1-3-1 Sports Field of 68 – January 7th

Welcome back to 1-3-1 Sports! My goal is to update my bracketology projections daily, so that my audience can have the most accurate, up-to-date picture of the college basketball landscape. As always, I’m open to interviews, feedback, and ideas from readers regarding potential topics, discussions, etc. Furthermore, if any individual team websites are interested in working in conjunction on team-specific bracketology Q&A pieces, I’d love to contribute. Let the fun begin!

THE BRACKET

Coming February 1st, 2025

The 1 Seeds

Auburn, Tennessee, Iowa State, Duke

The 2 Seeds

Alabama, Marquette, Kentucky, Florida

The 3 Seeds

Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Michigan State, Oregon

The 4 Seeds

Kansas, Connecticut, Memphis, Houston

The 5 Seeds

Gonzaga, Illinois, UCLA, Purdue

The 6 Seeds

Baylor, Oklahoma, Pittsburgh, Michigan

The 7 Seeds

Wisconsin, West Virginia, Utah State, Clemson

The 8 Seeds

Mississippi, St. John’s, Cincinnati, Georgia

The 9 Seeds

Nebraska, San Diego State, Maryland, Dayton

The 10 Seeds

Ohio State, Arkansas, Texas, Penn State

The 11 Seeds

North Carolina, Arizona State, St. Mary’s (CA), Vanderbilt, St. Bonaventure, Louisville

The 12 Seeds

Drake, Liberty, UC San Diego, Samford

The 13 Seeds

South Alabama, Columbia, Grand Canyon, McNeese State

The 14 Seeds

College of Charleston, Lipscomb, South Dakota State, High Point

The 15 Seeds

Akron, Massachusetts-Lowell, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Northern Colorado

The 16 Seeds

Norfolk State, Central Connecticut State, Arkansas-Little Rock, Southern, Marist, Navy

—————————————————————-

—————————————————————-

BUBBLE ACTION

Last Four In

St. Mary’s (CA), Vanderbilt, St. Bonaventure, Louisville

First Four Out

SMU, Washington State, Iowa, Texas Tech

Next Four Out

Missouri, Arizona, BYU, UCF

—————————————————————

—————————————————————

CONFERENCE BREAKDOWN

SEC (13), Big Ten (11), Big 12 (7), ACC (5), Big East (3), Atlantic 10 (2), Mountain West (2), WCC (2)

ACC – Duke, Pittsburgh, Clemson, North Carolina, Louisville

America East – Massachusetts-Lowell

American – Memphis

Atlantic 10 – Dayton, St. Bonaventure

Atlantic Sun – Lipscomb

Big 12 – Iowa State, Kansas, Baylor, Houston, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Arizona State

Big East – Marquette, Connecticut, St. John’s

Big Sky – Northern Colorado

Big South – High Point

Big Ten – Oregon, Michigan State, Purdue, UCLA, Illinois, Maryland, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio State, Nebraska, Penn State

Big West – UC San Diego

Coastal – College of Charleston

Conference USA – Liberty

Horizon – Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Ivy – Columbia

MAAC – Marist

MAC – Akron

MEAC – Norfolk State

Missouri Valley – Drake

Mountain West – San Diego State, Utah State

Northeast – Central Connecticut State

Ohio Valley – Arkansas-Little Rock

Patriot – Navy

SEC – Auburn, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Georgia, Arkansas, Texas, Vanderbilt

Southern – Samford

Southland – McNeese State

Summit – South Dakota State

Sun Belt – South Alabama

SWAC – Southern

WAC – Grand Canyon

WCC – Gonzaga, St. Mary’s (CA)

1-3-1 Sports Field of 68 – January 6th

Welcome back to 1-3-1 Sports! My goal is to update my bracketology projections daily, so that my audience can have the most accurate, up-to-date picture of the college basketball landscape. As always, I’m open to interviews, feedback, and ideas from readers regarding potential topics, discussions, etc. Furthermore, if any individual team websites are interested in working in conjunction on team-specific bracketology Q&A pieces, I’d love to contribute. Let the fun begin!

