It’s good to be back. With just over a month to go until Selection Sunday we decided it was about time to release our first bracketology of the year. Check out where your team checks in below!

First Four Out: San Diego State, Seton Hall, Virginia Tech, Texas

• San Diego State takes it annual spot on the bubble after once again beating up on a bad Mountain West while simultaneously failing to capture any non-conference win of substance. An early-season victory over Oregon that once looked promising has fallen into the ‘Quad 3’ category, giving the Aztecs no non-conference victories in either Quad 1 or 2.
• Shaheen Holloway has a chance to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since he shocked the world as head coach of 15-seed Saint Peter’s a few years ago. Unfortunately his tenure at Seton Hall has been riddled with bad losses, with 2025-2026 being no different. If the Pirates were able to take care of business by beating DePaul on the road and Butler at home, they would be safely in the field. Instead, Holloway’s team sits on the outside shoulder of the NCAA Tournament with a 5-6 record in Quadrant 1 and 2.
• Virginia Tech might be the most frustrating team in the country. The Hokies have quality wins over George Mason, Virginia, Providence, Syracuse and California, but close losses to Wake Forest, St, Mary’s, and SMU make it hard to decipher what kind of team Virginia Tech is. The Hokies want to be good, but a recent blowout loss at home to Duke makes it hard to believe.
• Texas is the SEC version of Virginia Tech. The Longhorns have the opportunity to jump into the field thanks to a tough schedule, but they could also fall off the bubble for that very reason.

 

• Last Four In: George Mason, USC, Santa Clara, New Mexico

• George Mason wasn’t quite good enough to earn an At-Large Bid after last year’s A-10 Championship heartbreaker, but we believe things look more optimistic for the Patriots this year. The season may very well come down to the last week, as Mason has a pair of Quad 1 opportunities in VCU and at home against Saint Louis to end the season.
• Eric Musselman’s USC squad has followed up a Maui Invitational headlined non-conference schedule with a mediocre start to it’s BIG 10 season. The Trojans are just 5-6 in the BIG 10 but have the opportunity to improve their standing with games against Illinois and Nebraska still to be played.
• Santa Clara would be a ton of fun to see in the tournament. The Broncos sit in second place in the WCC thanks to a win over Saint Mary’s, but will need to likely defeat the Gales again and Gonzaga at home to hang onto a bid.
• We’ve been doing bracketology for three years now. To be frank, I’m sick of trying to hype up the second and third best teams from the Mountain West. Donovan Dent may have left for UCLA, but New Mexico still holds onto this spot on the right side of the bubble over San Diego State.

16 seeds: Merrimack*, Vermont*/Howard*, Long Island*, Bethune-Cookman*/Navy*

15 seeds: Montana*, Furman*, UT Martin*, Austin Peay*

14 seeds: UC Irvine*, Oakland*, High Point*, Troy*

13 seeds: North Dakota State*, Cal Baptist*, UNC Wilmington*, Yale*

12 seeds: Liberty*, Belmont*, Akron*, Stephen F. Austin*

11 seeds: Tulsa*, Santa Clara/New Mexico, Miami (OH), UCLA

10 seeds: Indiana, George Mason/USC, SMU, St. Mary’s

9 seeds: Wisconsin, UCLA, Utah State*, Miami (FL)

8 seeds: UCF, Iowa, Georgia, Saint Louis*

7 seeds: Kentucky, Auburn, Texas A&M, Villanova

6 seeds: Tennessee, Clemson, Louisville, Arkansas

5 seeds: St. Johns, North Carolina, Virginia, Alabama

4 seeds: Purdue, Texas Tech, Vanderbilt, BYU

3 seeds: Michigan State (9), Illinois (10), Kansas (11), Florida* (12)

2 seeds: Iowa State (5), Gonzaga* (6), Houston* (7), Nebraska (8)

1 seeds: Arizona* (1), Michigan* (2), UConn* (3), Duke* (4)

 

* conference champion