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March Madness updates: Latest on seeding, snubs, and predictions for NCAA Tournament
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- March Madness updates: Latest on seeding, snubs, and predictions for NCAA Tournament
Selection Sunday is the closing of one book and the opening of another on the college basketball season . For some teams, their hopes of making it in as an at-large potential Cinderella to March Madness are extinguished, while for others, hope springs eternal as they look to become the latest dancing darlings.
Michigan , Arizona , and Duke were all forgone No. 1 seeds, while Florida took the final No. 1 after UConn lost to St. John's in the Big East Tournament title game.
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March Madness bubble watch: Final look at who's in, out of NCAA Tournament bracket
March Madness bubble winners, losers: 1 bid stealer lives, another fades away
Elsewhere, the Atlantic 10 became a two-bid conference after Dayton upset Josh Schertz, Robbie Avila and Saint Louis in the conference semifinals. The Flyers were unable to book their ticket, though. VCU won the A-10's automatic bid with a win in Sunday's final.
Miami (Ohio) clinched a spot in the First Four despite not winning a game in the MAC Tournament, and Auburn was among the First Four Out alongside Oklahoma, San Diego State, and Indiana . SMU, Texas, and NC State joined as the Last Four In.
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March Madness region breakdown: South | East | Midwest | West
USA TODAY followed the latest prospective bracket updates live. See below to see how the day unfolded.
March Madness printable bracket: Fill out for predictions, picks in NCAA Tournament
Last updated 6:30 p.m., Sunday, March 15.
Power conference breakdown
Here's a look at how the power conferences break down:
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SEC: 10
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Big Ten: 9
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Big 12: 8
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ACC: 8
Bruce Pearl on Auburn being left out
Bruce Pearl was vocal about believing the Tigers should have been in the NCAA Tournament, but ultimately they were among the first four out. Pearl spoke out on the committee not rewarding an extremely difficult schedule. Read more here.
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CBS picks the Final Four, national champions
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Kenny Smith: Duke, Purdue, Florida, Virginia; Purdue over Florida for NCAA title
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Seth Davis: Duke, Arizona, Houston, Michigan; Arizona over Duke for title
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Bruce Pearl: St. John's, Arizona, Florida, Michigan; Arizona over Florida
First Four Out
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Oklahoma
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Auburn
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San Diego St.
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Indiana
Last Four In
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NC State
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Texas
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SMU
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Miami Ohio
NCAA Tournament South Region
Friday, March 20 (Tampa, Florida)
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No. 1 Florida vs. No. 16 Prairie View A&M/Lehigh
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No. 8 Clemson (24-10) vs. No. 9 Iowa (21-12)
Thursday, March 19 (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
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No. 5 Vanderbilt (26-8) vs. No. 12 McNeese (28-5)
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No. 4 Nebraska (26-6) vs. No. 13 Troy (22-11)
Thursday, March 19 (Greenville, South Carolina)
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No. 6 North Carolina (24-8) vs. No. 11 VCU (27-7)
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No. 3 Illinois (24-8) vs. No. 14 Penn (18-11)
Thursday, March 19 (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
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No. 7 Saint Mary's (27-5) vs. No. 10 Texas A&M (21-11)
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No. 2 Houston (28-6) vs. No. 15 Idaho (21-14)
NCAA Tournament Midwest Region
Thursday, March 19 (Buffalo, New York)
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No. 1 Michigan (31-3) vs No. 16 UMBC/Howard
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No. 8 Georgia (22-10) vs No. 9 Saint Louis (28-5)
Friday, March 20 (Tampa, Florida)
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No. 5 Texas Tech (22-10) vs No. 12 Akron (29-5)
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No. 4 Alabama (23-9) vs No. 13 Hofstra (24-10)
Friday, March 20 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
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No. 6 Tennessee (22-11) vs No. 11 Miami (Ohio)/SMU
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No. 3 Virginia (29-5) vs No. 14 Wright State (23-11)
Friday, March 20 (St. Louis, Missouri)
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No. 7 Kentucky (21-13) vs No. 10 Santa Clara (26-8)
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No. 2 Iowa State (27-7) vs No. 15 Tennessee State (23-9)
NCAA Tournament West Region
Friday, March 20 (San Diego, California)
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No. 1 Arizona (32-2) vs. No. 16 LIU (24-10)
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No 8 Villanova (24-8) vs. No. 9 Utah State (28-6)
Thursday, March 19 (Portland, Oregon)
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No. 5 Wisconsin (24-10) vs. No. 12 High Point (30-4)
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No. 4 Arkansas (26-8) vs. No. 12 Hawai'i (24-8)
Thursday, March 19 (Portland, Oregon)
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No. 6 BYU (23-11) vs. No. 11 Texas/NC State
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No. 3 Gonzaga (30-3) vs. No. 14 Kennesaw State (21-13)
Friday, March 20 (St. Louis, Missouri)
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No. 7 Miami (25-8) v. No. 10 Missouri (20-12)
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No. 2 Purdue (27-8) vs. No. 15 Queens (21-13)
NCAA Tournament East Region
Thursday, March 19 (Greenville, S.C.)