THE BRACKET

Coming February 1st, 2025

The 1 Seeds

Auburn, Tennessee, Iowa State, Duke

The 2 Seeds

Alabama, Marquette, Kentucky, Florida

The 3 Seeds

Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Michigan State, Oregon

The 4 Seeds

Kansas, Connecticut, Memphis, Gonzaga

The 5 Seeds

Houston, Illinois, UCLA, Purdue

The 6 Seeds

Baylor, Oklahoma, Pittsburgh, Michigan

The 7 Seeds

West Virginia, Utah State, Wisconsin, Clemson

The 8 Seeds

Mississippi, St. John’s, Cincinnati, Georgia

The 9 Seeds

Nebraska, San Diego State, Maryland, Dayton

The 10 Seeds

Arkansas, Ohio State, Texas, Penn State

The 11 Seeds

North Carolina, Arizona State, St. Mary’s (CA), Vanderbilt, St. Bonaventure, Louisville

The 12 Seeds

Drake, Liberty, UC San Diego, Samford

The 13 Seeds

South Alabama, Columbia, Grand Canyon, McNeese State

The 14 Seeds

College of Charleston, Lipscomb, South Dakota State, High Point

The 15 Seeds

Akron, Massachusetts-Lowell, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Northern Colorado

The 16 Seeds

Norfolk State, Central Connecticut State, Arkansas-Little Rock, Southern, Marist, Navy

—————————————————————-

—————————————————————-

BUBBLE ACTION

Last Four In

St. Mary’s (CA), Vanderbilt, St. Bonaventure, Louisville

First Four Out

SMU, Washington State, Iowa, Texas Tech

Next Four Out

Missouri, Arizona, BYU, UCF

—————————————————————

—————————————————————

CONFERENCE BREAKDOWN

SEC (13), Big Ten (11), Big 12 (7), ACC (5), Big East (3), Atlantic 10 (2), Mountain West (2), WCC (2)

ACC – Duke, Pittsburgh, Clemson, North Carolina, Louisville

America East – Massachusetts-Lowell

American – Memphis

Atlantic 10 – Dayton, St. Bonaventure

Atlantic Sun – Lipscomb

Big 12 – Iowa State, Kansas, Baylor, Houston, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Arizona State

Big East – Marquette, Connecticut, St. John’s

Big Sky – Northern Colorado

Big South – High Point

Big Ten – Oregon, Michigan State, Purdue, UCLA, Illinois, Maryland, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio State, Nebraska, Penn State

Big West – UC San Diego

Coastal – College of Charleston

Conference USA – Liberty

Horizon – Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Ivy – Columbia

MAAC – Marist

MAC – Akron

MEAC – Norfolk State

Missouri Valley – Drake

Mountain West – San Diego State, Utah State

Northeast – Central Connecticut State

Ohio Valley – Arkansas-Little Rock

Patriot – Navy

SEC – Auburn, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Georgia, Arkansas, Texas, Vanderbilt

Southern – Samford

Southland – McNeese State

Summit – South Dakota State

Sun Belt – South Alabama

SWAC – Southern

WAC – Grand Canyon

WCC – Gonzaga, St. Mary’s (CA)

1-3-1 Sports Field of 68 – January 5th

Welcome back to 1-3-1 Sports! My goal is to update my bracketology projections daily, so that my audience can have the most accurate, up-to-date picture of the college basketball landscape. As always, I’m open to interviews, feedback, and ideas from readers regarding potential topics, discussions, etc. Furthermore, if any individual team websites are interested in working in conjunction on team-specific bracketology Q&A pieces, I’d love to contribute. Let the fun begin!

THE BRACKET

Coming February 1st, 2025

The 1 Seeds

Auburn, Tennessee, Iowa State, Duke

The 2 Seeds

Alabama, Marquette, Kentucky, Florida

The 3 Seeds

Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Michigan State, Oregon

The 4 Seeds

Connecticut, Kansas, Memphis, Gonzaga

The 5 Seeds

Houston, UCLA, Illinois, Purdue

The 6 Seeds

Baylor, Oklahoma, Pittsburgh, Michigan

The 7 Seeds

West Virginia, Utah State, Wisconsin, Clemson

The 8 Seeds

Maryland, Mississippi, St. John’s, Cincinnati

The 9 Seeds

Georgia, San Diego State, Nebraska, Drake

The 10 Seeds

Dayton, Arkansas, Ohio State, Penn State

The 11 Seeds

Texas, North Carolina, Arizona State, St. Mary’s (CA), Vanderbilt

The 12 Seeds

St. Bonaventure, Louisville, Liberty, UC San Diego, Samford

The 13 Seeds

South Alabama, Columbia, Grand Canyon, McNeese State

The 14 Seeds

College of Charleston, Lipscomb, South Dakota State, High Point

The 15 Seeds

Akron, Massachusetts-Lowell, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Northern Colorado

