NCAA Division 1 College Hoops (And Olympics) Talk and Tourney Projections
I changed my approach this year, even though I had a really good 2025: However, I went a little crazier with the upsets than I should have in this new era of NIL and the portal and changing rosters. Of the nine upsets I picked (including 9s over 8s), I missed five of them. I […]
3 days ago | 4 reads
And so, it’s another season of bracketology in the books—and not too bad of one either. Here’s a look at my performance: This was my best performance since 2022 (1 miss, 45 seeded correctly, 21 within 1 line, 1 within 2 lines), so I feel like I’m on the right track in terms of navigating […]
4 days ago | 4 reads
There were more changes to the final bracket than I expected this morning. On to the final projection of the season. Thank you for following over the winter. I’ll have some content as the Tournaments progress, mostly liveblogging on the Feed, since I’ll have more time for it. I’ll be over on SBNation.com’s Feed at […]
5 days ago | 2 reads
2026 American Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament Basics Format The American Conference has implemented a stepladder bracket to protect the higher seeds, and reduced the field to 10. Site After spending the past five years in Fort Worth, the event is set for Legacy Arena in Birmingham (UAB’s home before Bartow Arena opened). Participants Only the […]
5 days ago | 2 reads
Schedule For Selection Sunday, March 15 In-Progress Tournaments America East Higher seeds hostSaturday, Tuesday, and Saturday, March 7, 10, and 14BtB PrimerChampion: UMBC NOTE: Binghamton (8-23, 4-12, 9th) did not qualify. Quarterfinals (Sat. 3/7) Gm. 1: (8) New Hampshire (9-21, 5-11) 69, (1) UMBC 84Gm. 2: (7) Bryant (9-22, 5-11) 57, (2) Vermont 77Gm. 3: […]
5 days ago | 3 reads
2026 Big Ten Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament Basics Format With all 18 teams qualifying, the top four seeds earned a triple bye, and the next four a double bye. Site The event heads back to Chicago’s United Center for the first time since 2023. Participants This is the first year that all 18 Big Ten […]
5 days ago | 4 reads
2026 Atlantic 10 Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament Basics Format Traditional bracket. Site The Atlantic 10 Tournament is back in Pittsburgh after a year at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. preceded by two years at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Participants All 14 teams will play in this season’s event. UMass moved to the MAC, […]
5 days ago | 3 reads
2026 Southeastern Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament Basics Format It’s a traditional four games per day 16-team bracket, with the top four teams earning byes to the quarterfinals and teams five through eight entering the fray in Thursday’s second round. Site Bridgestone Arena in downtown Nashville has established itself as the SEC Tournament’s usual home, as […]
5 days ago | 4 reads
2026 Ivy League Men’s Basketball Tournament Basics Format Traditional bracket. You don’t need a PDF for four teams. Site Cornell is the penultimate Ivy League member that will host for the first time, with only Dartmouth (2027) left to complete the rotation. Participants The Ivy League wisely limits its conference tournament to the top four […]
5 days ago | 1 read
Don’t expect the final version of this bracket to differ too much from what I release before the Selection Show. For a time on Saturday afternoon, it looked like we might have a new No. 1 seed in the South, thanks to Florida’s no-show against Vanderbilt. But both Houston and UConn lost in their respective […]
5 days ago | 2 reads
2026 Western Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament Basics Format The final WAC Tournament will feature seven teams, since Utah Valley’s administration put its exit fees in escrow yesterday. The top two seeds received byes to the semifinals, with teams three through five entering in the quarterfinals, and the bottom two playing in the opening round. […]
5 days ago | 3 reads
2026 Big West Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament Basics Format For the third season in a row, the Big West is using a stepladder bracket. After it didn’t work in 2024, as fourth-seeded Long Beach State won, UC San Diego claimed the crown as the top seed in 2025. Site For the fifth consecutive season, the […]
5 days ago | 2 reads
2026 Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament Basics Format A traditional bracket with 15 teams, the same one the ACC has used since Notre Dame joined in 2017 (other than years when a team did not participate due to sanctions). Site The Spectrum Center will host for the second season in a row, with last […]
