Before I get to the final projection, here’s a quick recap of how Sunday’s results affected the bracket.
Bracketology: Villanova claims final No. 1 seed
With Michigan’s loss to Michigan State in the Big Ten final, the Wildcats swap places with the Wolverines in Chris Dobbertean’s final projection of 2014.
Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports
- Michigan's stay on the top line was short, as the Wolverines fell to Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament final in Indianapolis. Villanova swaps places with John Beilein's team in this projection. Meanwhile, the Spartans and American Tournament champion Louisville also flip spots because of the result, with MSU -- a team with plenty of injuries during the regular season -- passing the Cardinals for a place on the three line.
- Florida held off Kentucky in the SEC Tournament final. The Gators remain first overall, while the Wildcats are seeded sixth.
- VCU joins the Wildcats on that line, following its loss to St. Joseph's in the Atlantic 10 Tournament championship. The Hawks move up to a nine as a result of the win.
- Virginia, unofficial ACC regular season champions and official ACC Tournament champions, jumps Duke for a spot among the second seeds.
Finally, after reviewing everyone's profiles one last time, I replaced SMU in the bracket with Green Bay. I explained this more in the final edition of Bracketology Bubble Watch, but it all comes down to non-conference scheduling. It's something the Selection Committee preaches and the Phoenix were somewhat successful at, while the Mustangs' early-season slate left much to be desired. Plus, the Committee seems to have gotten into the habit of rewarding deserving mid-majors with First Four berths since the event's inception.
With all of that said, here’s one final look at my projected field of 68.
| (1) SOUTH Memphis (Thu/Sat) | (2) WEST Anaheim (Thu/Sat) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Orlando (Thu/Sat) | San Diego (Fri/Sun) | ||
| 1 | FLORIDA (SEC) | 1 | Arizona |
| 16 | CAL POLY/TEXAS STHN. | 16 | WEBER STATE (Big Sky) |
| 8 | Oregon | ↓ 8 88 | UMass |
| 9 | Memphis | 9 | GONZAGA (WCC) |
| Spokane (Thu/Sat) | Spokane (Thu/Sat) | ||
| 5 | Oklahoma | 5 | North Carolina |
| 12 | NORTH DAKOTA STATE (Summit) | 122 | BYU/Tennessee |
| 4 | San Diego State | ↓ 4 | LOUISVILLE (AAC) |
| 13 | TULSA (C-USA) | 13 | NEW MEXICO STATE (WAC) |
| San Antonio (Fri/Sun) | Orlando (Thu/Sat) | ||
| ↓ 6 | VCU | 666 | Baylor |
| 11 | Iowa | 11 | Xavier |
| 3 | Creighton | ↑ 3 | MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten) |
| 14 | MERCER (A-Sun) | 14 | WESTERN MICHIGAN (MAC) |
| Raleigh (Fri/Sun) | St. Louis (Fri/Sun) | ||
| ↑ 7 | Oklahoma State | 7 | NEW MEXICO (MW) |
| 10 | Arizona State | ↓ 10 | Stanford |
| ↑ 2 | VIRGINIA (ACC) | ↑ 2 | IOWA STATE (Big 12) |
| 15 | MILWAUKEE (Horizon) | ↓ 15 | EASTERN KENTUCKY (OVC) |
| (4) EAST New York (Fri/Sun) | (3) MIDWEST Indianapolis (Fri/Sun) | ||
| Buffalo (Thu/Sat) | St. Louis (Fri/Sun) | ||
| ↑ 1 | Villanova | 1 | WICHITA STATE (MVC) |
| 16 | ALBANY (AmEast) | 16 | COASTAL CAROLINA/MT. ST. MARY'S |
| 8 | George Washington | 8 | Colorado |
| 9 | Pittsburgh | ↑ 9 | ST. JOSEPH'S (A 10) |
| San Diego (Fri/Sun) | Buffalo (Thu/Sat) | ||
| 5 | UCLA (Pac-12) | ↑ 5 | Connecticut |
| 12 | HARVARD (Ivy) | 12 | STEPHEN F. AUSTIN (Southland) |
| 4 | Cincinnati | 4 | Syracuse |
| 13 | DELAWARE (CAA) | 13 | MANHATTAN (MAAC) |
| Raleigh (Fri/Sun) | San Antonio (Fri/Sun) | ||
| 6 | Kentucky | 6 | Ohio State |
| 11 | Green Bay/Nebraska | 11 | Dayton |
| ↓ 3 | Duke | 3 | Kansas |
| 14 | N.C. CENTRAL (MEAC) | *14 | UL LAFAYETTE (Sun Belt) |
| Milwaukee (Thu/Sat) | Milwaukee (Thu/Sat) | ||
| 7 | Saint Louis | 7 | Texas |
| 10 | Kansas State | 10 | PROVIDENCE (Big East) |
| ↓ 2 | Michigan | 2 | Wisconsin |
| 15 | AMERICAN (Patriot) | 15 | WOFFORD (SoCon) |
| FIRST FOUR (Dayton) | |||
| Tuesday: To Orlando | Tuesday: To Spokane | ||
| 16 | CAL POLY (Big West) | 12 | BYU |
| 16 | TEXAS SOUTHERN (SWAC) | 12 | Tennessee |
| Wednesday: To St. Louis | Wednesday: To Raleigh | ||
| 16 | COASTAL CAROLINA (Big South) | *11 | Green Bay |
| 16 | MOUNT ST. MARY'S (NEC) | 11 | Nebraska |
| BIDS BY CONFERENCE | AVOIDING DAYTON | ARRIVALS | DEPARTURES |
| Big 12: 7 | Arizona State | Green Bay | Georgia State |
| A 10: 6 | Iowa | UL Lafayette | SMU |
| Big Ten: 6 | Dayton | ||
| Pac-12: 6 | Xavier | ||
| ACC: 5 | LAST FOUR IN | ||
| AAC: 4 | Tennessee | ||
| Big East: 4 | BYU | ||
| SEC: 3 | Nebraska | ||
| Horizon: 2 | Green Bay | ||
| MW: 2 | FIRST FOUR OUT | ||
| WCC: 2 | SMU | ||
| 1-Bid Conferences: 21 | Minnesota | ||
| Florida State | |||
| California | |||
| NEXT FOUR OUT | |||
| Arkansas | |||
| Louisiana Tech | |||
| St. John's | |||
| Southern Mississippi |
Also considered: Missouri, Belmont, Toledo, Iona, N.C. State, Georgia, Clemson, Georgetown
I'll have a bracketology reaction post at some point after the Selection Show, and I will share my thoughts as the seedings are revealed on Twitter @ChrisDobbertean.
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