The 16 Seeds

Norfolk State, Central Connecticut State, Arkansas-Little Rock, Southern, Holy Cross, Marist

—————————————————————-

—————————————————————-

BUBBLE ACTION

Last Four In

St. Mary’s (CA), Vanderbilt, St. Bonaventure, Louisville

First Four Out

SMU, UCF, Washington State, Iowa

Next Four Out

Texas Tech, Missouri, Arizona, BYU

—————————————————————

—————————————————————

CONFERENCE BREAKDOWN

SEC (13), Big Ten (11), Big 12 (7), ACC (5), Big East (3), Atlantic 10 (2), Mountain West (2), WCC (2)

ACC – Duke, Pittsburgh, Clemson, North Carolina, Louisville

America East – Massachusetts-Lowell

American – Memphis

Atlantic 10 – Dayton, St. Bonaventure

Atlantic Sun – Lipscomb

Big 12 – Iowa State, Kansas, Baylor, Houston, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Arizona State

Big East – Marquette, Connecticut, St. John’s

Big Sky – Northern Colorado

Big South – High Point

Big Ten – Oregon, Michigan State, Purdue, UCLA, Illinois, Maryland, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio State, Nebraska, Penn State

Big West – UC San Diego

Coastal – College of Charleston

Conference USA – Liberty

Horizon – Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Ivy – Columbia

MAAC – Marist

MAC – Akron

MEAC – Norfolk State

Missouri Valley – Drake

Mountain West – San Diego State, Utah State

Northeast – Central Connecticut State

Ohio Valley – Arkansas-Little Rock

Patriot – American

SEC – Auburn, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Georgia, Arkansas, Texas, Vanderbilt

Southern – Samford

Southland – McNeese State

Summit – South Dakota State

Sun Belt – South Alabama

SWAC – Southern

WAC – Grand Canyon

WCC – Gonzaga, St. Mary’s (CA)

1-3-1 Sports Field of 68 – January 4th

Welcome back to 1-3-1 Sports! My goal is to update my bracketology projections daily, so that my audience can have the most accurate, up-to-date picture of the college basketball landscape. As always, I’m open to interviews, feedback, and ideas from readers regarding potential topics, discussions, etc. Furthermore, if any individual team websites are interested in working in conjunction on team-specific bracketology Q&A pieces, I’d love to contribute. Let the fun begin!

THE BRACKET

Coming February 1st, 2025

The 1 Seeds

Auburn, Tennessee, Iowa State, Duke

The 2 Seeds

Alabama, Marquette, Florida, Kentucky

The 3 Seeds

Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Kansas, Michigan State

The 4 Seeds

Oregon, Connecticut, UCLA, Oklahoma

The 5 Seeds

Illinois, Memphis, Gonzaga, Purdue

The 6 Seeds

Baylor, Houston, Pittsburgh, Michigan

The 7 Seeds

Wisconsin, Utah State, West Virginia, Maryland

The 8 Seeds

Clemson, Mississippi, Cincinnati, Georgia

The 9 Seeds

Dayton, St. John’s, San Diego State, Arkansas

The 10 Seeds

Drake, Ohio State, Texas Tech, Texas

The 11 Seeds

Penn State, North Carolina, Arizona State, St. Mary’s (CA), Missouri

The 12 Seeds

Nebraska, Vanderbilt, Liberty, UC Irvine, Furman

The 13 Seeds

Arkansas State, Columbia, Grand Canyon, McNeese State

The 14 Seeds

Kent State, North Dakota State, College of Charleston, Lipscomb

The 15 Seeds

High Point, Massachusetts-Lowell, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Northern Colorado

The 16 Seeds

—————————————————————-

—————————————————————-

BUBBLE ACTION

Last Four In

St. Mary’s (CA), Missouri, Nebraska, Vanderbilt

First Four Out

SMU, Iowa, Louisville, BYU

Next Four Out

St. Bonaventure, Washington State, Arizona, UCF

—————————————————————

—————————————————————

CONFERENCE BREAKDOWN

SEC (14), Big Ten (11), Big 12 (8), ACC (4), Big East (3), Mountain West (2), WCC (2)

