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CNN/SI breaks down the field of 64

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Posted: Sunday March 07, 1999 03:43 PM

ATLANTA (CNN/SI) -- The day college hoops fans crave has finally arrived -- Selection Sunday, and here at CNN/SI we've got the 64 teams before the NCAA committee announces them.

Barring a miraculous upset by Illinois in the Big Ten final against Michigan State, the field is set this Sunday morning with only the fine-tuning of seeding left to do this afternoon.

It appears that no team wants to claim the last No. 1 seed. Auburn, Stanford and Maryland all lost Saturday, leaving the committee scratching its heads over whom to give that last top seed. The three locks for top seeds are Duke, Connecticut and Michigan State.

At the other end of the field, the last bubble teams sorted themselves out over the past three days.

Rhode Island knocked A-10 partner Xavier out of the tournament when the Rams beat Temple to win their conference's automatic bid.

The last team to garner an at-large bid is DePaul, which despite losing 3 of its last 4 games had quality wins over Cincinnati, George Washington and California. Should Illinois upset Michigan State on Sunday, it appears that DePaul would be the team to lose its bid at the last minute.

Automatic bids not listed in Top 16 seeds (22): America East -- Delaware; Atlantic 10 -- Rhode Island; Big Sky -- Weber State; Big South -- Winthrop; Big West -- New Mexico State; Colonial -- George Mason; Ivy -- Penn; Metro Atlantic -- Siena; Mid-American -- Kent; Mid-Continent -- Valparaiso; Mid-Eastern -- Florida A&M; Midwestern -- Detroit; Missouri Valley -- Creighton; Northeast -- Mt. St. Mary's; Ohio Valley -- Murray State; Patriot -- Lafayette; Southern -- College of Charleston; Southland -- Texas San-Antonio; Sun Belt -- Arkansas State; SWAC -- Alcorn State; TAAC -- Samford; West Coast -- Gonzaga.

At-large locks: UCLA, Indiana, Iowa, Purdue, Washington, Minnesota, Kansas, Miami (Ohio), Temple, Florida, Tennessee, Louisville, Arkansas, Texas, Missouri, Villanova, George Washington, Syracuse, UAB, Tulsa, Oklahoma State, Evansville, Oklahoma, SW Missouri State, Nebraska, DePaul.

Conference breakdown: Big 10 -- 7, Big 12 -- 6, Big East -- 5, SEC -- 5, Conference USA -- 5, Pac 10 -- 4, ACC -- 3, A-10 -- 3, MVC -- 3, MAC --2, WAC -- 2.    

0 Breaking down the Bubble Team RPI Sag. Key Wins Key Losses Rutgers 44 33 Syracuse West Virginia, Seton Hall Headed to NIT after fifth loss in six games SW Missouri State 36 41 Missouri, St. Louis TCU, Wichita State, Illinois State Will not get snubbed this year thanks to high RPI TCU 41 66 Gonzaga, Providence, UNLV UNLV, Rice, Tulsa (twice) Hello NIT after loss in first round of WAC tourney Mississippi 51 27 Florida, Arkansas (twice), Louisville, Oklahoma, Georgia Temple, Memphis, South Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi State 19-12 record not good enough for bid Nebraska 48 75 Kansas (twice), Oklahoma, Creighton Tulsa, Villanova, Oklahoma State, Kansas State Snuck in at end as sixth Big 12 bid Syracuse 38 25 UConn, Indiana Miami (Ohio), Miami (Fla.), Providence, Rutgers, UConn In NCAA tourney after win over Villanova UAB 45 58 UNC-Charlotte, Tulsa Princeton, DePaul Memphis Win over DePaul should be enough for bid DePaul 46 54 California, George Washington, Cincinnati UNC-Charlotte (twice), Louisville (twice), Kansas, New Mexico Probably picking up last at-large bid Tulsa 30 47 Nebraska, TCU (twice) Colorado St., Air Force, UNLV (twice) Golden Hurricanes are in after win over Fresno State California 57 46 Arizona, UCLA, UNC, Rhode Island Arizona St., Washington (twice), Oregon Out of NCAAs after loss against Oregon UNLV 77 79 TCU, Tulsa (twice) Oklahoma St., SMU (twice), Rice, TCU Buh-bye; are 16-12 after first-round loss in WAC tourney Fresno State 68 87 Georgia, Miami (Ohio), Temple Pepperdine, Iowa St., San Jose St. Headed to NIT after loss to Tulsa Xavier 66 44 Miami (Ohio), Temple, GW LaSalle, Dayton, Toledo, GW Twenty-one wins just not enough out of weak A-10 Oklahoma St. 50 40 Missouri, TCU, UNLV, Nebraska Oklahoma (twice), Texas (twice), Colorado, Kansas A lock after run to Big 12 final New Mexico 76 84 DePaul, Arizona Hawaii, UTEP, Utah Killed themselves with horrible RPI Wake Forest 60 61 Maryland Arkansas, Temple On outside looking in after loss to N.C. State. Toledo 63 55 Xavier, Ohio State Akron, Bowling Green (twice) Little to no chance now Rhode Island 64 53 TCU, Utah Providence, California, Pepperdine, Cleveland State, St. Bonaventure Got in -- only by winning A-10 tourney Evansville 49 73 SW Missouri State (twice) Illinois State (twice), Butler, East Carolina Held two key wins over SW Missouri State

 

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