Committee members spend the weekend tracking the conference tournaments, updating the list of 30 automatic qualifiers, debating the worthiness of candidates for the 34 at-large berths and penciling teams into the four seeds in each regional.
"It'll be up into Sunday before we can say 'We've got our arms around it,"' Templeton said.
The at-large teams are voted upon by secret ballot, and it takes at least a 70 percent vote before a team is placed in the tournament, Poppe said.
Safeguards to prevent basketball committee members from lobbying for their schools or conferences also are in place in baseball. When a member's school is discussed, the committee member must leave the room.
That prevents the sticky situation that will inevitably arise when Mississippi State, the quintessential bubble team that finished 35-21 and missed the SEC Tournament, comes up for discussion.
"I don't think Larry wants anybody to think 'Well, Mississippi State got in because I'm the chairman,'" coach Ron Polk said.
Templeton said he expects the bracket to be finished by 11 a.m. ET Monday, and 90 minutes later, it's revealed on national television.
But there's more to the job than picking the teams. The committee is responsible for organizing the eight super regionals and running the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.