ACC – Duke, Pittsburgh, Clemson, North Carolina

America East – Massachusetts-Lowell

American – Memphis

Atlantic 10 – Dayton

Atlantic Sun – Lipscomb

Big 12 – Iowa State, Kansas, Baylor, Houston, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Texas Tech, Arizona State

Big East – Marquette, Connecticut, St. John’s

Big Sky – Northern Colorado

Big South – High Point

Big Ten – Oregon, Michigan State, Purdue, UCLA, Illinois, Maryland, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio State, Nebraska, Penn State

Big West – UC Irvine

Coastal – College of Charleston

Conference USA – Liberty

Horizon – Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Ivy – Columbia

MAAC – Marist

MAC – Kent State

MEAC – Norfolk State

Missouri Valley – Drake

Mountain West – San Diego State, Utah State

Northeast – Central Connecticut State

Ohio Valley – Arkansas-Little Rock

Patriot – American

SEC – Auburn, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Georgia, Arkansas, Texas, Missouri, Vanderbilt

Southern – Furman

Southland – McNeese State

Summit – North Dakota State

Sun Belt – Arkansas State

SWAC – Southern

WAC – Grand Canyon

WCC – Gonzaga, St. Mary’s (CA)

1-3-1 Sports Field of 68 – January 3rd

Welcome back to 1-3-1 Sports! My goal is to update my bracketology projections daily, so that my audience can have the most accurate, up-to-date picture of the college basketball landscape. As always, I’m open to interviews, feedback, and ideas from readers regarding potential topics, discussions, etc. Furthermore, if any individual team websites are interested in working in conjunction on team-specific bracketology Q&A pieces, I’d love to contribute. Let the fun begin!

THE BRACKET

Coming February 1st, 2025

The 1 Seeds

Auburn, Tennessee, Iowa State, Duke

The 2 Seeds

Alabama, Marquette, Florida, Kentucky

The 3 Seeds

Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Kansas, Michigan State

The 4 Seeds

Oregon, Connecticut, UCLA, Oklahoma

The 5 Seeds

Illinois, Memphis, Gonzaga, Purdue

The 6 Seeds

Baylor, Houston, Pittsburgh, Michigan

The 7 Seeds

Wisconsin, Utah State, West Virginia, Maryland

The 8 Seeds

Clemson, Mississippi, Cincinnati, Georgia

The 9 Seeds

Dayton, St. John’s, San Diego State, Arkansas

The 10 Seeds

Ohio State, Drake, Texas Tech, Texas

The 11 Seeds

Penn State, North Carolina, Arizona State, St. Mary’s (CA), Missouri

The 12 Seeds

Nebraska, Vanderbilt, Liberty, UC Irvine, Furman

The 13 Seeds

Arkansas State, Columbia, Grand Canyon, McNeese State

The 14 Seeds

Kent State, North Dakota State, College of Charleston, Lipscomb

The 15 Seeds

High Point, Massachusetts-Lowell, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Northern Colorado

The 16 Seeds

—————————————————————-

—————————————————————-

BUBBLE ACTION

Last Four In

St. Mary’s (CA), Missouri, Nebraska, Vanderbilt

First Four Out

SMU, Iowa, Louisville, BYU

Next Four Out

St. Bonaventure, Washington State, Arizona, UCF

—————————————————————

—————————————————————

CONFERENCE BREAKDOWN

SEC (14), Big Ten (11), Big 12 (8), ACC (4), Big East (3), Mountain West (2), WCC (2)

ACC – Duke, Pittsburgh, Clemson, North Carolina

America East – Massachusetts-Lowell

American – Memphis

Atlantic 10 – Dayton

Atlantic Sun – Lipscomb

Big 12 – Iowa State, Kansas, Baylor, Houston, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Texas Tech, Arizona State

Big East – Marquette, Connecticut, St. John’s

Big Sky – Northern Colorado

Big South – High Point

Big Ten – Oregon, Michigan State, Purdue, UCLA, Illinois, Maryland, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio State, Nebraska, Penn State

