NIT Bracketology, Dec. 2

The season has started! We're not even a month in, but a lot has changed. This is my updated projection. The biggest note is that I think the College Basketball Crown is going to have enough decent teams to fill their bracket, so it's possible some of the conferences involved might still send teams to the NIT. (We'll see.) In this projection that happens with Northwestern and TCU taking the Big Ten and Big 12 automatic bids respectively.

Also, we really need conference play to start so that the ACC, SEC, and Atlantic 10 in particular can start getting sorted out. It was like putting Jenga blocks together at the end of this bracket. (We could really use some additional West Coast teams stepping up as well.)

The only non-protected team in a top 4 seed in the bracket therefore is Boise St. (because the Big East doesn't have a team). While I have the Broncos projected behind San Diego St. in the conference standings, they were by far the highest in the at-large pecking order.

NIT Bracket

1. San Diego St. (MWC)

U. Oregon St. (WCC)

4. UC San Diego (BW)

U. St. Bonaventure (A10)

3. San Francisco (WCC)

U. Colorado St. (MWC)

2. SMU (ACC)

U. Saint Joseph's

1. Northwestern (B1G)

U. Loyola Chicago (A10)

4. Bradley (MVC)

U. Wichita St. (AAC)

3. Missouri (SEC)

U. Washington St. (WCC)

2. Florida St. (ACC)

U. George Mason (A10)

1. Oklahoma (SEC)

U. Rhode Island (A10)

4. Louisiana Tech (CUSA)

U. Wake Forest (ACC)

3. VCU (A10)

U. Vanderbilt (SEC)

2. NC State (ACC)

U. Florida Atlantic (AAC)

1. Boise St. (MWC)

U. Santa Clara (WCC)

4. TCU (B12)

U. Notre Dame (ACC)

3. North Texas (AAC)

U. UNLV (MWC)

2. LSU (SEC)

U. Murray St. (MVC)

College Basketball Crown

Butler (BE), Villanova (BE), Xavier (BE), Nebraska (B1G), Iowa (B1G), Rutgers (B1G), West Virginia (B12), Arizona St. (B12), Utah (B12), Washington (B1G), Georgetown (BE), Providence (BE), DePaul (BE), Kansas St. (B12), UCF (B12), Colorado (B12)