ClutchPoints’ Bracketology: Conference play is finally here!

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ClutchPoints’ Bracketology: Conference play is finally here!

Troy Finnegan, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Mon, Jan 5, 2026 ·

4 min read

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The new year is here, and that means it's time for conference play in college basketball! The Big Ten got off to a bit of a head start in December, but now everyone is fully into the league slate as the picture starts to get a bit clearer this season.

The first Saturday of conference play was a pretty tame one, but there were still a number of seismic results to dissect. Arkansas and Alabama both cemented their place at the top of the SEC with impressive wins over Tennessee and Kentucky, respectively. Kansas and North Carolina took tough road losses against unranked teams, while Arizona continued to dominate.

Friday was a major showcase for the Big Ten, as Michigan collected yet another 30-point win over a ranked USC squad. Meanwhile in Lincoln, Nebraska stayed undefeated with a close win over Michigan State.

But things didn't go great for all of the top teams. Duke and Gonzaga had to escape with narrow victories over seemingly inferior opponents, something that has become somewhat of a trend for them in the last few weeks. It won't hurt them in this bracket, but it's something they won't want to mess around with for very long.

Who is in the field, and who is on the outside of the NCAA Tournament picture as January gets going?

Bold = Automatic Qualifier

Note – Without many conference games underway, the AQ for each conference is awarded to the highest-rated team from each league according to KenPom.

Midwest Region

1. Michigan 16. UT Martin/Southern

8. Florida9. Seton Hall

5. Kansas 12. Yale

4. Alabama 13. High Point

6. Virginia11. Baylor

3. Nebraska 14. Troy

7. USC10. LSU

2. Gonzaga 15. Marist

West Region

1. Arizona 16. Long Island

8. St. Mary's9. Indiana

5. North Carolina 12. Belmont

4. Iowa 13. UC San Diego

6. Georgia11. UCLA/Virginia Tech

3. BYU 14. Oakland

7. UCF10. Miami (FL)

2. Purdue 15. St. Thomas

East Region

1. UConn 16. Colgate

8. Kentucky9. NC State

5. Texas Tech 12. Tulsa

4. Arkansas 13. Utah Valley

6. Tennessee 11. Akron

3. Illinois 14. East Tennessee State

7. SMU 10. Saint Louis

2. Vanderbilt 15. Lipscomb

South Region

1. Iowa State 16. Norfolk State/Vermont

8. Clemson9. St. John's

5. Louisville 12. McNeese

4. Michigan State 13. Hofstra

6. Villanova11. Ohio State/Boise State

3. Houston 14. Liberty

7. Utah State10. Auburn

2. Duke 15. Montana State

Bubble Watch

Last Four Byes: LSU, Auburn, Miami (FL), Baylor

Last Four In: Ohio State, UCLA, Virginia Tech, Boise State

First Four Out: Oklahoma State, California, TCU, Oklahoma

Next Four Out: Butler, New Mexico, Missouri, Texas A&M

Multi-bid leagues

Big Ten – 10

SEC – 9

Big 12 – 8

ACC – 9

Big East – 4

WCC – 2

Mountain West – 2

Games of the Week

Tuesday, Jan. 6 – Duke at Louisville

Tuesday, Jan. 6 – Georgia at Florida

Tuesday, Jan. 6 – Texas Tech at Houston

Wednesday, Jan. 7 – Alabama at Vanderbilt

Wednesday, Jan. 7 – SMU at Clemson

Saturday, Jan. 10 – SMU at Duke

Saturday, Jan. 10 – Tennessee at Florida

Saturday, Jan. 10 – Houston at Baylor

Saturday, Jan. 10 – LSU at Vanderbilt

Sunday, Jan. 11 – Illinois at Iowa

Biggest storylines to watch

A lot of the most storied programs in college basketball are floundering somewhat at this point. Kentucky got crushed on Saturday by Alabama, and Rick Pitino and St. John's took a home loss to Providence. Florida, the defending national champion, has five losses on the year after an upset defeat against Missouri. Kansas lost to UCF on Saturday and has no idea whether Darryn Peterson will be out there for any given second half.

The Jayhawks are doing a little better than the rest of their counterparts in that list, but all of these teams are staring at middle seeds at the moment and must turn things around quickly as conference play gets going.

This week provides a great chance to prove it for a lot of the middle seeds in this week's bracket. SMU will get a chance to back up a win over North Carolina with games against Clemson and Duke. LSU will get a crack at unbeaten Vanderbilt on Saturday. Baylor can improve its standing in the bracket with a win over Houston at home. Florida plays both Georgia and Tennessee as Todd Golden and company try to find their way.

This feels like the first week where we will see really big movement across the board, and conference play should provide us with many more of them in the coming months.

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