Men’s Bracketology 3/14/2026
I have definitely taken a different approach than most bracketologists by having Auburn in the field instead of Texas. I’m pretty at peace with this. The consistent message we have gotten from the committee from the last few years is that they increasingly care more and more about the six metrics on the team sheet. This was my biggest takeaway from the 2025 bracketology season- use those numbers as my guide and make small adjustments from there.
Auburn has a 44 resume average and a 35.3 predictive average. Texas has a 52.3 resume average and a 40.7 predictive average. I understand people are hung up on the “16 losses” thing with Auburn, but the committee has never explicitly said this is a criteria. Their schedule is certainly a lot better than 15 loss teams that have gotten in in the past.
We have a fun slate of games today including some potential bid thieves still on the board. I’ll have two updates tomorrow- an AM update and a final PM update after the last games wrap. Enjoy!
1: Duke, Michigan, Arizona, Florida
2: Connecticut, Houston, Iowa State, Michigan State
3: Illinois, Purdue, Gonzaga, Nebraska
4: Alabama, Virginia, Kansas, Vanderbilt
5: Texas Tech, Arkansas, St. John’s, Tennessee
6: Wisconsin, BYU, North Carolina, Louisville
7: Kentucky, Miami (FL), Clemson, UCLA
8: St. Mary’s, Ohio State, Utah State, Georgia
9: Villanova, Saint Louis, TCU, Iowa
10: NC State, Santa Clara, Texas A&M, UCF
11: Missouri, (VCU/SMU), (Miami (OH)/Auburn), South Florida
12: Akron, Yale, McNeese, High Point
13: Northern Iowa, Utah Valley, Hofstra, North Dakota State
14: UC Irvine, Troy, Wright State, Tennessee State
15: UMBC, Kennesaw State, Furman, Queens
16: Idaho, Siena, (LIU/Howard), (Lehigh/Prairie View A&M)
First Four Out: Texas, San Diego State, Oklahoma, New Mexico
Next Four Out: Indiana, Virginia Tech, Cincinnati, Stanford
Moving In: Kennesaw State
Moving Out: Sam Houston State
Bids by Conference:
SEC: 10
Big 10: 9
ACC: 8
Big 12: 8
Big East: 3
West Coast: 3
Atlantic 10: 2
Mid-American: 2