Big West – UC Irvine

Coastal – College of Charleston

Conference USA – Liberty

Horizon – Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Ivy – Columbia

MAAC – Marist

MAC – Kent State

MEAC – Norfolk State

Missouri Valley – Drake

Mountain West – San Diego State, Utah State

Northeast – Central Connecticut State

Ohio Valley – Arkansas-Little Rock

Patriot – American

SEC – Auburn, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Georgia, Arkansas, Texas, Missouri, Vanderbilt

Southern – Furman

Southland – McNeese State

Summit – North Dakota State

Sun Belt – Arkansas State

SWAC – Southern

WAC – Grand Canyon

WCC – Gonzaga, St. Mary’s (CA)

1-3-1 Sports Field of 68 – January 2nd

Welcome back to 1-3-1 Sports! My goal is to update my bracketology projections daily, so that my audience can have the most accurate, up-to-date picture of the college basketball landscape. As always, I’m open to interviews, feedback, and ideas from readers regarding potential topics, discussions, etc. Furthermore, if any individual team websites are interested in working in conjunction on team-specific bracketology Q&A pieces, I’d love to contribute. Let the fun begin!

THE BRACKET

Coming February 1st, 2025

The 1 Seeds

Auburn, Tennessee, Iowa State, Duke

The 2 Seeds

Alabama, Florida, Marquette, Oregon

The 3 Seeds

Kentucky, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Michigan State

The 4 Seeds

Kansas, Connecticut, Oklahoma, UCLA

The 5 Seeds

Memphis, Gonzaga, Purdue, Baylor

The 6 Seeds

Houston, Pittsburgh, Illinois, Maryland

The 7 Seeds

Michigan, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Clemson

The 8 Seeds

Mississippi, Cincinnati, Utah State, Georgia

The 9 Seeds

Dayton, San Diego State, St. John’s, Arkansas

The 10 Seeds

Ohio State, Texas Tech, Drake, St. Mary’s (CA)

The 11 Seeds

Texas, North Carolina, Arizona State, Missouri, Penn State

The 12 Seeds

Nebraska, Vanderbilt, Liberty, UC Irvine, Furman

The 13 Seeds

Arkansas State, Columbia, Grand Canyon, McNeese State

The 14 Seeds

Kent State, North Dakota State, College of Charleston, Lipscomb

The 15 Seeds

High Point, Massachusetts-Lowell, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Northern Colorado

The 16 Seeds

—————————————————————-

—————————————————————-

BUBBLE ACTION

Last Four In

Missouri, Penn State, Nebraska, Vanderbilt

First Four Out

SMU, Iowa, BYU, Louisville

Next Four Out

St. Bonaventure, Washington State, Colorado, Arizona

—————————————————————

—————————————————————

CONFERENCE BREAKDOWN

SEC (14), Big Ten (11), Big 12 (8), ACC (4), Big East (3), Mountain West (2), WCC (2)

ACC – Duke, Pittsburgh, Clemson, North Carolina

America East – Massachusetts-Lowell

American – Memphis

Atlantic 10 – Dayton

Atlantic Sun – Lipscomb

Big 12 – Iowa State, Kansas, Baylor, Houston, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Texas Tech, Arizona State

Big East – Marquette, Connecticut, St. John’s

Big Sky – Northern Colorado

Big South – High Point

Big Ten – Oregon, Michigan State, Purdue, UCLA, Illinois, Maryland, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio State, Nebraska, Penn State

Big West – UC Irvine

Coastal – College of Charleston

Conference USA – Liberty

Horizon – Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Ivy – Columbia

MAAC – Marist

MAC – Kent State

MEAC – Norfolk State

Missouri Valley – Drake

Mountain West – San Diego State, Utah State

Northeast – Central Connecticut State

Ohio Valley – Arkansas-Little Rock

Patriot – American

SEC – Auburn, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Georgia, Arkansas, Texas, Missouri, Vanderbilt

Southern – Furman

Southland – McNeese State

Summit – North Dakota State

Sun Belt – Arkansas State

SWAC – Southern

WAC – Grand Canyon

WCC – Gonzaga, St. Mary’s (CA)

1-3-1 Sports Field of 68 – January 1st

Welcome back to 1-3-1 Sports! My goal is to update my bracketology projections daily, so that my audience can have the most accurate, up-to-date picture of the college basketball landscape. As always, I’m open to interviews, feedback, and ideas from readers regarding potential topics, discussions, etc. Furthermore, if any individual team websites are interested in working in conjunction on team-specific bracketology Q&A pieces, I’d love to contribute. Let the fun begin!

