Bracket Watch: Tennessee has surged onto the bubble

Published Feb. 3, 2017 11:58 a.m. ET

Stewart Mandel

Is it too early to talk bubble teams? Of course it’s not.

Just a couple of weeks ago, Tennessee was a .500 team not being remotely discussed for the NCAA tournament. Four straight wins later — including a memorable upset of Kentucky — the 13-9 Vols entered my latest bracket. And they’re not the only bubble team trending in the right direction.

After starting 0-6 in Big 12 play, 14-8 Oklahoma State has righted itself with four consecutive wins, including a solid non-conference victory over Arkansas. The Cowboys sit in the Top 24 on KenPom.com and high enough on my list to merit a No. 10 seed.

Elsewhere, 13-8 Clemson has put itself on more solid footing despite still sitting at just 3-6 in the ACC. Four RPI Top 50 wins will do that. And VCU has played itself back into my field with consecutive wins over fellow Atlantic 10 title contenders Dayton and Richmond.

A reminder: Selection Sunday is March 12, and the tourney begins March 14. The Final Four is April 1-3 in Phoenix.

* — Denotes projected conference champion, automatic berth

This edition's bracket is Midwest vs. West champions and East vs. South champions in the national semifinals, based on the order of my No. 1 seeds.

BRACKET WATCH

MIDWEST REGION (KANSAS CITY)
Seed	Team	Location
1	Kansas*	at Tulsa
16	UC Irvine*
8	SMU
9	Dayton*
4	Butler	at Milwaukee
13	Vermont*
5	Cincinnati*
12	UNC Wilmington*
6	South Carolina	at Greenville, SC
11	TCU/Miami
3	Virginia
14	Valparaiso*
7	Virginia Tech	at Indianapolis
10	Michigan State
2	Kentucky*
15	Florida Gulf Coast*

WEST REGION (SAN JOSE)
Seed	Team	Location
1	Gonzaga*	at Salt Lake City
16	Weber State*
8	USC
9	Iowa State
4	Purdue	at Orlando
13	New Mexico State*
5	Notre Dame
12	Nevada*
6	Saint Mary’s	at Salt Lake City
11	Tennessee/Wake Forest
3	Arizona*
14	Akron*
7	Northwestern	at Indianapolis
10	Oklahoma State
2	Louisville
15	North Dakota State*

EAST REGION (NEW YORK)
Seed	Team	Location
1	Villanova*	at Buffalo
16	Sam Houston State/Texas Southern
8	Indiana
9	Arkansas
4	UCLA	at Sacramento
13	Princeton*
5	Duke
12	East Tennessee State*
6	Maryland	at Buffalo
11	Georgia Tech
3	West Virginia
14	Monmouth*
7	Xavier	at Orlando
10	Michigan
2	Florida State
15	UNC Asheville*

SOUTH REGION (MEMPHIS)
Seed	Team	Location
1	Baylor	at Tulsa
16	Mount St. Mary's/Morgan State
8	Marquette
9	Clemson
4	Oregon	at Sacramento
13	Belmont*
5	Wisconsin*
12	Middle Tennessee*
6	Florida	at Milwaukee
11	Illinois State*
3	Creighton
14	Bucknell*
7	Minnesota	at Greenville, S.C.
10	VCU
2	North Carolina*
15	Arkansas State*

LAST FOUR IN: Tennessee, TCU, Wake Forest, Miami

FIRST FOUR OUT: Kansas State, Wichita State, Seton Hall, Providence

NEXT FOUR OUT: Georgia, Georgetown, Cal, Pittsburgh

MULTIPLE BID CONFERENCES: ACC (11), Big Ten (8), Big 12 (6), Big East (5), SEC (5), Pac-12 (4), A-10 (2), American (2), WCC (2)