By Kevin Sweeney

As hard as it may be to believe, January has come to an end, placing us officially in the stretch run of the college basketball season. With most teams approaching, if not already having reached, the halfway point in their conference slates, we have a much better sense of who teams are. The bubble is noticeably weak, with teams that would not have had any shot of an at-large bid in years past still very much in the thick of contention at this time. That makes projecting the field of 68 as difficult as it has ever been, as one big win or tough loss seemingly adds or subtracts teams from the bubble each day.

That said, here’s a look at my take on where things stand with just one month until the month that all college hoops fans dream about arrives:

 

East Regional

• #1 Villanova vs #16 UC Davis/Mount St. Mary’s
• #8 Minnesota vs #9 Iowa State
• #5 Duke vs #12 Tennessee/Clemson
• #4 Wisconsin vs #13 New Mexico State
• #6 South Carolina vs #11 Nevada
• #3 Virginia vs #14 East Tennessee State
• #7 SMU vs #10 California
• #2 West Virginia vs #15 Winthrop

West Regional

• #1 Gonzaga vs #16 Weber State
• #8 Dayton vs #9 Virginia Tech
• #5 Creighton vs #12 Utah/Indiana
• #4 Cincinnati vs #13 Monmouth
• #6 Notre Dame vs #11 Middle Tennessee State
• #3 Oregon vs #14 Florida Gulf Coast
• #7 Xavier vs #10 TCU
• #2 Louisville vs #15 Georgia State

South Regional

• #1 Kansas vs #16 Sam Houston State/Texas Southern
• #8 Marquette vs #9 Arkansas
• #5 Maryland vs #12 UNC-Wilmington
• #4 Florida State vs #13 Vermont
• #6 St. Mary’s vs #11 Oklahoma State
• #3 UCLA vs #14 Belmont
• #7 USC vs #10 Michigan State
• #2 North Carolina vs #15 Bucknell

Midwest Regional

• #1 Baylor vs # 16 NC Central
• #8 VCU vs #9 Illinois State
• #5 Florida vs #12 Valparaiso
• #4 Butler vs #13 Akron
• #6 Northwestern vs #11 Georgia Tech
• # 3 Kentucky vs #14 Princeton
• #7 Purdue vs #10 Kansas State
• #2 Arizona vs #15 North Dakota State

Last Four Byes

• Michigan State
• TCU
• Oklahoma State
• Georgia Tech

Last Four In

• Indiana
• Clemson
• Utah
• Tennessee

First Four Out

• Miami
• Wichita State
• Michigan
• Alabama

Next Four Out

• Wake Forest
• Rhode Island
• Texas Tech
• Providence

Also Seriously Considered (No Order): Houston, Memphis, Syracuse, NC State, Providence, Seton Hall, Georgetown, Auburn, Ole Miss.