The first installment of what will become daily updates is available on Friday, marking a significant change at the top after more than two weeks. Houston has ascended to the fourth No. 1 seed, following Florida’s defeat at the hands of Georgia this past Tuesday. Consequently, the Gators now hold the No. 2 seed, ranked sixth overall, just behind Tennessee.

The competition is far from settled. With three SEC teams vying for top positions, a conference tournament victory could easily secure a No. 1 seed for one of these contenders.

Meanwhile, Michigan State remains a contender for a high seed. The Spartans have upcoming home matches against Wisconsin and Michigan before the Big Ten Tournament begins. Their fortunes would improve should Indiana start winning again; notably, their home loss to the Hoosiers is the only Quad 2 defeat among the top seven teams in the current bracket.

Top Seeds in Bracketology

For a complete look at Palm’s projections and the entire field of 68, check out the Bracketology hub.

Competition at the Bottom of the Bracket

At the lower end of the bracket, Baylor and Wake Forest have dropped out, making way for Georgia and Boise State.

Baylor has struggled, losing four of its last five games, including a recent setback against Colorado and Cincinnati. Their overall record now stands at 15-12, with disappointing results against top-tier opponents, which typically would jeopardize their chances of tournament selection.

Meanwhile, Wake Forest had a promising schedule lined up four games ago. They secured a victory against SMU but faltered against three weaker opponents, resulting in their three worst losses of the season. This has dropped them to 71st in the NET rankings, a sign of a challenging season.

Missouri coach Dennis Gates has been instrumental in transforming the Tigers from a winless SEC season to potential NCAA Tournament contenders.

– Dennis Dodd

Among the newcomers to the bracket are Georgia, fresh off their significant win against Florida, and Boise State, which triumphed over Utah State to secure seven victories in their last eight matches. This winning streak also includes a notable win against Mountain West leader New Mexico.

Georgia is in a constant shuffle with Texas and Arkansas around the tournament cutline. Arkansas has moved above the “last four in” for the first time since early January, while Texas finds itself in the “first four out” position for consecutive brackets for the first time.

As is often the case, some adjustments were necessary to position BYU on a Thursday-Saturday path in the tournament. Fortunately, no team’s seed had to be altered; however, the Cougars share a pod with Houston, which is typically avoided for logistical reasons.