A look at the loaded Selection Thursday schedule follows today’s projected bracket.

NEW: A fresh Thursday episode of College Basketball Coast to Coast previewing the final weekend before we have a bracket!

Up (⬆︎) and down (⬇︎) arrows reflect movement of a seed line (or more) relative to the bracket projection for Wednesday, March 12, 2025, while a star (★) indicates a new entry. Teams that have clinched auto bids (13/31) are in BOLD CAPS.

Top Left: (1) South (Atlanta)

Lexington (Thursday and Saturday)(1) Auburn (SEC)

★/—(16) Jackson State (SWAC)/SAINT FRANCIS (NEC)

(8) Kansas

(9) Georgia

Seattle (Friday and Sunday)(5) Michigan

(12) MCNEESE (Southland)

(4) Louisville

(13) LIPSCOMB (ASUN)

Denver (Thursday and Saturday) ⬇︎(6) Marquette

(11) Utah State

(3) Texas A&M

(14) Utah Valley (WAC)

Cleveland (Friday and Sunday)⬇︎(7) Mississippi

⬇︎(10) West Virginia

(2) Michigan State (Big Ten)

(15) ROBERT MORRIS (Horizon)

Top Right: (2) East (Newark)

Raleigh (Friday and Sunday) (1) Duke (ACC)

(16) AMERICAN (Patriot)/SIUE (OVC)

(8) Missouri

⬆︎(9) DRAKE (MVC)

Denver (Thursday and Saturday) ⬆︎(5) Arizona

(12) VCU (A 10)

(4) Maryland

(13) Yale (Ivy)

Milwaukee (Friday and Sunday)(6) UCLA

⬆︎(11) Oklahoma

(3) Iowa State

(14) TROY (Sun Belt)

Cleveland (Friday and Sunday) (7) Creighton

(10) Baylor

(2) Tennessee

(15) OMAHA (Summit)

Bottom Right: (3) Midwest (Indianapolis)

Wichita (Thursday and Saturday) (1) Houston (Big 12)

(16) Quinnipiac (MAAC)

(8) Illinois

(9) Mississippi State

Seattle (Friday and Sunday) (5) Saint Mary’s

(12) Liberty (CUSA)

(4) Oregon

(13) Akron (MAC)

Providence (Thursday and Saturday) (6) Memphis (American)

(11) UC San Diego (Big West)

(3) St. John’s (Big East)

(14) UNCW (CAA)

Lexington (Thursday and Saturday)

(7) GONZAGA (WCC)

(10) Arkansas

(2) Alabama

(15) WOFFORD (SoCon)

Bottom Left: (4) West (San Francisco)

Raleigh (Friday and Sunday)(1) Florida

(16) Norfolk State (MEAC)

(8) UConn

(9) New Mexico (MW)

Providence (Thursday and Saturday) (5) Purdue

—/★(12) Xavier/Texas

(4) Kentucky

(13) HIGH POINT (Big South)

Milwaukee (Friday and Sunday) (6) Mississippi

(11) Indiana/San Diego State

(3) Wisconsin

★(14) MONTANA (Big Sky)

Wichita (Thursday and Saturday)(7) BYU

(10) Vanderbilt

(2) Texas Tech

(15) Bryant (AE)

Rundown

Ins and Outs (3)

IN: Jackson State (SWAC), Montana (Big Sky), Texas

OUT: Northern Colorado (Big Sky), Ohio State, Southern (SWAC)

Cut Line

Last 4 Byes: Baylor, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Utah State

Last 4 In: Indiana, San Diego State, Xavier, Texas

First 4 Out: North Carolina, Boise State, Ohio State, Colorado State

Next 4 Out: Wake Forest, Villanova, UC Irvine, Dayton

On Deck: SMU, North Texas, Nebraska, Cincinnati

Highest-ranked NET exclusion: North Carolina (36)

Highest-ranked KenPom exclusion: North Carolina (35)

Highest-ranked WAB (Torvik) exclusion: North Carolina (44, +1.3 WAB)

Lowest-ranked NET inclusion: Indiana (52)

Lowest-ranked KenPom inclusion: West Virginia (54)

Lowest-ranked WAB inclusion: Texas (56, -0.35 WAB)

Bids By Conference

24 single-bid conferences

SEC (14): Auburn (auto), Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Mississippi State, Georgia, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas (First Four)

Big Ten (9): Michigan State (auto), Wisconsin, Oregon, Maryland, Purdue, Michigan, UCLA, Illinois, Indiana (First Four)

Big 12 (8): Houston (auto), Texas Tech, Iowa State, Arizona, BYU, Kansas, West Virginia, Baylor

