.

Big Ten – 6 bids: MSU (1), Maryland (3), Ohio St (4), Purdue (6), Mich (9), Illinois (11)

Michigan State is the top-ranked team in the country heading into this year and they are facing extremely high expectations. They are the favorite to win the Big Ten by a wide margin but there are also a few teams that have the potential to knock on their door. Most notably, Maryland and Ohio State both could compete for the Big Ten title while snagging great seeds in the NCAA Tournament. Although this conference was only awarded six bids in this mock bracket, there are plenty of teams on the outside-looking-in that could easily compile worthy resumes.

Big 12 – 6 bids: KU (1), Texas Tech (2), Baylor (4), Texas (10), OU (11), Iowa St (11)

Kansas, shockingly, looks poised to be the favorite to win the Big 12 this season but both Texas Tech and Baylor could be hot on their trail. All three teams are extremely talented and have the potential to make deep runs in the Big Dance. After that top-tier, though, there is a significant drop-off and it will be interesting to see which of the remaining seven teams actually snag bids. Most squads in the conference have the ability to make the tournament if they reach their ceiling.

Big East – 6 bids: ‘Nova (3), Seton Hall (5), Xavier (5), Marq (7), Creighton (7), PC (11)

The Big East might be the most competitive league in the country during this coming season. With 8/10 teams poised to compete for NCAA Tournament bids and no clear-cut dominant teams, league play will be incredibly fun. Villanova looks poised to be the top team but Seton Hall and Xavier could be right on their tail. Additionally, Georgetown and Butler both have postseason hopes even though they are not included in this mock bracket. Watch out for this to be an extremely fun year for Big East hoops.

Pacific 12 – 5 bids: Arizona (4), Washington (5), Oregon (6), Colorado (10), ASU (11)

The Pac-12 is going to be so much better than it was during this past season. Arizona, thanks to a great recruiting class, looks ready to rise back near the nation’s top while Washington landed its fair share of top newcomers and Oregon has a great mix of veteran returners and incoming transfers. Those three are expected to be the favorites this season but there is also a solid second tier with postseason aspirations.

AAC – 3 bids: Memphis (4), Houston (9), Cincinnati (10)

Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway is ready to take the nation by storm. After landing the No. 1 overall recruiting class in the country, expectations are high for the Tigers as the favorite in the AAC and a potential title contender. I’m not quite ready to buy in on the latter but they will be quite talented. Additionally, Houston and Cincinnati have the potential to make a return trip to the Big Dance while Wichita State should not be counted out.

Atlantic 10 – 3 bids: VCU (6), Davidson (8), Dayton (10)

Behind the three schools mentioned above, the Atlantic 10 looks poised for a strong year. All of those programs have the potential to not only win the conference but also snag at-large bids, opening up the possibility for a four-bid A10. This is a conference that power-6 leagues should be afraid of this year because of their ability to send so many bids.

WCC – 2 bids: Gonzaga (3), Saint Mary’s (8)

Gonzaga is good…always. Saint Mary’s returns a lot of talent from a pretty good team. That’s pretty much the WCC summary.

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