2025-2026 MBB computer projections thread

Florida needs to stay in the conversation. They could win the SEC reg season by multiple games and coming off the national title would provide a TV narrative the committee might like. While I believe the metrics would favor a 2nd Big 12 team the NCAA may like the optics of 4 conference champions.
No doubt. Florida will get every benefit of the doubt, from everyone.
 
The overall 1 seed gets to pick their spot but from there the committee places teams by proximity in order from 2-16. After that I think it gets kind of murky and the committee likes to look for story lines too.
The Committee has their hands full selecting the 68, placing them in order, bracketing them including following all bracketing rules. At that point they really have no time or inclination for creating story line matchups. There are so many potential story line matchups some are bound to occur but it isn't a goal of the Committee.
 
The committee will be done seeding the field by the time the Big 12 semi final games start. Realistically Iowa States seed will be set going into the tournament... If we win out we are probably a lock for the 4th 1 seed.
Minor correction, if we win out the regular season, we are a lock for the 3rd 1 seed (3 on the s-curve). That would certainly move us ahead of both Arizona and Houston.
 
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Michigan and Duke are near-locks without a collapse.

Arizona/Houston/Iowa St. are on top of each other for the final two #1 seeds. Might very well be 2/3 depending on how UA@UH goes on Saturday and how ISU@UA goes on 3/2.

Illinois is right there, though, and has a shot at Michigan at home on 2/27.

Connecticut took a dent against Creighton but is still in the running.

Gonzaga is somehow creeping back into the conversation. That Portland loss was bad, sure, but they've been unblemished otherwise outside Michigan running them over and look good in the computer rankings. They might have a shot if everybody else has some big falters/circular firing squad.

Florida kind of scares me for the same reason. They're probably too far back to worry about right now but are charging hard and might be there if everybody else steps on rakes in front of them.
Gonzaga's NET SOS is 86 and their RPI SOS is 129. With that and a bad Q3 loss they have no business being anywhere near the 1 line. Portland could be 85 spots better in the NET and it would still be a Q3 loss.

People have been knocking ISU for their SOS all year long and both NET and RPI SOS are in the 50s.
 
Gonzaga's NET SOS is 86 and their RPI SOS is 129. With that and a bad Q3 loss they have no business being anywhere near the 1 line. Portland could be 85 spots better in the NET and it would still be a Q3 loss.

People have been knocking ISU for their SOS all year long and both NET and RPI SOS are in the 50s.

Their case is going to be two losses compared to ~4-5 for the next-best contender if things go their way. Quality ain't got anything to do with it. Purely a quantitative argument right now.
 
Here's the applicable rule.

But when you justify why Kansas is above Arizona you cite their records against Iowa State. Iowa State and Houston are tied at the top so the records of KU and UA against the entire first group - ISU and UH - must be compared (by the non bolded part of the rule you quoted). If KU and UA are placed that way because of head to head that isn't what the note says. Either your bolded part is applicable and justification is wrong or the non bolded part applies and the justification should include record agains ISU and UH.
 
I was curious because this year seems out of the norm to have this many teams with 5 or fewer losses in major conferences this late in the season. Right now, there are 16 P5 teams with 5 or fewer losses.

My question basically stemmed from how it sure seems like in recent years that 2 seeds in the tourney had like 7 losses more often than not. So I looked:

2022:
  • 1 seed Gonzaga (3 losses)
  • 1 seed Arizona (3 losses)
  • 1 seed Baylor (6 losses)
  • 1 seed Kansas (6 losses)
  • 2 seed Duke (6 losses)
  • 2 seed Villanova (7 losses)
  • 2 seed Auburn (5 losses)
  • 2 seed Kentucky (7 losses)
2023:
  • 1 seed Alabama (5 losses)
  • 1 seed Purdue (5 losses)
  • 1 seed Houston (2 losses)
  • 1 seed Kansas (7 losses)
  • 2 seed Arizona (6 losses)
  • 2 seed Marquette (6 losses)
  • 2 seed Texas (8 losses)
  • 2 seed UCLA (5 losses)
2024:
  • 1 seed UCONN (3 losses)
  • 1 seed North Carolina (7 losses)
  • 1 seed Houston (4 losses)
  • 1 seed Purdue (4 losses)
  • 2 seed Iowa State (7 losses)
  • 2 seed Arizona (8 losses)
  • 2 seed Marquette (9 losses)
  • 2 seed Tennessee (8 losses)
2025:
  • 1 seed Auburn (5 losses)
  • 1 seed Duke (3 losses)
  • 1 seed Houston (4 losses)
  • 1 seed Florida (4 losses)
  • 2 seed Michigan State (6 losses)
  • 2 seed Alabama (8 losses)
  • 2 seed Louisville (7 losses)
  • 2 seed St. John's (4 losses)
With the remaining schedules of the top 10 NET teams, or the most likely to be 1/2 seeds, the chances this year of having ALL of the top 8 seeds with 5 or fewer losses is almost all of them. This season has a crazy amount of really good teams. Which we already knew. I was just bored.
 