Big East (5): St John’s (auto), Marquette, Creighton, UConn, Xavier (First Four)

ACC (3): Duke (auto), Louisville, Clemson

Mountain West (3): New Mexico (auto), Utah State, San Diego State (First Four)

WCC (2): Saint Mary’s, Gonzaga (auto)

Seed List

* indicates auto bid holder

(1) Auburn*, Duke*, Houston*, Florida(2) Alabama, Tennessee, Michigan State*, Texas Tech(3) Texas A&M, Iowa State, Wisconsin, St. John’s*(4) Kentucky, Oregon, Maryland, Louisville(5) Purdue, Saint Mary’s*, Michigan, Arizona(6) Marquette, UCLA, Memphis*, Clemson

(7) Mississippi, Creighton, GONZAGA*, BYU

(8) Missouri, UConn, Kansas, Illinois

(9) New Mexico*, Mississippi State, DRAKE*, Georgia

(10) West Virginia, Vanderbilt, Baylor, Arkansas(11) Oklahoma, Utah State, Indiana (First Four), UC San Diego*, San Diego State (First Four)

(12) VCU*, Xavier (First Four), Indiana (First Four), MCNEESE*, Liberty*

(13) Yale*, HIGH POINT*, LIPSCOMB*, Akron*

(14) UNCW*, TROY*, Utah Valley*, MONTANA*

(15) ROBERT MORRIS*, WOFFORD*, Bryant*, OMAHA*

(16) Norfolk State*, Quinnipiac*, AMERICAN* (First Four), SIUE* (First Four), Jackson State* (First Four), SAINT FRANCIS* (First Four)Thursday’s Conference Tournaments

All times are p.m. Eastern.

Note: “Bid thieves” in this case are bubble teams who are still alive for the auto bid, along with true bid thieves with no at-large hopes.

ACC Quarterfinals: North Carolina did what was necessary on Wednesday, routing Notre Dame to set up a bubble elimination match against Wake Forest (2:30 p.m.*, ESPN). The Tar Heels still will not be safe even with a win against the Demon Deacons, but the potential exists for a rapid rematch with Duke, as long as the Blue Devils take care of Georgia Tech in game 1 (12 p.m., ESPN).

In the night session a pair of potential bid thieves will look to stun a pair of teams that are aiming to improve their seeding. First, Louisville, currently the last 4 in this projection meets Stanford—yet another rapid rematch of a game the Cardinals won Saturday (7 p.m., ESPN2). In the nightcap, SMU needs the auto bid, but the Mustangs will need to eliminate a very good Clemson team to continue their quest (9:30 p.m.*, ESPN2).

Potential bid thieves remaining: Georgia Tech, North Carolina, SMU, Stanford, Wake Forest

Big 12 Quarterfinals: There are three potential titanic matchups today in Kansas City along with the rare 1-vs.-16 conference tournament game. First up is a rapid rematch of BYU’s thrilling 88-85 double-OT win at Iowa State back on March 4th (12:30 p.m., ESPN2/ESPN+ ($)). That’s a big one for the Cyclones’ hopes at getting back to the 2 line. To close the afternoon session, top-seeded Houston meets a Colorado team that’s already upset TCU and West Virginia to reach the quarters with a 14-19 record 12:30 p.m., ESPN2/ESPN+ ($)). While the Buffs damaged the Mountaineers’ seeding, a third consecutive win would have repercussions nationally, and not just for the Cougars’ 1 seed chances.

Baylor earned itself a bit of breathing room by taking care of Kansas State on Wednesday night, but the Bears can further help themselves by knocking off rival Texas Tech (7 p.m., ESPN/ESPN+ ($)). A Red Raider loss would have implications for the 2 line. Finally, there’s another rapid rematch on tap in the nightcap, as Kansas meets Arizona five days after topping the Wildcats 83-76 in Lawrence (9:30 p.m.*, ESPN/ESPN+ ($)). The Jayhawks looked unconvincing in struggling in their second straight against a UCF squad they hammered by 51 in Orlando on January 5th.

Potential bid thieves remaining: Colorado

Big East Quarterfinals: Remember that the first two games will not be on FS1, but streaming only on Peacock ($). Top-seeded St. John’s opener against Butler (12 p.m.) and the crucial Xavier-Marquette 4/5 game are (2:30 p.m.*) both streaming only. That second game of the day is the biggest, as the Musketeers could really use another Quad 1 win or two to be safe. The Golden Eagles, meanwhile, need to arrest a seeding slide.