THE BRACKET

Coming February 1st, 2025

The 1 Seeds

Auburn, Tennessee, Iowa State, Duke

The 2 Seeds

Alabama, Florida, Marquette, Oregon

The 3 Seeds

Kentucky, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Michigan State

The 4 Seeds

Kansas, Connecticut, Oklahoma, UCLA

The 5 Seeds

Memphis, Gonzaga, Purdue, Baylor

The 6 Seeds

Houston, Pittsburgh, Illinois, Maryland

The 7 Seeds

Michigan, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Mississippi

The 8 Seeds

Clemson, Cincinnati, Utah State, Georgia

The 9 Seeds

Dayton, San Diego State, St. John’s, North Carolina

The 10 Seeds

Arkansas, Ohio State, Texas Tech, Drake

The 11 Seeds

St. Mary’s (CA), Texas, Arizona State, Missouri, Penn State

The 12 Seeds

Nebraska, Vanderbilt, Liberty, UC Irvine, Furman

The 13 Seeds

Arkansas State, Columbia, Grand Canyon, McNeese State

The 14 Seeds

Kent State, North Dakota State, College of Charleston, Lipscomb

The 15 Seeds

High Point, Massachusetts-Lowell, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Northern Colorado

The 16 Seeds

—————————————————————-

—————————————————————-

BUBBLE ACTION

Last Four In

Missouri, Penn State, Nebraska, Vanderbilt

First Four Out

SMU, Iowa, BYU, St. Bonaventure

Next Four Out

Washington State, Colorado, Louisville, Arizona

—————————————————————

—————————————————————

CONFERENCE BREAKDOWN

SEC (14), Big Ten (11), Big 12 (8), ACC (4), Big East (3), Mountain West (2), WCC (2)

ACC – Duke, Pittsburgh, Clemson, North Carolina

America East – Massachusetts-Lowell

American – Memphis

Atlantic 10 – Dayton

Atlantic Sun – Lipscomb

Big 12 – Iowa State, Kansas, Baylor, Houston, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Texas Tech, Arizona State

Big East – Marquette, Connecticut, St. John’s

Big Sky – Northern Colorado

Big South – High Point

Big Ten – Oregon, Michigan State, Purdue, UCLA, Illinois, Maryland, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio State, Nebraska, Penn State

Big West – UC Irvine

Coastal – College of Charleston

Conference USA – Liberty

Horizon – Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Ivy – Columbia

MAAC – Marist

MAC – Kent State

MEAC – Norfolk State

Missouri Valley – Drake

Mountain West – San Diego State, Utah State

Northeast – Central Connecticut State

Ohio Valley – Arkansas-Little Rock

Patriot – American

SEC – Auburn, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Georgia, Arkansas, Texas, Missouri, Vanderbilt

Southern – Furman

Southland – McNeese State

Summit – North Dakota State

Sun Belt – Arkansas State

SWAC – Southern

WAC – Grand Canyon

WCC – Gonzaga, St. Mary’s (CA)

High Leverage Futures Bets (2024 Edition)

I took the baseline model I developed for my “How to Win Your Bracket Pool” article and created a “high-volatility” version to produce bracket simulations so I could look for teams that are uniquely capable of making unexpected runs in this year’s tournament. I compared the results of these simulations to currently available Vegas futures on the two primary sports betting websites (DraftKings & FanDuel) to look for high leverage opportunities in the high risk/high reward space.

I identified five such opportunities (in alphabetical order):

  • Colorado advancing to the Sweet 16 (+330 on FanDuel)
  • Creighton advancing to the Elite 8 (+205 on both sites)
  • Duke advancing to the Elite 8 (+400 on DraftKings)
  • Illinois advancing to the Elite 8 (+270 on DraftKings)
  • Washington State advancing to the Sweet 16 (+550 on DraftKings)

How to Win Your Bracket Pool (2024 Edition)

Before you begin reading this article, I want to make one thing abundantly clear: I’m not telling you how to fill out the perfect bracket; that’s impossible (insert cliché about the astronomically small odds of this ever happening). Rather, I’m giving you statistically sound, pragmatic advice on how to win your bracket pool between you and your friends (and the spoils that come along with it). If you follow these foolproof steps, you should finish at (or at the very least near) the top:

Step 1: Advance all 1 and 2 seeds to the Sweet 16.

