Bracketology 101

With the main part of my 1st semester of graduate school behind me, I've decided to take the CBS Sportsline Bracketology challenge and try to predict and accurately seed the field of 65.

While I won't post an actual bracket until selection Sunday, I will update everyone right now on who I believe should be in the field of 65. As most know, the field consists of 31 automatic bids (from the winners of conference tournaments) and 34 at-large bids. As of my 2p.m. Central Update on Friday March 5, I believe there are currently 20 at large locks, 5 teams that are close to being in and would be if the field was selected today, and approximately 20 teams fighting for 9 "bubble" spots.

Keep in mind that should certain teams lose in their conference tournaments, they would move to "lock" or "teams that should be close" status and potentially take away another bubble spot.

For leagues that would get only 1 bid unless their champion loses in the conference tournament, teams in bold would move to "lock" and teams italic owuld move to "teams that should be close."

So for now, here we go. This will be today's only update as Northern Iowa is going to hold off and beat Drake in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament quarterfinals

ACC Duke
American East Stony Brook
Atlantic 10 Temple
Atlantic Sun Lipscomb
Big 12 Kansas
Big East Syracuse
Big Sky Weber St
Big South Coastal Carolina
Big Ten Ohio State
Big West UC Santa Barbara
Colonial Old Dominion
C-USA UTEP
Horizon Butler
Ivy Cornell (no conference tournament)
MAAC Siena
MAC Kent State
MEAC Morgan State
Mo Valley Northern Iowa
Mountain West New Mexico
NEC Quinnipac
Ohio Valley Murray State
Pac 10 California
Patriot Lehigh
SEC Kentucky
Southern Wofford
Southland Sam Houston St
Summit Oakland
Sun Belt North Texas
SWAC Jackson State
West Coast Gonzaga
WAC Utah State

LOCKS 20

Maryland
West Virginia
Villanova
Pittsburgh
Georgetown
Wisconsin
Ohio State
Michigan State
Kansas State
Baylor
Texas A&M
Missouri
Texas
Oklahoma State
Tennessee
Vanderbilt
Brigham Young
Temple
Richmond
Clemson

TEAMS CLOSE 5

Marquette
Louisville
Wake Forest
Georgia Tech
Florida State

BUBBLE 9 (Random order, no preference yet)

Virginia Tech
Connecticut
Notre Dame
Cincinnati
Seton Hall
Minnesota
Illinois
Washington
Arizona State
Florida
Mississippi
Mississippi State
San Diego State
Rhode Island
Dayton
Charlotte
St Marys
Memphis
UAB
UNLV