Last Four In: Mississippi State, Miami (FL), Vanderbilt, Texas A&M
First Four Out: Washington State, Auburn, Columbia, Villanova
It's Selection Sunday – a day akin to Christmas morning for both bracketologists and basketball aficionados alike. There's an undeniable thrill in witnessing the bracket reveal unfold, eagerly anticipating which teams will secure their spots in the tournament. As I anticipated, the bubble teams didn't quite make a late-season surge to solidify their at-large bids. Portland emerged as the lone bid-stealer, bursting Auburn's bubble. While it's tough to omit teams like Washington State for their quality wins, or Auburn with their formidable defensive prowess, a meticulous examination of conference records and head-to-head matchups ultimately places them just outside the tournament this year. Nevertheless, both squads are poised to make waves should they opt for a WNIT bid. Meanwhile, Notre Dame's ascent to a #2 seed may raise some eyebrows, but upon closer inspection of their resume and performance, they undeniably warrant that lofty seeding.
ACC: Notre Dame*, NC State, Virginia Tech, Duke, Louisville, Syracuse, Florida State, North Carolina, Miami (FL)
American: Rice*
Big East: Connecticut*, Creighton, Marquette
Big 12: Texas*, Iowa State, Oklahoma, Kansas State, Baylor, Kansas, West Virginia
Big Ten: Iowa*, Ohio State, Indiana, Nebraska, Michigan State, Maryland, Michigan
Pac-12: USC*, UCLA, Stanford, Oregon State, Colorado, Utah, Arizona
SEC: South Carolina*, LSU, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M
A-10: Richmond*
America East: Maine*
A-Sun: Florida Gulf Coast*
Big Sky: Eastern Washington*
Big South: Presbyterian*
Big West: UC Irvine*
CAA: Drexel*
C-USA: Middle Tennessee*
Horizon: Green Bay*
Ivy: Princeton*
MAAC: Fairfield*
MAC: Kent State*
MEAC: Norfolk State*
MVC: Drake*
MWC: UNLV*
NEC: Sacred Heart*
OVC: UT-Martin*
Patriot: Holy Cross*
Southern: Chattanooga*
Southland: Texas A&M-CC*
Summit: South Dakota State*
Sun Belt: Marshall*
SWAC: Jackson State*
WAC: Cal-Baptist*
WCC: Portland*, Gonzaga
