Bracketology 2024: 1st projected field of 68 of the 2023-24 season
Who’s in? and Who’s out?
First Four
The First Four in Dayton will feature two Big East members taking on teams from the ACC and Big 12. The Providence Friars, who were on the other side of the First Four before Northwestern’s defeat of Purdue, taking on the Virginia Tech Hokies who haven’t looked good in two of their four quad 1 games against FAU and Auburn, losing by a combined 51 points. The other matchup sees the Xavier Musketeers doing battle with the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Texas Tech is 5-2 but has just one win, over Michigan in their first two quadrants, while their opponents don’t have any wins in the first two quadrants after their loss to Houston on Friday, they have played a much tougher schedule.
First four out
The first four teams that are on the outside looking in, all enter the weekend trending upward. Indiana got a big win over Maryland to begin Big Ten play on Friday. Iowa has won two in a row before their big tilt with Purdue on Monday. Butler is now 6-2 with three straight wins over Penn State, Boise State and Texas Tech. Lastly, the surprising South Carolina Gamecocks find themselves at 7-0 after hitting 18 three-pointers in knocking off George Washington in their last game.
Next four out
The four teams with a hill to climb in order to find themselves on the right side of the bubble are Oregon, Nebraska, Florida State, and Santa Clara. The Ducks are 4-2 but their best win was in their opener over Georgia, and they were beaten by another team on this list, Santa Clara. Nebraska is 7-0 and has scored at least 81 points in every game this season except for one. The Cornhuskers have a big chance to bolster their resume on Sunday when they host No. 15 and in-state rival Creighton. The Seminoles are also 4-2 but will be looking to bounce back against North Carolina on Saturday after losing to Georgia in their last game.
5 teams with most to prove in December. dark. Next
Santa Clara is 7-1 as they begin the first weekend in December. Their one loss was a big one, a 30-point defeat at the hands of Ohio State, but their Saturday game with Cal gives them a chance for a third win over a Pac-12 team, having already beaten Oregon and Stanford.