Okay, I know, this is super chalky and people may rag on you for making this move. Furthermore, the odds are heavily against all eight 1 and 2 seeds advancing to the Sweet 16. However, picking which 1 or 2 seed is going to get upset is a fool’s gambit. You put yourself at risk of losing easy points that your opponents will gain. You’re better off taking a couple small gambles in other early round games, and just playing it safe here.

To further drive home my point, consider this – in the last five tournaments, 27 of the 40 teams (68%) on the 1 and 2 seed line advanced to the Sweet 16. If you can essentially lock in 5 or 6 correct teams in your predicted Sweet 16, you should do it.

Step 2: Advance all 3 seeds to the second round.

The same chalkiness mentioned in step 1 definitely applies here as well, but the same logic applies as well. The difference here is that a lower seed upset over a 3 in the second round is much more likely in comparison to a similar 1 or 2 upset. Thus, auto-advancing the 3 seeds should only apply to the first round. It’s fun bragging about being the one person who accurately picked the crazy 14 over 3 upset, but you know what’s more fun? Bragging about winning your bracket pool.

In a similar fashion to step 1, I really want to drive home this point as well. Since 2017, only one 14 over 3 upset has occurred, and it was a 1-point victory by Abilene Christian over Texas in 2021.

Step 3: Use the following statistical data to fill out the rest of your bracket.
(*Note*: The 0% values listed do not imply that the result cannot happen. Rather, the result is extremely unlikely [less than 0.1% likelihood])

In years past, I had developed a predictive model to attempt to project who has the best chance of advancing far into the tournament. I refined the model to further optimize the predictive results, then normalized the projections for each region to create a probability of advancing in any given round for every team in the tournament. I used historic tournament results from games that took place between 2010 to 2017.

As part of an update from 2019, I moved to a model that predicts the exact score of each game. After the projected score is developed, the model turns that into a projected probability of victory, then uses rules of conditional probability to project teams advancing in the tournament. I also updated the training data for the model to include tournament results from games that took place between 2014 and 2023.

East Region

East Region 2024

South Region

South Region 2024

Midwest Region

Midwest Region 2024

West Region

West Region 2024

Bonus TL;DR version: Synthesizing the above charts for people who don’t like numbers.

Most Likely First Round Upsets

Going crazy picking a ton of upsets doesn’t do you any good. Instead, I would pick one (or two tops if you’re feeling real wild) from the following options:

Most Likely 13/4 Upsets

  • (13) Samford over (4) Kansas – 24.8%
  • (13) Charleston over (4) Alabama – 19.3%

Most Likely 12/5 Upsets

  • (12) Grand Canyon over (5) Saint Mary’s – 31.2%
  • (12) James Madison over (5) Wisconsin – 31.0%

Most Likely 11/6 Upsets

  • (11) New Mexico over (6) Clemson – 50.4%
  • (11) Oregon over (6) South Carolina – 44.3%

Toss-Up Games

These are the 7/10 and 8/9 games that could get either way. The goal here is to get 5+ out of 8 correct. I recommend the following strategy:

  • (8) Florida Atlantic vs. (9) Northwestern – Take Florida Atlantic.
  • (7) Washington State vs. (10) Drake – Flip a coin.
  • (8) Nebraska vs. (9) Texas A&M – Flip a coin.
  • (7) Florida vs. (10) Boise St./Colorado – Flip a coin.
  • (8) TCU vs. (9) Utah State – Take TCU.
  • (7) Texas vs. (10) Colorado State – Take Texas.
  • (8) Mississippi State vs. (9) Michigan State – Take Michigan State.
  • (7) Dayton vs. (10) Nevada – Flip a coin.

