College basketball teams have less than three weeks to put the final touches on their NCAA Tournament resumes. Some teams will be angling for better seeding, some will be simply trying to score a ticket to the dance.
Even after a wild weekend in the sport, there wasn't any movement on the top line, despite losses by Baylor, Gonzaga and San Diego State. But if either of the latter teams takes another lump in the next few weeks, they could see a top seed slip through their fingers.
The fight for top seeds will certainly be intriguing, as there are about five or six teams that could make a push for one of those spots if one opens up. But the fight to earn a top-four "protected seed" is even tighter. There has been a lot of shuffling along the 3-7 seed lines in recent weeks and it doesn't look like that's going to change any time soon.
Michigan and Michigan State have taken rather different paths to this point, but they find themselves neck-and-neck on the same seed line, with very similar resumes. Both teams have four games left in the regular season, with the Spartans clearly facing the tougher schedule down the stretch. All four of MSU's final opponents are ranked in the latest edition of the AP Top 25.
A clean sweep for Michigan State could do wonders for their resume (and possibly mean a Big Ten regular season title), but if they scuffle down the stretch, they could really take a tumble.
Michigan has had a bit of a roller coaster season, going from tons of question marks in the preseason to top-5 team after Thanksgiving. Then the Wolverines had a slow bleed out of the Top 25, when they lost five of six in January. Now they're having yet another resurgence back into the polls and back into the discussion for a top-four seed. Currently, they hold a slight resume edge over their rival Spartans, but they'll need a strong finish to hold onto that seed, as the rest of the field is nothing short of a total logjam.
1. Kansas (Big 12) vs. St. Peter's (MAAC) / North Carolina A&T (MEAC)8. Arizona State (Pac-12) vs. Xavier
4. Penn State vs. 13. Stephen F. Austin (Southland)5. Colorado vs. 12. Yale (Ivy)
3. Seton Hall (Big East) vs. 14. New Mexico State (WAC)6. BYU vs. 11. Northern Iowa (MVC)
2. Dayton (A-10) vs. 15. Wright State (Horizon)7. Marquette vs. 10. Rutgers
1. Baylor vs. 16. St. Francis (Pa.) (NEC) / Prairie View A&M (SWAC)8. LSU vs. 9. Indiana
4. Kentucky (SEC) vs. 13. Vermont (America East)5. Michigan vs. 12. East Tennessee State (SOCON)
3. Villanova vs. 14. Colgate (Patriot)6. Arizona vs. 11. Cincinnati
2. Florida State (ACC) vs. 15. Little Rock (Sun Belt)7. Ohio State vs. 10. USC
1. Gonzaga (WCC) vs. 16. Radford (Big South)8. Wisconsin vs. 9. Florida
4. Oregon vs. 13. North Texas (C-USA)5. Iowa vs. 12. Liberty (A-Sun)
3. Louisville vs. 14. UC Irvine (Big West)6. Butler vs. 11. Rhode Island
2. Creighton vs. 15. South Dakota State (Summit)7. Texas Tech vs. 10. Virginia
1. San Diego State (MWC) vs. Austin Peay (OVC)8. Houston (AAC) vs. 9. St. Mary's
4. Auburn vs. 13. Akron (MAC)5. Michigan State vs. 12. Stanford / Utah State
3. Maryland (Big Ten) vs. 14. Hofstra (CAA)6. West Virginia vs. 11. NC State / Wichita State
2. Duke vs. 15. Montana (Big Sky)7. Illinois vs. 10. Oklahoma
Last 4 byes: USC, Oklahoma, Cincinnati, Rhode IslandLast 4 in (First Four in Dayton): NC State, Wichita State, Stanford, Utah StateFirst 4 out: Providence, Georgetown, Richmond, MemphisNext 4 out: UCLA, Texas, Mississippi State, South Carolina