Bracketology risers: 3 teams snubbed from early bracket preview likely to crack top 16

On Saturday, the NCAA Selection Committee released its early bracket reveal, a month away from when the real bracket is put out. The overall list didn’t include many surprises, with the top four overall seeds (Michigan, Duke, Arizona, Iowa State) having great cases.

With all 16 seeds revealed, were there any snubs? Since this list will get outdated anyways, that doesn’t matter as much. But it does offer the question of who is most likely to crack into the top 16, if teams dealing with injuries such as Texas Tech and Gonzaga slips?

Here’s a look at three teams to watch in the coming weeks most capable of moving up in the coming weeks.

Alabama Crimson Tide - 19-7 (9-4 SEC)

The Tide currently has a five-game win streak, even without Charles Bediako on the roster. They have signature wins over Illinois, St.John’s, and Arkansas, and easily one of the toughest strength-of-schedule metrics in the country. While none of the five remaining SEC games are viewed as true resume builders, Alabama winning out and being 14-4 in league play should get them into the top seed range.

St. John’s Red Storm - 21-5 (14-1 Big East)

The Big East this season gives the Red Storm few opportunities at marquee wins but they did manage to beat UConn to help extend the current win streak to 12. The home loss to Providence stings but if St. John’s wins out outside of losing to UConn, there’s a real chance the Storm can get to a 4-seed.

Arkansas Razorbacks - 19-7 (9-4 SEC)

The Razorbacks have a similar resume to Alabama, which makes sense for them to also be in this group. They have wins over Vanderbilt, Texas Tech, Louisville and Tennessee, along with no losses to any team projected to be outside the NCAA Tournament field. If the Razorbacks can find a way to win at Florida next week, that’ll put them in the mix for a protected seed.