Feast Week delivered plenty of early-season madness, and FOX Sports bracket forecaster Mike DeCourcy is ready to sort it out.
After a string of statement wins, upsets and heavyweight showdowns, our college basketball bracket expert is rolling out his first NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament projections of the season. The landscape shifted fast over the past week, and DeCourcy’s opening bracket reflects the teams already beginning to separate from the pack.
Heading into Tuesday night’s action, DeCourcy has Duke, Purdue, Michigan and Arizona locked in as No. 1 seeds. All four teams are undefeated and own multiple signature victories through the first month of the season.
Michigan State, Iowa State, Louisville and Gonzaga land on the 2-line, while UConn, Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Alabama make up the No. 3 seeds. Tom Izzo’s Spartans get an early chance to bolster their résumé when they face Duke at Noon ET Saturday on FOX.
Nebraska, Houston, BYU and Iowa round out the No. 4 seeds. The Huskers are off to an impressive 8–0 start after winning last year’s inaugural College Basketball Crown.
Here is a look at DeCourcy’s region-by-region projections:
EAST REGION
SOUTH REGION
MIDWEST REGION
WEST REGION
And it’s never too early to check in on the bubble.
According to DeCourcy’s early-season projections, Dayton, Santa Clara, Butler and Cal are the last four teams in the tournament, while Seton Hall, UCF, Georgia and St. Bonaventure are the first four out.
As for conference representation, the Big Ten and Big 12 lead the way with 10 teams in DeCourcy’s first set of tournament projections, followed by the SEC with nine teams, the ACC with seven teams and the Big East with three teams. The WCC also has three teams, while the A-10 has two teams represented.
Of course, we are still months away from Selection Sunday, and these projections are certain to evolve — and fast. But for now, DeCourcy’s first bracket offers a clear snapshot of who’s rising, who’s sliding and which programs are already building the résumés they’ll need when March finally arrives.
Michael DeCourcy covers college basketball for FOX Sports with an emphasis on NCAA Tournament bracket projections. He has appeared on FOX Sports college basketball game broadcasts, while also serving as a college basketball studio analyst with Big Ten Network. He has been covering college basketball for nearly three decades at the Sporting News. You can follow him at @tsnmike.
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