NCAAB

USA TODAY Sports bracketology: West Virginia's colossal collapse costs seed boost

Shelby Mast
Special for USA TODAY Sports

West Virginia was poised to shoot up from a No. 4 seed to a No. 3 seed, clutching a seemingly insurmountable 14-point cushion against mighty Kansas with three minutes remaining on Monday night.

Then the Mountaineers blew it. Or from another lens, the Jayhawks staged an epic comeback.

Big 12 race standings aside, Monday's colossal collapse/comeback could have been a loss that hindered Kansas' cause to notch an NCAA tournament No. 1 seed and obviously bolstered WVU's credentials. Texas Tech made a nice dent to Baylor's still-No. 1 seed résumé, while vaulting back into the bubble mix after nearly knocking off Kansas on Saturday. The Red Raiders have been competing with No. 1 seeds, and the selection committee will take notice.

West Virginia Mountaineers forward Esa Ahmad (23) shoots as Kansas Jayhawks guard Josh Jackson (11) defends during the first half at Allen Fieldhouse.

And remember, Baylor and Kansas face off on Saturday for a rematch between two projected No. 1 seeds.

► No. 1 seeds: Villanova, Gonzaga, Kansas, Baylor

► Last four in: Georgia Tech, Kansas State, Arkansas, Wake Forest

► First four out: Georgetown, Rhode Island, Clemson, Miami

Moving In: Texas-Arlington

Moving out: Arkansas State

► Others considered for at-large bids (in no particular order): Vanderbilt, Marquette, Indiana, Providence, Wichita State, Georgia, Ole Miss, Illinois, Alabama, Auburn, Houston, Ohio State, Penn State, Texas Tech, Utah

► On life support: Pittsburgh, Texas A&M, Iowa, Memphis.

► No longer considered: UConn, Texas, Texas-Arlington, Charleston, New Mexico, LaSalle, Davidson, Chattanooga, Saint Bonaventure, Saint Joseph's, BYU, Oklahoma, Charleston, Nebraska, Temple, North Carolina State, Stanford, Nevada.

► Multi-bid conferences: ACC (10), Big Ten (7), Big 12 (7), Big East (5), Pac-12 (5), SEC (5), A-10 (3), AAC (2), WCC (2).

MORE NEWS

From bubble to trouble: Three fringe teams with Final Four potential

Bubble Tracker: ACC a hotbed of tourney-worthy teams

Conference Leaders

► Or highest RPI from projected one-bid conferences - (23 total): Vermont (America East), Florida Gulf Coast (Atlantic Sun), Weber State (Big Sky), UNC-Asheville (Big South), UC Davis (Big West), UNC-Wilmington (CAA), Middle Tennessee State (Conference USA), Valparaiso (Horizon), Yale (Ivy League), Monmouth (MAAC), Akron (MAC), N.C. Central (MEAC), Illinois State (Missouri Valley), Nevada (Mountain West), Mount Saint Mary's (Northeast), Belmont (Ohio Valley), Bucknell (Patriot), Furman (Southern), New Orleans (Southland), Texas Southern (SWAC), North Dakota State (Summit), Arkansas State (Sun Belt), New Mexico State (WAC).

  • Banned from participating: Hawaii, Southern Mississippi, Alcorn State, Savannah State, Northern Colorado
  • Transition Schools, ineligible for the tourney: Abilene Christian (Southland), Grand Canyon (WAC), Incarnate Word (Southland), Massachusetts-Lowell (American East)    

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Note: All RPI and statistical data is used from WarrenNolan.com.

About our bracketologist: Shelby Mast has been projecting the field since 2005 and has finished as one of the top 5 national bracketologists for his website, Bracket W.A.G. He’s predicted for The Indianapolis Star, collegeinsider.com and is an inaugural member of the Super 10 Selection Committee. Follow him on Twitter @BracketWag.

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