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No. 1 Duke (32-2) vs. No. 16 Siena (23-11)
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No. 8 Ohio State (21-12) vs. No. 9 TCU (22-11)
Thursday, March 19 (Buffalo, New York)
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No. 6 Louisville (23-10) vs. No. 11 South Florida (25-8)
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No. 3 Michigan State (25-7) vs. No. 14 North Dakota State (27-7)
Friday, March 20 (San Diego)
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No. 5 St. John's (28-6) vs. Northern Iowa (23-12)
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No. 4 Kansas (23-10) vs. No. 13 Cal Baptist (25-8)
Friday, March 20 (Philadelphia)
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No. 7 UCLA (23-11) vs. No. 10 Central Florida (21-11)
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No. 2 Connecticut (29-5) vs. No. 15 Furman (22-12)
NCAA Tournament Bracketology: Last four in
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USA TODAY Sports : Texas, Missouri, SMU, Miami (Ohio)
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ESPN : Missouri, Miami (Ohio), SMU, Texas
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CBS Sports : Santa Clara, Missouri, Miami (Ohio), SMU
NCAA Tournament Bracketology: First four out
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USA TODAY Sports : Oklahoma, San Diego State, New Mexico, Auburn
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ESPN : Oklahoma, Auburn, San Diego State, New Mexico
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CBS Sports : Oklahoma, Auburn, San Diego State, California
NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed predictions
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Duke, Michigan, Arizona and Florida
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Bracketology: NCAA Tournament live field projection
March Madness bracketology live updates
Will Miami (Ohio) get in?
Miami basketball is arguably the most compelling case study in this bracket. The RedHawks went undefeated, barely winning several games in a weak MAC, before exiting the MAC Tournament without winning a game. Will the MAC remain a one-bid league? Or will an undefeated regular season be too much ignore? Here's a look at the case for and against Miami.
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South Florida, Bryan Hodgson take the American
USF is going to look to make some waves in the Men's NCAA Tournament, with the Bulls beating Wichita State 70-55. The automatic bids are set. 31 teams are in. 37 teams now wait on tenterhooks to see where they end up.
Purdue wins Big Ten championship over Michigan
It might not mean much for the bracket, but Purdue stonewalls Michigan from winning its second straight Big Ten Tournament in an 80-72 win. Braden Smith closes in on the all-time NCAA assists record set by Bobby Hurley, as the Boilermakers chug into the tournament with momentum.
Joe Lunardi final bracketology
One of the eminent bracket pickers in the industry Joe Lunardi has released his final bracketology. Here's a look at where he has each team being seeded.
VCU holds off Dayton
Though VCU already felt fairly secure, it now clinches an auto-bid with an Atlantic-10 Championship victory over Dayton. VCU wins 80-72, ending Dayton's run and giving the Rams their second straight NCAA Tournament berth in Phil Martelli Jr.'s first season.
