Bracket Forecast: Gonzaga, Baylor and Michigan near locks for No. 1 seeds
There are only a few days left in the countdown to Selection Sunday.
As the college basketball season winds down, the top of the NCAA Tournament field is looking increasingly locked in, according to FOX Sports bracket forecaster Mike DeCourcy.
Of the top four seeds, DeCourcy has No. 1 overall seed Gonzaga, as well as No. 2 Baylor, with their spots on complete lockdown. He also has No. 4 Michigan as very nearly a lock.
The final No. 1 seed, No. 3-ranked Illinois, still has a bit of work to do, according to DeCourcy, to clinch a top seed.
The bottom of the field has been more in flux.
It wasn't long ago that Michigan State was sitting on the bubble. Now, thanks to a stretch of games that included wins over Ohio State, Illinois and Michigan, the Spartans appear to be safely in the field as an 11-seed.
Boise State, meanwhile, has played its way into the "Last Four In," while Saint Louis has slumped into the "First Four Out," joining Syracuse, Stanford and Utah State.
The teams on the bubble will have to make some noise in their respective conference tournaments to secure their spots.
As far as the conference breakdowns, the Big Ten continues to be the dominant force in the country. Not only does the conference have three teams in the top five (with No. 5 Iowa joining Illinois and Michigan), but it also has nine teams slated to earn bids to the Big Dance.
The Big 12, led by Baylor, has seven teams projected to earn bids. So does the ACC, which received a late-season boost from the surging North Carolina Tar Heels, who are currently slated as a No. 9 seed.
Let's take a look at DeCourcy's projected bracket.
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