Best Final Four Picks by Region

EAST

Chalk – (1) Connecticut

Value Picks – (4) Auburn, (3) Illinois

Dark Horse – (7) Washington State


SOUTH

Chalk – (1) Houston

Value Picks – (3) Kentucky, (4) Duke

Dark Horse – (6) Texas Tech


MIDWEST

Chalk – (1) Purdue

Value Pick – (3) Creighton

Dark Horse – (5) Gonzaga


WEST

Chalk – (2) Arizona

Value Pick – (3) Baylor, (4) Alabama

Dark Horse – (7) Dayton


Most Likely Champions

  • (1) Connecticut (26.3%)
  • (1) Purdue (14.2%)
  • (1) Houston (11.5%)
  • (2) Arizona (6.1%)
  • (3) Creighton (6.0%)

1-3-1 Sports Field of 68 – March 17th (Final)

Welcome back to 1-3-1 Sports! My goal is to update my bracketology projections daily, so that my audience can have the most accurate, up-to-date picture of the college basketball landscape. As always, I’m open to interviews, feedback, and ideas from readers regarding potential topics, discussions, etc. Furthermore, if any individual team websites are interested in working in conjunction on team-specific bracketology Q&A pieces, I’d love to contribute. Let the fun begin!

THE BRACKET

Bracket 031724 (Final)

The 1 Seeds

Connecticut, Purdue, Houston, North Carolina

The 2 Seeds

Tennessee, Iowa State, Arizona, Marquette

The 3 Seeds 

Baylor, Creighton, Illinois, Duke

The 4 Seeds

Auburn, Kentucky, Kansas, Alabama

The 5 Seeds

BYU, Wisconsin, San Diego State, South Carolina

The 6 Seeds

Texas Tech, Florida, St. Mary’s (CA), Utah State

The 7 Seeds

Clemson, Nevada, Gonzaga, Washington State

The 8 Seeds

Dayton, Boise State, Texas, Nebraska

The 9 Seeds

Colorado State, Northwestern, Mississippi State, TCU

The 10 Seeds

Florida Atlantic, New Mexico, Colorado, Michigan State, Texas A&M, Oklahoma

The 11 Seeds

Drake, Oregon, NC State, James Madison

The 12 Seeds

Grand Canyon, McNeese State, Duquesne, Samford 

The 13 Seeds

UAB, Yale, Vermont, College of Charleston

The 14 Seeds

Akron, Oakland, Morehead State, Colgate

The 15 Seeds

Western Kentucky, South Dakota State, Long Beach State, Longwood

The 16 Seeds

St. Peter’s, Stetson, Montana State, Howard, Grambling, Wagner

—————————————————————-

—————————————————————-

BUBBLE ACTION

Last Four In

Colorado, Michigan State, Texas A&M, Oklahoma

First Four Out

St. John’s, Indiana State, Virginia, Seton Hall

Next Four Out

Pittsburgh, Providence, Ohio State, Kansas State

—————————————————————

—————————————————————

CONFERENCE BREAKDOWN

Big 12 (9), SEC (8), Big Ten (6), Mountain West (6), ACC (4), Pac-12 (4), Big East (3), American (2), Atlantic 10 (2), WCC (2)

ACC – North Carolina, Duke, Clemson, NC State

America East – Vermont

American – Florida Atlantic, UAB

Atlantic 10 – Dayton, Duquesne

Atlantic Sun – Stetson

Big 12 – Houston, Iowa State, Baylor, Kansas, BYU, Texas Tech, Texas, TCU, Oklahoma

Big East – Connecticut, Marquette, Creighton

Big Sky – Montana State

Big South – Longwood

Big Ten – Purdue, Illinois, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Northwestern, Michigan State

Big West – Long Beach State

Coastal – College of Charleston

Conference USA – Western Kentucky

Horizon – Oakland

Ivy – Yale

MAAC – St. Peter’s

MAC – Akron

MEAC – Howard

Missouri Valley – Drake

Mountain West – San Diego State, Utah State, Nevada, Colorado State, Boise State, New Mexico

Northeast – Wagner

Ohio Valley – Morehead State

Pac-12 – Arizona, Washington State, Colorado, Oregon

Patriot – Colgate

SEC – Tennessee, Kentucky, Auburn, Alabama, South Carolina, Florida, Mississippi State, Texas A&M

Southern – Samford

Southland – McNeese State

Summit – South Dakota State

Sun Belt – James Madison

SWAC – Grambling

WAC – Grand Canyon

WCC – St. Mary’s (CA), Gonzaga