March Madness is right around the corner and men's college basketball teams across the country are battling to secure their spots.
When we reach this time of the year, most teams know where they stand, but some have more work to do to convince the selection committee they are worthy of one of the 68 spots in the postseason.
Based on the latest projections from national Bracketology experts, here are a few teams who should be safely in the field and a couple more that could join them as the season winds down and conference tournaments begin.
Safely in the NCAA Tournament field
1. Vanderbilt Commodores
The Commodores' win over No. 12 Texas A&M on Wednesday seemingly sealed their fate. All the major media outlets now have Vanderbilt as a projected No. 8 or No. 9 seed when the Tournament begins. They are just 4-8 in Quad 1 games but 15-1 against all other opponents.
Vanderbilt now sits just behind No. 17 Kentucky and is tied with No. 24 Mississippi State in the SEC standings. The Commodores will also have a chance to boost their resume against No. 14 Missouri on Saturday and push Arkansas and Georgia on the SEC bubble next week.
2. UConn Huskies
The defending back-to-back national champions have had a tough year but should be in the field. Falling from the No. 3-ranked team in the country during the preseason to unranked and near the bubble was not expected, but wins over Marquette and Creighton have helped the Huskies steady the ship.
UConn is a projected No. 9-seed as the final Big East team in the field. The conference is only expected to get around four bids, and the Huskies currently lead Xavier by a game for fourth place in the conference. Two of their final three regular-season games are also against teams in the bottom three of the Big East.
3. Nebraska Cornhuskers
Not a team you often see in the NCAA Tournament, but the Cornhuskers are a projected No. 11-seed. according to ESPN, and a No. 10-seed according to CBS and FOX. An early-season win over Creighton definitely helps boost their resume, as do conference wins over UCLA, Illinois, and Oregon.
A win over No. 15 Michigan on Monday would have helped even more, but Nebraska has three more cracks at Big Ten wins. The conference is expected to be a double-digit bid league, with Nebraska, Indiana, and Ohio State fighting for the final spots. Nebraska has a head-to-head win over both those teams and will face Ohio State again next week.
4. Arkansas Razorbacks
Here we find another team that faced high expectations in the preseason. Everything went well for Akrkanas early, but it hit a wall with seven losses in the first month of SEC play. Since then, Arkansas has knocked off Kentucky and Missouri, swept fellow bubble team Texas in two games, and taken top-10 teams in Alabama, Auburn, and Texas A&M down to the wire.
The Razorbacks project as a No. 11-seed in the NCAA Tournament, thanks to their recent run, a No. 40 NET ranking, and four Quad 1 wins. Upcoming games against Vanderbilt and No. 24 Mississippi State could help them solidify their resume.
5. Indiana Hoosiers
It's not often you find a team that already announced it was moving on from its current head coach during the season still fighting for an NCAA Tournament spot in the final month, but that's exactly where Indiana finds itself with three games left.
The Hoosiers have a losing record in Big Ten play but have won three of their last four games, including matchups with then-No. 11 Michigan State on the road and then No. 13 Purdue in Bloomington. Most experts have them among the "Last Four In" as an 11-seed, while Fox has them among the "First Four Out."
6. Oklahoma Sooners
Oklahoma has had a rough month on the court, but it apparently hasn't been bad enough to eliminate the Sooners. CBS and Fox have them safely in as a 10-seed, while ESPN has their fate slightly murkier as an 11-seed playing Indiana in the First Four, even though there are just two teams below them in the SEC standings.
The depth of the SEC helps as the Sooners have played seven Top 25 teams in February and still have five Quad 1 wins despite going 1-6 in those matchups. Opportunities to make a stronger case and build the resume are coming as Oklahoma will take on Ole Miss and Missouri before having a shot to knock Texas out of the postseason.
7. San Diego State Aztecs
Being a Mid-Major probably doesn't help San Diego State, but CBS, ESPN, and Fox all have the Aztecs in the field. San Diego State has had some recent success in the NCAA Tournament, reaching the National Championship Game in 2023.
This year, they are battling in a five-horse Mountain West Conference race with New Mexico, Colorado State, Utah State, and Boise State. Not all of them will get in, but it looks like Utah State, New Mexico, and San Diego State have the best shots as the season closes.
Three more bubble teams to watch
1. Baylor Bears
ESPN and FOX have Baylor in the tournament, while CBS has the Bears among its "First Four Out." They have a NET ranking of 31 and project as a 10-seed with bubble games against Oklahoma State and TCU remaining before finishing the regular season against No. 4 Houston.
2. Ohio State Buckeyes
Fox has the Buckeyes in a play-in game against Georgia as an 11-seed, and ESPN has them doing the same as a 12-seed against Texas. CBS has Ohio State in its "First Four Out." The Buckeyes have a high NET ranking (34) and six Quad 1 wins working in their favor, but 13 losses doesn't leave much room for error as the season comes to a close.
Their final two games will determine their fate as they take on both Nebraska and Indiana. It's likely at least two of three will make it.
3. Georgia Bulldogs
CBS and Fox have Georgia as an 11-seed playing a First Four game against teams from the Big Ten. ESPN has them out. The Bulldogs have work to do to separate themselves from Texas and Oklahoma and perhaps even Arkansas despite an impressive win over No. 3 Florida on Wednesday.
Head-to-head meetings with the Longhorns and the Commodores will help. Having multiple outlets project them in the field at this point is a good sign of what could be, but Georgia likely needs to win out in the regular season to get there.