5 days ago | 2 reads
2026 Conference USA Men’s Basketball Tournament Basics Format Traditional bracket with split quarterfinal doubleheaders to protect the top two seeds. Site Gone are the days of simultaneous games played on different sides of the Dallas Cowboys’ practice facility in Frisco, Texas. For the third year in a row, the CUSA men’s and women’s tournaments will […]
5 days ago | 2 reads
2026 Mid-American Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament Basics Format Traditional bracket Site The Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in downtown Cleveland will host the MAC’s top eight yet again, an arrangement that started in 2020 and is set to continue for the foreseeable future. Participants Since 2021, the MAC has limited its tournament field to the top eight […]
5 days ago | 1 read
2026 Southwestern Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament Basics Format Previously, the SWAC used a traditional bracket with split quarterfinal doubleheaders to protect the top two seeds. The split doubleheaders are still there, but the bottom four teams will need to win twice to get there, and the seventh- and eighth-seeded clubs will need to defeat […]
5 days ago | 3 reads
2026 Big East Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament Basics Format Traditional bracket. Site Madison Square Garden continues as home of both the old and new versions of the Big East Tournament—an uninterrupted run that began in 1983. Participants All 11 teams will get at least one game above Penn Station. Schedule Downloadable PDF Bracket First Round […]
5 days ago | 1 read
2026 Big 12 Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament Basics Format Since the Big 12 now has 16 teams, it’s adopted the old Big East bracket, with the top four teams receiving a double-bye to the quarterfinals (Thursday), teams 5 through 8 getting a single bye to Wednesday, and the bottom half of the league playing on […]
5 days ago | 1 read
2026 Mountain West Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament Basics Format Traditional bracket Site As usual, the Thomas & Mack Center, UNLV’s home arena, hosts the event, though on a different floor than the one the Runnin’ Rebels normally use. Participants This is probably going to be the first and only Mountain West Tournament with 12 teams. […]
5 days ago | 3 reads
2026 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament Basics Format Usually, the MEAC Tournament features a traditional bracket with split quarterfinal doubleheaders to protect the top two seeds, but this year, there’s a twist with only seven teams involved. The first of those double sets is reduced to one game. Site The Norfolk (Va.) Scope is […]
6 days ago | 2 reads
2026 America East Conference Men’s Basketball Playoffs Basics Format Traditional bracket with reseeding Site The higher seeds host on campus. UMBC is the No. 1 seed and will have home court advantage through to the final. For the second season in a row, Vermont has been locked out of the top seed. The Catamounts monopolized […]
6 days ago | 4 reads
There’s one new at-large team after Friday’s projection, as San Diego State jumped Oklahoma, thanks to the Aztecs’ win over New Mexico in the second Mountain West semifinal and the Sooners’ heartbreaking loss to Arkansas in the final SEC quarterfinal of the night. Your Selection Eve TV preview and a look at what’s at stake […]
6 days ago | 0 reads
Finally, time for a full scrub and some changes from Thursday’s projection. Yesterday was just as impactful for the bubble, as expected: Friday’s TV preview and a look at what’s at stake follows today’s full bracket and rundown. Remember to check the Blogging the Bracket feed for my insights and observations over the next three […]
7 days ago | 2 reads
Again, this morning’s bracket looks an awful lot like Wednesday’s. I’ll get into why that is as I run through today’s schedule after this morning’s full bracket and rundown. Remember to check the Blogging the Bracket feed for my insights and observations over the next four days. NOTES: (1) East (Washington, D.C., Fri./Sun.) Greenville (Thurs./Sat.) […]
8 days ago | 1 read
2026 Big Sky Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament Basics Format Traditional bracket, but with split quarterfinal doubleheaders aimed at giving the top two seeds a rest day before the semifinals. Plus, the No. 1 seed meets the winner of the 9/10 first-round game, with the 2 seed playing the 7/8 winner. Site Boise’s Idaho Central Arena, […]
8 days ago | 2 reads