No doubt. Florida will get every benefit of the doubt, from everyone.
I also saw a short pod with some of the CBS guys (or maybe it was Field of 68) talking abotu UConn, and one of them said "SEC champ HAS to get a 1 seed, whether its Florida or Georgia".

And I thought, are you nuts?? This isn't the CFP where conf champs get a auto bid. It may shake out where Florida is worthy of a 1, but they sure as hell don't get it just for winning the SEC,
 
Stepping back for one second.

We're playing out scenarios around earning a #1 or a #2.

The #2 is most likely.

1771540078418.png

...but **** ME this debate is an awesome one to be having into late February.

I remember the seasons when we'd given up on the NCAA tournament before Christmas.

Not anymore!

:D
 
I also saw a short pod with some of the CBS guys (or maybe it was Field of 68) talking abotu UConn, and one of them said "SEC champ HAS to get a 1 seed, whether its Florida or Georgia".

And I thought, are you nuts?? This isn't the CFP where conf champs get an auto bid. It may shake out where Florida is worthy of a 1, but they sure as hell don't get it just for winning the SEC,
It’s interesting how quickly the national media quit talking about how terrible the SEC was in the non-conference, and at this point they apparently think that’s dead and buried.
 
Not to be a downer, but I think it's very unlikely Iowa State gets a 1 seed. I think Houston beats Arizona Saturday. Even if they lose at Kansas, Iowa State did too. After that they'll wipe the floor with their remaining opponents. I think Iowa State will lose to at least one of BYU and Arizona. Even if they win out I'm not sure you hop Houston, who swept Cincinnati, won at TCU, split with Tech, and lost by 3 in Ames. I suppose Illinois may hop them if they beat Michigan, but you're probably sixth overall then
If Iowa State ends the season with fewer overall losses than Houston, they will 100% be seeded higher than them. No doubt in my mind at all.

If they finish with the exact same number, it could be a tossup, but I would probably put Houston ahead because a close road loss is probably not a big enough descriminator.

If Iowa State wins out in the regular season and then loses to a top team in the Big 12 tourney (Houston, Arizona or Kansas), I think they are definitely a #1 seed.

Not saying any of that is easy or expected, but if they did, I'm very confident in my assumptions.
 
View attachment 167893

Michigan and Duke are near-locks without a collapse.

Arizona/Houston/Iowa St. are on top of each other for the final two #1 seeds. Might very well be 2/3 depending on how UA@UH goes on Saturday and how ISU@UA goes on 3/2.

Illinois is right there, though, and has a shot at Michigan at home on 2/27.

Connecticut took a dent against Creighton but is still in the running.

Gonzaga is somehow creeping back into the conversation. That Portland loss was bad, sure, but they've been unblemished otherwise outside Michigan running them over and look good in the computer rankings. They might have a shot if everybody else has some big falters/circular firing squad.

Florida kind of scares me for the same reason. They're probably too far back to worry about right now but are charging hard and might be there if everybody else steps on rakes in front of them.
If Houston and Arizona have 1 seeds and we are a 2, our one will either be Michigan or Duke--so get used to seeing Michigan or Duke as the 4th round match up, regardless of the s-curve.
 
If Houston and Arizona have 1 seeds and we are a 2, our one will either be Michigan or Duke--so get used to seeing Michigan or Duke as the 4th round match up, regardless of the s-curve.
I saw that too. If you had to pick, it would be Duke right? They aren't the strongest guard court, maybe could turn them over.

Although checking BT, both UM and Duke have relatively high turnover rates... idk, eventually you gotta play someone that's pretty fn good anyway.
 
To all the folks saying the Big 12 tournament doesn't matter for NCAA tourny seeding purposes, in past years, for the vast majority of teams, I would agree.

However, this year could be very different for our current situation.

Let me paint you a picture. Iowa State and Houston are fighting for the last #1 seed. In the Big 12 tourney, Iowa State and Houston meet in the semifinal game as the #2 seed and #3 seed, respectively. Both teams enter that game with 4 losses.

Now you're telling me the NCAA selection committee has the last #1 seed predetermined prior to the Big 12 tourny? I say horse Shat to that. If Iowa State wins that semifinal game v Houston, they would have TWO head-to-head victories over Houston and one less loss than Houston on the season (entering the Big 12 tournament title game). There is ZERO chance Houston gets the last 1 seed over Iowa State in that scenario. Not to mention if Iowa State went on to beat Arizona or Kansas in the Big 12 tourny championship game.
 
Not to be a downer, but I think it's very unlikely Iowa State gets a 1 seed. I think Houston beats Arizona Saturday. Even if they lose at Kansas, Iowa State did too. After that they'll wipe the floor with their remaining opponents. I think Iowa State will lose to at least one of BYU and Arizona. Even if they win out I'm not sure you hop Houston, who swept Cincinnati, won at TCU, split with Tech, and lost by 3 in Ames. I suppose Illinois may hop them if they beat Michigan, but you're probably sixth overall then
Just have a hard time believing a 28-3 b12 team wouldn’t get a 1 seed
 

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