I like the idea. I don't think the committee is consciously or intentionally giving breaks to big-name coaches/programs. There's no grand conspiracy.
But I think, subliminally, there can be a tendency to give brands undeserved benefit of the doubt in a way that hurts the non-brands.
Vanderbilt & Michigan State: both No. 4 seeds in Feb. 21 bracket preview.
Since:
MSU: 1 Q1A win (2 wins over NCAAT teams). Rose to a 3.
Vandy: 3 Q1A wins (4 wins over NCAAT teams). FELL to a 5
Brand bias at its worst.
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The No. 2 seed debate is more interesting than the No. 1 seed debate. Houston and UConn seem like No. 2 seed locks.
So how will the committee sort through this cluster for the last No. 2 seeds, especially with Vandy and Purdue in action today?
A potential nightmare for bubble teams is developing in the A10 with Dayton taking out Saint Louis.
If Dayton beats VCU in the title game, a 3-bid A10 could be possible.
A look at 41-50 in Wins Above Bubble— AKA the Danger Zone — entering Saturday’s action.
WAB sounds like nerdy analytics gobbledygook, but it’s actually a resume tool based on who you beat/didn’t beat
It is massively impactful in the committee room.
Top-40 WAB = 99% safety. Here’s what 39-50 looks like entering Friday.
Miami is No. 37 in WAB after all of yesterday’s results. Safely in.
The alphabet soup of metrics can be exhausting. But WAB is results-based and huge in the committee room.
It allows for the comparison of teams that played vastly different schedules.
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After beating Texas A&M 83-63, Oklahoma is now the last team in, according to CBS Sports Bracketology.
Oklahoma State: can we interest you in a mid-March trip to Dayton, Ohio?
Spots are available!
Here are the target rounds that every bubble team needs to reach in their respective conference tournaments.
With the caveat, of course, that every bid thief and every bubble result impacts the calculus in some way.
Buckle up!
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A peek inside the late-night commiseration of our Slack channel over who should be the last at-large team in a messy Bracketology bubble picture.
Surprise, it's Stanford (for now).
Bid thieves, please save us.
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The official 2026 ACC Tournament bracket.
Bubble action on Tuesday this year with SMU fighting for its at-large life.
NC State's problems go beyond its own horrendous slide (6 losses in 7 games)
Its best three wins are also depreciating in value.
Beating Clemson and SMU is no longer impressive, and the UNC victory came when Henri Veesaar was out.
The Luke Loucks regime at Florida State is showing some legit promise that might go overlooked since the 'Noles won't be dancing.
Give that program a little $ and see what he can do.
TCU and UCLA can add some gold plating to their NCAA Tournament resumes on Tuesday night.
More on the Horned Frogs, Bruins and every other bubble team in action on Tuesday 👇
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Or, more technically, every game brings a WAB score between -1 and 1.
Lose at home to Air Force? That's going to be about -0.99.
Winning at home against those poor Falcons would be worth a whopping +0.01.
The tournament expansion talk always feels icky around this time when you realize just how unimpressive some of these bubbly high-major teams are.
Every game brings a 0-1 WAB score, depending on outcome/opponent/location.
Winning @ Duke brings a +0.95~ WAB boost (the average bubble team would only win that game 5% of the time).
Losing at Duke would bring -0.05~ WAB hit, reflecting that the average bubble team would lose 95% of the time.
Forecasting roughly a 5-9 spot drop in WAB for Auburn after a Quad 3 home loss to Ole Miss.
Tigers will probably be in the 47-50 range (fringe at-large territory) in that vital resume metric come morning.
Bubble is starting to get awfully mushy.
What impact will Charles Bediako's 5-game stint have on Alabama's NCAA Tournament resume?
Not much. Unless the committee goes rogue and grabs the scepter of justice while Greg Byrne is literally standing outside the room waiting to be admitted back in.
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Following its win at Ohio State, Michigan is back to No. 1 at KenPom. It’s going to be No. 1 in WAB tomorrow. Was already No. 1 in KPI and Torvik. Could also be No. 1 in the NET.
Seven of its eight wins since the Wisconsin loss have come by double-digits. Wagon.
Texas Tech took first place in my 2024 and 2025 college basketball “ghost roster” rankings.
There is a new king in 2026.
Here's the 1-10 breakdown of which programs have the best ex-players still hooping.
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An overview of how the CBS Sports Bracketology model sees the high-major conference hierarchy entering action on Jan. 24.
Here is the high-major conference breakdown. Still no SEC teams as a No. 1 or No. 2 seed, but the league leads the way with 11 teams entering Tuesday's action.
Like Indiana 🏈, Nebraska 🏀 is a Big Ten team with virtually no history that is doing remarkable things on the national stage.
The unbeaten Cornhuskers are a No. 2 seed in the CBS Sports Bracketology model's latest sim.
Full 68-team field 👇
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Hard to overstate how important Saturday’s game at Santa Clara is for Saint Mary’s
The CBS Sports Bracketology model projects the Gaels’ selection percentage at 83% with a win but just 16.2% with a loss.
More in our latest Bracketology update 👇
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Assuming no bid thieves, here's the high-major breakdown as of 1/15.
Recent surges from Texas A&M and Missouri have helped the SEC, but the league doesn't have a No. 1 or No. 2 seed following Vanderbilt's loss at Texas.
The @cbssportscbb.bsky.social Bracketology hub is LIVE. Bookmark for regular updates from CBS Sports' advanced model.
-- UConn in for Vanderbilt as a No. 1 seed
-- Texas IN after back-to-back wins vs. Vandy/Bama.
-- Wisconsin continues rising 📈
Full field 👇
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