Bracket Junkie: Shoulders shrugged

After months of evaluating teams and seeing them jostle for position, I’m left without much conviction behind my last few picks to make the NCAA Tournament. Thursday saw almost every team around the bubble lose, a symbol of a season in which the nation’s mediocre seemed especially so.

In the end, I narrowed the bubble teams to 15 who could reasonably be excluded in a fight for the last seven spots. Here’s my rational behind each team making or missing the field.

Note: the bracket above assumes a few outcomes tomorrow. 1) Kansas beats Texas. If that doesn’t happen, you can simply flip those two in this projection. 2) Wisconsin and Arkansas win their conference tournaments. If either loses, the last teams in are in severe trouble. Also, a Wisconsin loss would cost the Badgers a No. 2 seed. I will post an update bracket should Sunday’s results dictate.

View full bracket projection >