Selection Sunday for the 2022 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament is less than one month away. With March Madness rapidly approaching, krikya18.com correspondent Andy Katz has updated his projections for the 2022 men's basketball tournament.
Here's how Katz projects the 68-team field to look, through Monday, Feb. 14.
First, here's the bracket in table form.
March Madness bracket predictions
| Seed | WEST | EAST | MIDWEST | SOUTH |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gonzaga | Kentucky | Auburn | Arizona |
| 16 | UNC Wilmington | Longwood/Norfolk State | Texas Southern/New Orleans | Colgate |
| 8 | Colorado State | Seton Hall | Boise State | Saint Mary's |
| 9 | Davidson | Notre Dame | Miami (FL) | Indiana |
| 5 | Alabama | Houston | Michigan State | Texas |
| 12 | North Texas | SMU | Chattanooga | Memphis/Oregon |
| 4 | Ohio State | UCLA | Villanova | Tennessee |
| 13 | Vermont | South Dakota State | Iona | Toledo |
| 6 | Southern California | LSU | Xavier | UConn |
| 11 | Loyola Chicago | San Francisco/Michigan | Murray State | Iowa State |
| 3 | Texas Tech | Providence | Illinois | Wisconsin |
| 14 | Seattle | Liberty | Wagner | Texas State |
| 7 | Marquette | Wyoming | Arkansas | Iowa |
| 10 | Oklahoma | TCU | Wake Forest | North Carolina |
| 2 | Duke | Purdue | Kansas | Baylor |
| 15 | Long Beach State | Yale | Cleveland State | Montana State |
RANKINGS: Click here for the latest NET rankings | AP Top 25
Let's take a closer look at Katz's bracket.
Arizona and Kentucky rise to No. 1 seeds
The top overall seed is unchanged in Katz’s latest bracket projection, with Gonzaga at the top. However, the rest of the No. 1 seeds have a different look.
Arizona jumps from a two seed to second overall, in front of Auburn; the Tigers kept their one seed, but fell from second to third overall.
Rounding out the one seeds is Kentucky. With a national player of the year candidate in Oscar Tshiebwe, the Wildcats have surged from a three seed to a one seed in a matter of weeks.
With two new teams earning one seeds, two teams had to fall out as Kansas and Baylor — both out of the Big 12 — each dropped to two seeds.
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Number of bids by conference
| Conference | Total Teams | Teams (Automatic Qualifier in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| Big Ten | 8 | Purdue, Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Michigan State, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan |
| Big 12 | 7 | Kansas, Baylor, Texas Tech, Texas, Oklahoma, TCU, Iowa State |
| Big East | 6 | Providence, Villanova, Xavier, UConn, Marquette, Seton Hall |
| SEC | 6 | Auburn, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, LSU, Arkansas |
| ACC | 5 | Duke, Notre Dame, Miami (FL.), Wake Forest, North Carolina |
| Pac-12 | 4 | Arizona, UCLA, Southern California, Oregon |
| AAC | 3 | Houston, Memphis, SMU |
| West Coast | 3 | Gonzaga, Saint Mary's, San Francisco |
| Mountain West | 3 | Wyoming, Colorado State, Boise State |
The Big Ten leads all conferences with eight teams in the projected field, returning to the top of the list of conferences. So far, the Big Ten has had the most teams in all but one bracket projection.
Meanwhile, the SEC has lost some of its luster from a few weeks ago when it had a nation-leading eight teams in the tournament. However, with two number one seeds, the conference remains a threat come March.
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Teams on the outside looking in
Here are Andy Katz's first four teams out.
First four out
1. BYU2. Virginia
3. Rutgers
4. Florida
Virginia finds itself just outside the First Four out after its stunning win over Duke on the road. The Cavaliers have won four in a row entering the second half of February, surging at the right time of the year.
Rutgers earned its way on the bubble thanks to six Quadrant 1 wins this season. The Scarlet Knights added wins over Ohio State and Wisconsin to its victory over Purdue when it was ranked No. 1 in the nation. Rutgers can play its way into the tournament with a regular season-ending schedule that includes visits to Purdue and Michigan plus battles against Illinois and Wisconsin.
Here are the next teams to miss the cut.
