March 10, 2010

Projecting the Field: Let's all welcome North Texas

By Jerry Palm | Special to CBSSports.com
Follow Jerry

Bubble Watch - updated nightly | Latest RPI Bracket Science | Manage your brackets NCAA.com: You make the call -- fill the field of 65 SB Nation: Bubble Watch StoryStream Updating conference tournament brackets

Updated March 10

The only change today is North Texas replacing Troy as the Sun Belt champion.

The fight to the finish starts in earnest today.

•  Bracket projections are always based on "as if the tournament started today." I am not predicting how teams will finish the season. For those of you who followed this space last year, that is a change.

•  The committee tries to place teams as close to home as possible without violating any of their other bracket rules (like conference separation). However, teams cannot play on their home floors or where they are the host school. That means that Syracuse, even if it ends up the overall #1 seed, can not play in the regional in Syracuse. However, Gonzaga can play in Spokane because the games are not on its home floor and it is not the host school.

•  The conference "champion" is either the acutal winner of the automatic bid or the highest remaining seed in the conference tournament.

The Seeds

Midwest 1 16 Kansas Winthrop Oklahoma City March 18, 20 St. Louis March 26, 28 8 9 UNLV St. Mary's 4 13 Maryland Siena San Jose March 18, 20 5 12 Tennessee Seton Hall 6 11 Xavier Mississippi Jacksonville March 19, 21 3 14 Pittsburgh Oakland 7 10 Missouri Louisville Milwaukee March 19, 21 2 15 Purdue UC Santa Barbara		South Houston March 26, 28 Buffalo March 19, 21 Syracuse Lehigh/ Jackson State 1 16 Oklahoma State Wake Forest 8 9 Spokane March 19, 21 Michigan State Murray State 4 13 Vanderbilt San Diego State 5 12 San Jose March 18, 20 Butler Utah State 6 11 Kansas State Weber State 3 14 Oklahoma City March 18, 20 Clemson Notre Dame 7 10 New Mexico North Texas 2 15
West 1 16 Duke East Tenn State Jacksonville March 19, 21 Salt Lake City March 25, 27 8 9 Northern Iowa Marquette 4 13 Temple Kent State New Orleans March 18, 20 5 12 Texas A&M Memphis 6 11 BYU Georgia Tech New Orleans March 18, 20 3 14 Baylor Sam Houston 7 10 Gonzaga Florida Providence March 18, 20 2 15 Villanova Morgan State		East Syracuse March 25, 27 Milwaukee March 19, 21 Kentucky Quinnipiac 1 16 Richmond Virginia Tech 8 9 Spokane March 19, 21 Georgetown Cornell 4 13 Wisconsin California 5 12 Providence March 18, 20 Texas Old Dominion 6 11 Ohio State Wofford 3 14 Buffalo March 19, 21 Florida State UTEP 7 10 West Virginia Vermont 2 15

Quick Breakdown

Detailed Breakdown

ACC (7) Champion: Duke At-large: Clemson, Florida St., Georgia Tech, Maryland, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest On the fence: None

AMERICA EAST (1) Champion: Vermont At-large: None On the fence: None

ATLANTIC SUN (1) Champion: East Tennessee State At-large: None On the fence: None

ATLANTIC 10 (3) Champion: Temple At-large: Richmond, Xavier On the fence: Dayton, Rhode Island

BIG EAST (9) Champion: Syracuse At-large: Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Seton Hall, Villanova, West Virginia On the fence: South Florida

BIG SKY (1) Champion: Weber State At-large: None On the fence: None

BIG SOUTH (1) Champion: Winthrop At-large: None On the fence: None

BIG TEN (4) Champion: Ohio State At-large: Michigan State, Purdue, Wisconsin On the fence: Illinois

BIG 12 (7) Champion: Kansas At-large: Baylor, Kansas St., Missouri, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M On the fence: None

BIG WEST (1) Champion: UC Santa Barbara At-large: None On the fence: None

COLONIAL (1) Champion: Old Dominion At-large: None On the fence: None

C-USA (2) Champion: UTEP At-large: Memphis On the fence: UAB

HORIZON (1) Champion: Butler At-large: None On the fence: None

IVY (1) Champion: Cornell At-large: None On the fence: None

MAAC (1) Champion: Siena At-large: None On the fence: None

MAC (1) Champion: Kent State At-large: None On the fence: None

MEAC (1) Champion: Morgan State At-large: None On the fence: None

MISSOURI VALLEY (1) Champion: Northern Iowa At-large: None On the fence: Wichita State

MOUNTAIN WEST (4) Champion: New Mexico At-large: BYU, San Diego State, UNLV On the fence: None

NORTHEAST (1) Champion: Quinnipiac At-large: None On the fence: None

OHIO VALLEY (1) Champion: Murray State At-large: None On the fence: None

PAC-10 (1) Champion: California At-large: None On the fence: Arizona State, Washington

PATRIOT (1) Champion: Lehigh At-large: None On the fence: None

SEC (5) Champion: Kentucky At-large: Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee, Vanderbilt On the fence: Mississippi State

SOUTHERN (1) Champion: Wofford At-large: None On the fence: None

SOUTHLAND (1) Champion: Sam Houston At-large: None On the fence: None

SUMMIT (1) Champion: Oakland At-large: None On the fence: None

SUN BELT (1) Champion: North Texas At-large: None On the fence: None

SWAC (1) Champion: Jackson State At-large: None On the fence: None

WAC (1) Champion: Utah State At-large: None On the fence: None

WEST COAST (2) Champion: Saint Mary's At-large: Gonzaga On the fence: None