The evening session is back on FS1, starting with DePaul, who defeated Georgetown for a third time last night, meeting Creighton (7 p.m.). Then, the Garden will be rocking for the nightcap (a nice bookend to the start of the day), as UConn plays a rubber match against a Villanova squad that still has life (9:30 p.m.*).

Potential bid thieves remaining: Butler, DePaul, Villanova, Xavier

Big Ten Second Round: After an opening round on Peacock, BTN has all four games both today and tomorrow. The first game in Indianapolis is the only bubble game of the day, as Indiana could really use a victory over Oregon (12 p.m.) to distinguish itself among a crowd of teams that might be fighting for one of the last few spots available. The Ducks, on the other hand, still have a top-four seed in their sights. The second game of the afternoon session, Northwestern-Wisconsin (2:30 p.m.*), and both night games, Iowa-Illinois and USC-Purdue (6:30 and 9* p.m.), feature NCAA locks against teams that probably need to win the auto bid to qualify.

Potential bid thieves remaining: Indiana, Iowa, Northwestern, USC

Mountain West Quarterfinals: Top-seeded New Mexico gets CBSSN’s pair of doubleheaders underway in Las Vegas with a rubber match against San José State (3 p.m.). While the Lobos should be safe at 25-6, they had best remember how they would not have been in without the Mountain West auto bid in 2024 and act accordingly against the Spartans. One of the biggest games of the day nationally follows, as Boise State will look to defeat San Diego State for the first time this season in a titanic bubble showdown (5:30 p.m.*). The Aztecs are currently one of the last four in, and at this point, their early win over Houston may not be enough. The same goes for the Broncos home win over Clemson and their semi-home victory over Saint Mary’s (in Idaho Falls).

The intrigue continues in the night session, as second-seeded Colorado State probably needs the auto bid to qualify, seeing as the Rams’ best two non-conference wins are over TCU and Loyola Marymount. CSU really has to beat Nevada to stay alive (9 p.m.). Then, third-seeded Utah State, trending toward the cut line, faces what’s for all intents and purposes a road game against UNLV (11:30 p.m.). But not only Runnin’ Rebels have never won a Mountain West quarterfinal game under Kevin Kruger, they last reached the semifinals in 2013! That was four coaches ago and two years after Kevin’s father Lon left for Oklahoma.

Potential bid thieves remaining: Boise State, Nevada, San José State, UNLV

SEC Second Round: Once again, SEC Network has all four games, and again three of them have some level of bubble implications. First up, Arkansas managed to defeat South Carolina, though the second half was an adventure, to set up a matchup against Mississippi (1 p.m.). The Razorbacks should be fine win or lose, but the same does not go for Texas, even after the Longhorns defeated Vanderbilt yesterday. That win set up a rubber match against the Old Enemy, Texas A&M (3:30 p.m.*). If the ‘Horns win that one, they should be safe, and the Aggies’ seeding might take a hit.

In the evening session, Mississippi State will look to avenge the 88-61 hammering Missouri served up in Starkville back on February 1st (7 p.m.). Both teams have dropped into the 8/9 range, so a win should probably help the victor’s seeding. The nightcap features another opportunity for Oklahoma, now in the Last Four Byes, as the Sooners meet Kentucky (9:30 p.m.*). The Wildcats executed a smash-and-grab 83-82 win in Norman on February 26th, thanks to a late OU collapse. However, Porter Moser’s team will have to try to beat UK in Rupp South, which is never easy.

Potential bid thieves remaining: Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas

The 3 and 4 seed quarterfinals in Conference USA (6:30 and 9 p.m.*), the MAAC (6 and 8:30 p.m.*), MEAC (6 and 8:30* p.m.), SWAC (2 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.), and WAC (9 and 11:30 p.m.*) are all set for tonight on ESPN+ ($). The top two seeds in four of the five conferences advanced to Friday’s semifinals, with SWAC No. 1 Southern losing to Grambling. That three-point OT loss was the Jaguars’ third against a conference opponent—the other two were by a mere point. Such is life in March.

The Big West’s stepladder bracket moves into the quarterfinals, where UC Santa Barbara will meet CSUN in a 4/5 game and third-seeded UC Riverside will take on 7 seed Cal Poly (9 and 11:30* p.m., ESPN+ ($)). UC San Diego and UC Irvine await in Friday’s semifinals.

There is also second-round action in the American Athletic (12:30 and 3 p.m.* and 7 and 9:30 p.m*, ESPNU/ESPN+ ($)), Atlantic 10 (11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.* and 5 and 7:30 p.m.*, USA Network), and a quadruple-header of quarterfinals in the MAC. (11 a.m., 1:30*, 4*, and 6:30* p.m., ESPN+ ($)).

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