Bracketology 2024: Tennessee snags a No. 1 seed in the penultimate projected field of 68

The Bubble

Last four in

Even with a week to go the bubble has a lot of refining to do. The four teams heading to Dayton for the first four include a couple of Big East teams, a surprising entrant from the Big Ten, and a Pac-12 hopeful. The first matchup will see Colorado and Villanova facing off as No. 11 seeds with the winner heading to the South region to face No. 6 San Diego State. The other game sees Saint John’s doing battle with Iowa as No. 12 seeds, with the winner headed out west to face the aforementioned No. 5 Utah State Aggies.

First four out

The first four teams out are Providence, Kansas State, Texas A&M, and Drake. Kansas State made a significant jump after knocking off Iowa State on Saturday, and there is a chance Drake finds themselves in the field no matter what happens in the Missouri Valley title game against Indiana State on Sunday. Providence and Texas A&M will need to be aided by a couple of wins in their respective conference tournaments to separate themselves from the teams around them.

Next four out

The next four teams out that are running out of chances to make an impression on the committee are Utah, Memphis, Pittsburgh, and Wake Forest. There is a chance that the latter two get to play what amounts to an elimination game in the ACC quarterfinals and Utah has a chance to make a run in the Pac-12 tournament, facing Arizona State, then Colorado in the quarters, and potentially Washington State in the semifinals.