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Arkansas defeats Vanderbilt for SEC title
Arkansas and Vanderbilt had already punched their tickets to the dance, but Arkansas defeats Vanderbilt to win its first SEC tournament title since 2000 and the second in program history. John Calipari is continuing to build in Fayetteville.
Penn upends Yale in overtime to win Ivy League
It's Ivy on Ivy crime, as Penn beats Yale in overtime to steal the Ivy League bid. Fran McCaffrey's squad saw a ridiculous 44-point performance from TJ Power to get in, shuffling the seeding. Incredible performance for the Quakers, and a gutting ending for the Bulldogs.
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Penn playing Yale close for Ivy League bid
Fran McCaffrey and Penn are looking to steal an auto-bid out from under the feet of 24-win Yale, as the Quakers are within three with under 10 minutes to play in the second half. The Ivy League is a one-bid league, so both of these teams are playing for their tournament lives.
March Madness bracket: Updated seeds
Teams in bold have clinched tournament berth.
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Michigan, Duke, Arizona, Florida
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UConn, Illinois, Iowa State, Houston
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Michigan State, Gonzaga, Nebraska, Purdue
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St. John's, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Virginia
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Wisconsin, Texas Tech, Alabama, Kansas
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Tennessee, North Carolina, Louisville, BYU
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Miami (Fla.), Saint Mary's, Utah State, Kentucky
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Iowa, Clemson, UCLA, TCU
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Georgia, Villanova, Saint Louis, Ohio State
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NC State, UCF, Santa Clara, VCU
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South Florida,Texas A&M, SMU/Missouri, Texas/Miami (Ohio)
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Northern Iowa, High Point, Akron, McNeese
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Hawaii, Hofstra, North Dakota State, Cal Baptist
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Penn, Troy, Wright State, Idaho
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Kennesaw State, UMBC, Tennessee State, Queens
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Siena, Furman, Long Island/ Prairie View A&M, Howard/ Lehigh
March Madness last four in
Texas, Missouri, SMU, Miami (Ohio).
March Madness first four out
Oklahoma, San Diego State, New Mexico, Auburn.
Who is left on March Madness bubble?
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SMU (ACC)
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Indiana (Big Ten)
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Miami (Ohio) (MAC)
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San Diego State (Mountain West)
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New Mexico (Mountain West)
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Auburn (SEC)
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Missouri (SEC)
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Oklahoma (SEC)
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Texas (SEC)
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Texas A&M (SEC)
March Madness automatic bids
Here are the teams that have already clinched automatic berths to the 2026 men's NCAA Tournament by virtue of winning their respective conference championships heading into Selection Sunday:
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America East:Maryland-Baltimore County
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ASUN:Queens
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ACC:Duke
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American:South Florida
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Atlantic 10:VCU
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Big 12:Arizona
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Big East:St. John's
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Big Sky:Idaho
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Big South:High Point
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Big Ten:Purdue
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Big West:Hawaii
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CAA:Hofstra
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Conference USA:Kennesaw State
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Horizon:Wright State
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Ivy:Penn
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MAAC:Siena
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MAC:Akron
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MEAC:Howard
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Missouri Valley:Northern Iowa
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Mountain West:Utah State
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NEC:Long Island
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Ohio Valley:Tennessee State
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Patriot:Lehigh
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SEC:Arkansas
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Southern:Furman
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Southland:McNeese State
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SWAC:Prairie View A&M
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Summit:North Dakota State
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Sun Belt:Troy
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WAC:Cal Baptist
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WCC:Gonzaga
Here are the conferences that have yet to be determined:
All times Eastern
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Ivy League:Penn 88, Yale 84 (OT)
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SEC:Arkansas 86, Vanderbilt 75
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Atlantic 10:VCU 80, Dayton 72
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American:South Florida 70, Wichita State 55
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Big Ten:Purdue 80, Michigan 72
NCAA Tournament bids by conference
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SEC:10
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Big Ten:9
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Big 12:8
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ACC:8
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Big East:3
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West Coast:3
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Atlantic 10:2
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MAC:2
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness bracket: NCAA Tournament full schedule, predictions