Next four out
5. Mississippi State
6. San Diego State
7. West Virginia
8. Creighton
Andy Katz's field of 68
Here is Katz’s full seed list in order, 1-68:
| RANK | SEED | TEAM | CONFERENCE |
|---|
| 1. 1 -- Gonzaga | WCC (AQ) |
| 2. 1 -- Arizona | Pac-12 (AQ) |
| 3. 1 -- Auburn | SEC (AQ) |
| 4. 1 -- Kentucky | SEC |
| 5. 2 -- Kansas | Big 12 (AQ) |
| 6. 2 -- Purdue | Big Ten |
| 7. 2 -- Baylor | Big 12 |
| 8. 2 -- Duke | ACC (AQ) |
| 9. 3 -- Illinois | Big Ten (AQ) |
| 10. 3 -- Providence | Big East (AQ) |
| 11. 3 -- Texas Tech | Big 12 |
| 12. 3 -- Wisconsin | Big Ten |
| 13. 4 -- Villanova | Big East |
| 14. 4 -- UCLA | Pac-12 |
| 15. 4 -- Tennessee | SEC |
| 16. 4 -- Ohio State | Big Ten |
| 17. 5 -- Texas | Big 12 |
| 18. 5 -- Michigan State | Big Ten |
| 19. 5 -- Houston | AAC |
| 20. 5 -- Alabama | SEC |
| 21. 6 -- Southern California | Pac-12 |
| 22. 6 -- Xavier | Big East |
| 23. 6 -- UConn | Big East |
| 24. 6 -- LSU | SEC |
| 25. 7 -- Arkansas | SEC |
| 26. 7 -- Marquette | Big East |
| 27. 7 -- Iowa | Big Ten |
| 28. 7 -- Wyoming | MWC (AQ) |
| 29. 8 -- Seton Hall | Big East |
| 30. 8 -- Saint Mary's | WCC |
| 31. 8 -- Colorado State | MWC |
| 32. 8 -- Boise State | MWC |
| 33. 9 -- Notre Dame | ACC |
| 34. 9 -- Miami (FL.) | ACC |
| 35. 9 -- Davidson | A10 (AQ) |
| 36. 9 -- Indiana | Big Ten |
| 37. 10 -- Wake Forest | ACC |
| 38. 10 -- Oklahoma | Big 12 |
| 39. 10 -- North Carolina | ACC |
| 40. 10 -- TCU | Big 12 |
| 41. 11 -- Murray State | OVC (AQ) |
| 42. 11 -- Loyola-Chicago | MVC (AQ) |
| 43. 11 -- Iowa State | Big 12 |
| 44. 11 -- San Francisco | WCC |
| 45. 11 -- Michigan | Big Ten |
| 46. 12 -- Memphis | AAC |
| 47. 12 -- Oregon | Pac-12 |
| 48. 12 -- SMU | AAC (AQ) |
| 49. 12 -- North Texas | C-USA (AQ) |
| 50. 12 -- Chattanooga | SoCon (AQ) |
| 51. 13 -- Toledo | MAC (AQ) |
| 52. 13 -- South Dakota State | Summit (AQ) |
| 53. 13 -- Iona | MAAC (AQ) |
| 54. 13 -- Vermont | America East (AQ) |
| 55. 14 -- Liberty | ASUN (AQ) |
| 56. 14 -- Wagner | NEC (AQ) |
| 57. 14 -- Seattle | WAC (AQ) |
| 58. 14 -- Texas State | Sun Belt (AQ) |
| 59. 15 -- Montana State | Big Sky (AQ) |
| 60. 15 -- Yale | Ivy (AQ) |
| 61. 15 -- Cleveland State | Horizon (AQ) |
| 62. 15 -- Long Beach State | Big West (AQ) |
| 63. 16 -- Colgate | Patriot (AQ) |
| 64. 16 -- UNC Wilmington | CAA (AQ) |
| 65. 16 -- Longwood | Big South (AQ) |
| 66. 16 -- Norfolk State | MEAC (AQ) |
| 67. 16 -- Texas Southern | SWAC (AQ) |
| 68. 16 -- New Orleans | Southland (AQ) |
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NCAA or its member institutions.
