Conference tournaments begin this week in women’s college basketball for a handful of leagues, including the ACC, SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, Big East, Atlantic 10 and Summit.
It’s possible a lot of these projections will change by the time USA Today Sports rolls out another bracketology next week as teams will play in high-stakes games against marquee in-conference opponents on neutral courts. Up for grabs are a few undecided spots in the top 16 and positioning on the bubble.
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The biggest change in this week’s projection is North Carolina moving up to the four-line after wins at Virginia and at home against Duke. For now, the metrics like the Tar Heels a bit more than West Virginia, Kentucky or Michigan State. Hurting the Mountaineers’ chances of hosting right now are its lack of Quad 1 wins, but they’re about to have the opportunity to pick up as many as three at the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City.
Here’s the full 68-team projection as of Wednesday, March 4:
Fort Worth 1
Storrs, Connecticut
College Park, Maryland
Louisville, Kentucky
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Sacramento 2
Los Angeles, California
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Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Durham, North Carolina
Nashville, Tennessee
Fort Worth 3
Columbia, South Carolina
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Fort Worth, Texas
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Sacramento 4
Austin, Texas
Columbus, Ohio
Norman, Oklahoma
Iowa City, Iowa
Bubble Watch
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Last Four Byes: Virginia Tech, Princeton, Clemson, Syracuse
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Last Four In: Virginia, Nebraska, Colorado, Richmond
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First Four Out: Mississippi State, South Dakota State, Stanford, Arizona State
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Next Four Out: Utah, James Madison, Texas A&M, BYU
The bubble is still very much dominated by the ACC and Big 12. Virginia and Clemson are going to face off in Duluth, Georgia, at 11 a.m. ET on Thursday. The winner between the Cavaliers and Tigers is going to feel much better heading into Selection Sunday.
At the SEC Tournament, Mississippi State needs to win at least one game to get back on the right side of the bubble. In the Big Ten Tournament, Nebraska would do itself a favor by picking up at least one win to solidify its position. In the Atlantic-10, Richmond could pad its resume by picking up some impressive wins too.
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Barring a deep run in the Big 12 Tournament, Arizona State’s fate is likely sealed with an 0-5 record in Quad 1 games and a NET ranking that’s behind seven mid-major teams.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Women’s basketball bracketology: Field of 68 before conference tournaments
