Welcome to championship week! It’s perhaps the busiest week of the year in college basketball, an all-out race to lock in spots in the NCAA tournament with Selection Sunday just one day away and the process of building the bracket taking shape. Throughout the week, Sports Illustrated will have daily and in some cases even more frequent updates with all the latest in projecting the field of 68. Here’s a look at where things stand entering championship Saturday.

Previous Bracket Watches: Jan. 21 | Feb. 3 | Feb. 10 | Feb. 17 | Feb. 24 | March 3 | March 6 | March 10 | March 11 | March 12 | March 13

Auto-bids decided Saturday America East: No. 1 UMBC 74, No. 2 Vermont 59MEAC: No. 1 Howard 70, No. 3 NC Central 63Big 12: No. 1 Arizona 79, No. 2 Houston 74Mountain West: No. 1 Utah State 73, No. 2 San Diego State 62Big East: No. 1 St. John’s 72, No. 2 UConn 52SWAC: No. 8 Prairie View A&M 72, No. 3 Southern 66MAC: No. 2 Akron 79, No. 4 Toledo 76ACC: No. 1 Duke 74, No. 2 Virginia 70Conference USA: No. 6 Kennesaw State 71, No. 4 Louisiana Tech 60Big West: No. 2 Hawai’i 71, No. 1 UC Irvine 64WAC: No. 2 California Baptist 63, No. 1 Utah Valley 61On the Bubble Last Four Byes NC StateUCFSanta ClaraMissouriLast Four In First Four OutAuburnSan Diego StateOklahoma New MexicoNext Four Out Virginia TechIndianaSeton HallCincinnati

Oklahoma made an incredible push in recent weeks from the SEC cellar to serious bubble contention, but couldn’t quite get past Darius Acuff Jr. and Arkansas in the SEC quarterfinals. It’s likely the Sooners didn’t do quite enough to get in, with fairly middling metrics across the board and a 10–15 record against the top two quadrants. It’d be a surprise if Oklahoma snuck into the field, though if the committee wanted to reward them for their late-season form compared to much of the bubble it wouldn’t be impossible to justify. 

We had what was functionally an elimination game for bubble contention overnight in the Mountain West, with San Diego State winning to keep its hopes alive and New Mexico losing to leave it the fourth team out of the field. San Diego State isn’t in our field yet though and will be as bubbly as it gets with a loss to Utah State on Saturday.

SATURDAY UPDATE: Saint Louis losing to Dayton in the Atlantic 10 tournament semifinals moves VCU out of the projected bubble and into an automatic bid slot. That opens the door for a three-bid A-10 if VCU can win against Duquesne but lose to Dayton in the A-10 title game, though the Rams’ most comfortable path to the Dance remains the automatic bid. VCU would likely be headed for the First Four in Dayton if not slotted in for an auto-bid. 

Saturday’s Bubble Games to MonitorVCU vs. St. Joseph’s, 3:30 p.m. ETSan Diego State vs. Utah State, 6 p.m. ET

We’re down to just two true bubble teams in action, both mid-majors. 

VCU’s résumé looks a bit clear of the cut line at present, but a loss to St. Joe’s would fall in Quad 3 and be very damaging. It would also have the downstream effect of setting up a potential bid stealer situation Sunday for St. Joe’s, which could take VCU’s spot in the field. 

San Diego State added a Quad 1 win late Friday night to stay in the thick of the bubble convo. But without San Diego State beating Utah State, the door is very much open for the MWC to be a one-bid league. With a loss, perhaps the best hope would be a trip to Dayton. 

Bubble teams should also be on high alert of other potential bid steals. Ole Miss continuing its Cinderella run through the SEC tournament with a win over Arkansas would be an unsettling sight for the bubble, as would Dayton upsetting Saint Louis in the Atlantic 10 semifinals. 

Projected Field

Bold teams have clinched their automatic bid.
* — Projected automatic qualifiers.

East Region No. 1 Duke* vs. No. 16 Southern*/LehighNo. 8 Utah State* vs. No. 9 TCUNo. 5 Wisconsin vs. No. 12 Akron*No. 4 Vanderbilt vs. No. 13 UC Irvine*No. 6 North Carolina vs. No. 11 Missouri/Miami (Ohio)No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 14 TroyNo. 7 UCLA vs. No. 10 Texas A&MNo. 2 Iowa State vs. No. 15 Tennessee StateMidwest RegionNo. 1 Michigan* vs. No. 16 Howard/UMBCNo. 8 Georgia vs. No. 9 Saint Louis*No. 5 St. John’s* vs. No. 12 Yale*No. 4 Kansas vs. No. 13 HofstraNo. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 11 VCU*No. 3 Gonzaga vs. No. 14 North Dakota StateNo. 7 Kentucky vs. No. 10 NC StateNo. 2 Houston vs. No. 15 Louisiana Tech*West RegionNo. 1 Arizona* vs. No. 16 LIUNo. 8 Villanova vs. No. 9 Ohio StateNo. 5 Arkansas vs. No. 12 McNeese StateNo. 4 Virginia vs. No. 13 High PointNo. 6 Louisville vs. No. 11 SMU/TexasNo. 3 Alabama vs. No. 14 IdahoNo. 7 Clemson vs. No. 10 UCFNo. 2 Michigan State vs. No. 15 FurmanSouth RegionNo. 1 Florida* vs. No. 16 QueensNo. 8 Saint Mary’s vs. No. 9 IowaNo. 5 Texas Tech vs. No. 12 Northern IowaNo. 4 Nebraska vs. No. 13 Utah Valley*No. 6 BYU vs. No. 11 South Florida*No. 3 Purdue vs. No. 14 Wright StateNo. 7 Miami vs. No. 10 Santa ClaraNo. 2 UConn vs. No. 15 SienaBracket Notes

Friday’s slate had some significant results that moved teams up or down a seed line. Plus, Sports Illustrated made a few other changes after some thorough evaluation (or scrubbing, as the committee often calls it) of some of the more polarizing teams in the field. 

Among the notable changes made: 

Iowa State couldn’t quite pull off the upset of Arizona, but acquitted itself well against the likely No. 1 seed in the West. That said, Illinois’s loss to Wisconsin was enough to allow the Cyclones to jump to the No. 2 line, pushing the Illini down to a No. 3 seed. Purdue bumped up to the No. 3 line after blowing out Nebraska, which moved down to the No. 4 line in its place. It was a razor-thin margin between the Huskers and Alabama, which lost to Ole Miss. Their places could flip-flop before our final projection. Vanderbilt’s win over Tennessee was enough to displace Texas Tech off the No. 4 line. The Commodores secure the last protected seed. UCLA’s upset of Michigan State in the Big Ten tournament was enough to bump the Bruins up off the dreaded No. 8 line to a No. 7. This Bruins team is playing great of late and looks dangerous with the right matchups. More College Basketball from Sports Illustrated

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