Welcome back to 1-3-1 Sports! My goal is to update my bracketology projections daily for the entirety of the season, so that my audience can have the most accurate, up-to-date picture of the college basketball landscape. As always, I’m open to feedback and ideas from readers regarding potential topics, discussions, etc. Furthermore, if any individual team blogs are interested in working in conjunction on team-specific bracketology Q&A pieces, I’d love to contribute. Finally, operation and maintenance of this site takes time and money. So, if you are willing, please make a small donation towards keeping the site up and running by clicking on the donation button on the sidebar. Let the fun begin!
THE BRACKET
Bracket 021517
PROJECTED SEEDING
The 1 Seeds
Villanova, Kansas, Gonzaga, Baylor
The 2 Seeds
North Carolina, Florida State, Louisville, Oregon
The 3 Seeds
Arizona, Virginia, Florida, Kentucky
The 4 Seeds
Duke, West Virginia, UCLA, Butler
The 5 Seeds
Purdue, Creighton, Wisconsin, Cincinnati
The 6 Seeds
Notre Dame, South Carolina, Maryland, SMU
The 7 Seeds
Xavier, St. Mary’s (CA), Northwestern, USC
The 8 Seeds
Dayton, Minnesota, VCU, Oklahoma State
The 9 Seeds
Virginia Tech, Michigan State, Iowa State, Kansas State
The 10 Seeds
TCU, Wichita State, Miami (FL), Michigan
The 11 Seeds
California, Middle Tennessee, Seton Hall, Marquette, Syracuse
The 12 Seeds
Arkansas, Georgia Tech, NC-Wilmington, Valparaiso, Monmouth
The 13 Seeds
Texas-Arlington, Akron, Vermont, Belmont
The 14 Seeds
Princeton, Colorado State, NC-Asheville, Bucknell
The 15 Seeds
Florida Gulf Coast, North Dakota State, Furman, CSU Bakersfield
The 16 Seeds
Texas Southern, New Orleans, Weber State, UC Davis, North Carolina Central, Mount St. Mary’s
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BUBBLE ACTION
Last Four In
Marquette, Syracuse, Arkansas, Georgia Tech
First Four Out
Illinois State, Clemson, Texas Tech, Rhode Island
Next Four Out
Indiana, Wake Forest, Georgetown, Nevada
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CONFERENCE BREAKDOWN
ACC (10), Big 12 (7), Big Ten (7), Big East (6), Pac-12 (5), SEC (4), Atlantic 10 (2), American (2), West Coast (2)
ACC – North Carolina, Florida State, Louisville, Virginia, Duke, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Miami (FL), Syracuse, Georgia Tech
America East – Vermont
American – Cincinnati, SMU
Atlantic 10 – Dayton, VCU
Atlantic Sun – Florida Gulf Coast
Big 12 – Kansas, Baylor, West Virginia, Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, TCU
Big East – Villanova, Butler, Creighton, Xavier, Seton Hall, Marquette
Big Sky – Weber State
Big South – NC-Asheville
Big Ten – Purdue, Wisconsin, Maryland, Northwestern, Minnesota, Michigan State, Michigan
Big West – UC Davis
Colonial – NC-Wilmington
Conference USA – Middle Tennessee
Horizon – Valparaiso
Ivy – Princeton
MAAC – Monmouth
MAC – Akron
MEAC – North Carolina Central
Missouri Valley – Wichita State
Mountain West – Colorado State
Northeast – Mount St. Mary’s
Ohio Valley – Belmont
Pac-12 – Oregon, Arizona, UCLA, USC, California
Patriot – Bucknell
SEC – Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, Arkansas
Southern – Furman
Southland – New Orleans
Summit – North Dakota State
Sun Belt – Texas-Arlington
SWAC – Texas Southern
WAC – CSU Bakersfield
WCC – Gonzaga, St. Mary’s (CA)
1-3-1 Sports 
A question- why do the play-in teams get to jump to an 11-12 seed? Why aren’t they the 16 seeds?
Hi Sherry,
Thanks for your question! There are actually 4 play-in games that take place during the tournament. The four lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers play each other in 2 play-in games (65 vs. 66, 67 vs. 68), while the four lowest-seeded at-large qualifiers play each other in 2 play-in games. The at-large qualifiers can be seeded on any line the committee deems fitting, which in the past has ranged anywhere from 11 to 14. Hope this helps!
Thanks for the response. But I understand the play-in games. I don’t understand why the committee places them higher than 16. If they aren’t good enough to make the bracket outright, in my opinion, should all be 16’s.