North Shore Nine

Last Four Byes:

Northwestern: should be in after beating Minnesota last night
Oklahoma: a Big 12 tournament win vs TCU would make them a lock
Colorado: should be in as long as they don’t meet and lose to Arizona State in the Pac-12 quarterfinals
Virginia: near lock as of now, as they will likely face a Q1 or Q2 opponent in the ACC quarterfinals

Last Four In:

Mississippi St.: a loss to LSU in the SEC tournament would put them in danger of missing the tournament
Seton Hall: should be in barring a loss to St. John’s AND a run of bid thieves
St. John’s: in real danger if they lose to Seton Hall; all Big East tournament games will be classified as home games
Pittsburgh: on a collision course with Wake Forest for the ACC quarterfinals, which could become a play-in game

First Four Out:

Iowa: would likely enter my projected field with a win over Illinois today
Drake: can become an automatic qualifier by beating Indiana State in the MVC championship today
Wake Forest: must reach the ACC semifinals (two wins) to have a chance at an at-large bid
New Mexico: will need to win at least two games in the Mountain West tournament to earn an at-large bid

Next Five Out:

Villanova: took a heartbreaking loss to Creighton yesterday; must at least reach the Big East semifinals for any chance at an at-large bid
Texas A&M: I believe the Aggies need at least two SEC tournament wins to have a chance at an at-large bid
Butler: likely need to reach the Big East championship to earn an at-large bid
Providence: likely need to reach the Big East championship to earn an at-large bid
Kansas St.: likely must reach the Big 12 championship (three wins) to secure an at-large bid

Honorable Mention: Indiana State

If Indiana State loses in the MVC championship game today, they would join the bubble. As of this moment, I believe the Sycamore would be in my projected ‘First Four Out’