Bracket Watch: Will Clemson's last-minute losses bump them out of the bracket?

Published Feb. 14, 2017 12:40 p.m. ET

Stewart Mandel

On Monday, I asked my Twitter followers whether they'd be OK handing out an at-large berth right now to Clemson, a Top 40 team on KenPom but one that's now just 13-11 overall and 3-9 in the ACC. Their overwhelming response: No way!

I agree in theory. And yet the Tigers are still my first team out of the field. Which speaks to how deceiving the bubble picture is at this point in the season. By the time the conference tournaments end, a team with Clemson's profile would not be close to getting in. But right now the field is very much still open.

Clemson is not the only team that's faded after a strong start — you'll notice Indiana no longer appears in my bracket; Pittsburgh was part of it not too long ago. But I'm still waiting on a new wave of contenders to step up in their place.

One possibility: Texas Tech. The 17-9 Red Raiders stunned projected No. 1 seed Baylor on Monday for their fourth win over an RPI Top 50 foe (West Virginia, TCU and Kansas State are the others.) But it's going to take a heck of a finish for Tech to overcome a non-conference schedule ranked in the 300's nationally.

A reminder: Selection Sunday is March 12, and the tourney begins March 14. The Final Four is April 1-3 in Phoenix.

* -- Denotes projected conference champion, automatic berth

This edition's bracket is East vs. South and Midwest vs. West in the national semifinals, based on the order of my No. 1 seeds.

BRACKET WATCH

EAST REGION (NEW YORK)
Seed	Team	Location
1	Villanova*	at Buffalo
16	Mount St. Mary’s/UC Davis
8	Oklahoma State
9	VCU
4	West Virginia	at Buffalo
13	Princeton*
5	Wisconsin*
12	Vermont*
6	Maryland	at Orlando
11	Wake Forest/Arkansas
3	Florida*
14	Bucknell*
7	SMU*	at Indianapolis
10	Miami
2	Louisville
15	UNC Asheville*

SOUTH REGION (Memphis)
Seed	Team	Location
1	Baylor	at Tulsa
16	New Orleans/Texas Southern
8	Minnesota
9	Marquette
4	UCLA	at Sacramento
13	Cal State Bakersfield*
5	Creighton
12	Middle Tennessee*
6	Saint Mary’s	at Indianapolis
11	Syracuse/Cal
3	Kentucky
14	Furman*
7	Xavier	at Greenville, SC
10	Michigan
2	North Carolina*
15	Florida Gulf Coast*

MIDWEST REGION (KANSAS CITY)
Seed	Team	Location
1	Kansas*	at Tulsa
16	NC Central*
8	Dayton*
9	Michigan State
4	Butler	at Milwaukee
13	Belmont*
5	Purdue
12	UNC Wilmington*
6	Notre Dame	at Salt Lake City
11	Tennessee
3	Arizona*
14	Valparaiso*
7	Northwestern	at Orlando
10	Kansas State
2	Florida State
15	Monmouth*

WEST REGION (SAN JOSE)
Seed	Team	Location
1	Gonzaga*	at Salt Lake City
16	Weber State*
8	USC
9	Iowa State
4	Duke	at Milwaukee
13	Boise State*
5	Cincinnati
12	UT Arlington*
6	South Carolina	at Greenville, SC
11	Wichita State*
3	Virginia
14	Akron*
7	Virginia Tech	at Sacramento
10	TCU
2	Oregon
15	North Dakota State*

LAST FOUR IN: Syracuse, Cal, Wake Forest, Arkansas

FIRST FOUR OUT: Clemson, Providence, Texas Tech, Seton Hall

NEXT FOUR OUT: Indiana, Georgia Tech, Ohio State, Georgia

MULTIPLE BID CONFERENCES: ACC (10), Big Ten (7), Big 12 (7), Big East (5), Pac-12 (5), SEC (5), A-10 (2), American (2), WCC (2)