Is the SEC the most dominant conference we’ve seen in college basketball history?
With nine teams ranked inside the latest AP Top 25 Poll and four of the top five ranked teams in America, it’s tough to argue with that sentiment. Where will the top SEC teams end up in this year’s NCAA Tournament, and how many teams from the conference will receive an invitation to the Big Dance?
FOX Sports bracket forecaster Mike DeCourcy is here to answer those questions with his latest NCAA Tournament projections.
Duke (East), Auburn (South) and Alabama (Midwest) remain No. 1 seeds in DeCourcy’s latest projections, while Florida (West) joins them on the 1-line. The Gators have won three in a row, including a victory over the top-ranked Tigers, and six of their last seven.
Tennessee fell to a No. 2 seed following a loss to Kentucky. The Vols are joined by Houston, Texas A&M and Purdue on the 2-line.
Kansas and Wisconsin both jumped to the 3-line in DeCourcy’s latest NCAA Tournament projections. The Jayhawks are coming off a double-digit win over Colorado, while the Badgers are winners of four of their past five. Kansas and Wisconsin are joined by Iowa State and Kentucky on the 3-line.
St. John’s fell to the 4-line after being upset by unranked Villanova. Arizona, Michigan and Marquette round out the No. 4 seeds in DeCourcy’s latest projections.
As for the bubble, DeCourcy has SMU, Arkansas, San Diego State and BYU among his last four teams to get into the tournament, while Texas, Wake Forest, VCU and Boise State are listed as DeCourcy’s first four teams out.
Cincinnati, UC Irvine, Indiana and Kansas State are DeCourcy’s next four teams out of the NCAA Tournament.
The SEC has the most representatives in DeCourcy’s latest compilation, with 13 teams. The Big Ten has 10 teams represented, while the Big 12 has eight teams in the tournament, according to DeCourcy. The ACC and Big East have four teams, while the Mountain West has three teams in the mix and the West Coast has two teams.
Here’s a full look at DeCourcy’s latest projections:
Michael DeCourcy covers college basketball for FOX Sports with an emphasis on NCAA Tournament bracket projections. He has appeared on FOX Sports college basketball game broadcasts, while also serving as a college basketball studio analyst with Big Ten Network. He has been covering college basketball for nearly three decades at the Sporting News. You can follow him at @tsnmike.
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