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Bracket Prediction
2018 Men's NCAA Bracket Please read methodology & disclaimer below.
               
               
   
               
   
               
   
               
   
               
   
               
   
               
   
               
 
               
               
   
               
   
               
   
               
   
               
   
               
   
               
   
               
 
       
       
 
       
 
       
 
       
 
       
 
       
 
       
 
       
 
       
       
 
       
 
       
 
       
 
       
 
       
 
       
 
       
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Multi-bid Conferences:
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Mascots with Numbers:
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Travel:
X of these schools are within driving distance of their regional host (400 miles or less). The average drive distance is Y miles.  

Methodology:
This analysis is based on all match data available as of . We simulate the number of runs the ITA will make between now and Selection Day, so the ITA points used for this analysis will differ slightly from the ITA points displayed on our ranking lists.  

Disclaimer:

Updated:

The Road to

There are many routes a team can take on the way to the championship rounds of the NCAA tournament in , but they will all likely go through the host sites listed below (along with each team's projected ITA point total). If your team is not selected as a host, the chances are good that they will end up playing the early rounds at a host site that is within driving distance (400 miles or less).  

Top Hosts

The top eight teams have the opportunity to host matches through the first three rounds of the tournament. These teams are rewarded with home matches up through the championship rounds.

These top eight positions are highly-coveted because none of them will meet until the championship rounds. The next tier of teams is trying to climb up to this level.

Regional Hosts

This next tier of eight teams are Regional Hosts. Together with the top hosts, these teams have the opportunity to host regionals - the first two rounds of the tournament. Regionals are played throughout the country using the facilities of the top 16 teams.

This is the most interesting tier of teams. At the high end, these teams are trying to move into the top eight to have the opportunity to protect themselves and host an additional round. At the bottom end, the next tier of teams is trying to knock them out of this level.

Challengers

These teams are on the cusp of becoming regional hosts. If these teams are fortunate enough to win and move up the rankings - even a little - then they get the opportunity to play the opening rounds at home rather than traveling to compete against tougher competition.

On the Bubble
Bid Stealers

Teams on the bubble of the NCAA Tournament should keep an eye on other conference tournaments because an upset might shrink the size of the bubble and steal a tournament bid.

Fans of bubble teams should be nervous about the outcomes of these conference tournaments. If any of these teams win, there will be one less at-large bid available for a team on the bubble:


So Who Should You Root For?

If you like pulling for the underdog, root for one of the teams above. But if you're a fan of a bubble team or want to have the strongest field possible, then root for these teams that would qualify for at-large bids anyway:

Good News for Teams on the Bubble!

Every automatic-qualifier from a multi-bid conference is a team that currently qualifies for at-large bid anyway. Unless something crazy happens in one of the Power Five conferences, the maximum number of at-large bids is available for teams on the bubble. Better luck next year, bid stealers!

.500 Jeapordy

For a team to be eligible for the NCAA postseason, it must have a .500 or better head-to-head won-loss record against Division I opponents. These are teams that will qualify for at-large bids if they don't have losing records at the end of the season.
 
 
 
 


Updated:

By the Numbers
Click on the column headers to change the table's sort order.
Click column headers to change sort.
Reg. Seed School ID Team ID Abbreviation    Team Conf. W-L     ITA   SLAM   P6 Notes      
REG. The region we expect the team to play in for the first two rounds of tournament. Denoted by the icon of the hosting team. Hover over the host icon for details about the region: location, name of host, and overall seed of the host
SEED The seed within the region for a team. If the team is a 1-seed, the superscript number is the team's overall seed in the tournament and determines where in the bracket the region is placed.
ITA The projected ITA points value for the team on Selection Day. Sort by this column to see where every team under consideration ranks in the ITA system independent of region, seed, or selection status.
SLAM The latest SLAM rating for the team as of . Sort by this column to see where every team under consideration ranks by SLAM rating independent of region, seed, or selection status.
P6 The UTR Power 6 rating for the team as of . Sort by this column to see where every team under consideration ranks by their Power 6 independent of region, seed, or selection status.
NOTES
AQ Auto-Qualifier. Typically the conference champion unless they are not eligible for NCAA tournament play.
AQ* Our projected conference champion. Prior to the conference tournament, this is the highest rated SLAM team in the confernece. After the conference tournament starts, this is the highest rated SLAM team still alive in the tournament.
blank At-Large Bid. Invitation granted to play in the tournament based on strength, not right.
L4 The Last Four In. One of the last four at-large bids to be selected into the tournament.
F4 The First Four Out. The first four teams closest but not IN the projected field (ranked 69-72).
N4 The Next Four Out. The next four teams closest but not IN the projected field (ranked 73-76).
500 Teams below .500 that would qualify for an at-large bid but missed out on selection because they have a losing record (see discussion above).
You Be the Judge

For our bracket we seed straight off of the ITA rankings, but here are some teams that the committee will probably put under the magnifying glass. We list more information than the NCAA selection committee actually considers, but we have it ... so why not? If you want to put on your Official Selection Committee Hat, the criteria they actually consider is listed below.

Click on the team you think would win the comparison to reveal who the teams are, or if you don't like to have fun click here to reveal them all right now.

Here are some similarly ranked teams that the NCAA committee will probably put under the magnifying glass. Click on the team you think would win the comparison:

Team Comparison #
Committee
Picked
 
 Team #1  Team #2
Committee
Picked
 
Committee's Choice
Committee's Choice

In our comparisons we list more information than the NCAA selection committee actually considers, but we have it ... so why not? If you want to know how the committee actually perform the comparisons, keep reading.

Selection Criteria

The following criteria shall be employed by a governing sports committee in selecting participants for NCAA championships competition [Bylaw 31.3.3; criteria for selection of participants]:

  • Won-lost record.
  • Strength of schedule.
  • Eligibility and availability of student-athletes for NCAA championships.

In addition to Bylaw 31.3.3, the tennis committee has received approval from the NCAA Division I Championships/Sports Management Cabinet to consider the following criteria in the selection of at-large teams for the men's and women's tennis championships (not necessarily in priority order):

Primary Criteria

  • Head-to-head competition.
  • Results versus common opponents.
  • Strength of schedule.
  • Wins versus teams (or individuals) already selected at time of consideration.

Tie-Breaking Procedures

  • If the evaluation of the primary criteria does not result in a decision, the tie-breaking procedures will be reviewed. The following criteria listed will be evaluated in priority order:
  • Head-to-head competition.
  • Strength of schedule

Can't get enough of this stuff? Neither can we. You can read more about it straight from the source: NCAA Division I Men's & Women's Pre-Championships Manual

Updated:

Travel Grids

Coming soon!

Updated:

May Madness Images





#NCAATennis Bracketology - -

BEST OF THE BEST - These are the top 8 teams currently in a position to host through the super-regionals:


https://slam.tennis/bracketology//hosts

#NCAATennis Bracketology - -

REGIONAL HOSTS - These are the next 8 teams currently in a position to host a regional the first weekend:


https://slam.tennis/bracketology//hosts

#NCAATennis Bracketology - -

CHALLENGERS - These are the next 8 teams currently challenging for the opportunity to host a regional:


https://slam.tennis/bracketology//hosts

#NCAATennis Bracketology - -

BUBBLE WATCH - These teams are competing for the last available at-large bids


https://slam.tennis/bracketology//bubble
 
 
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