With conference tournaments starting this week, more teams achieved “lock status” in our latest watch, but Jim and I still tried to remain conservative overall. Teams like Marquette, West Virginia, Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois are as close to lock status as a team can get, but if any of them lose out there would be some question as to their inclusion in the field of 68.
You’ll notice a new team in the Big 12 below, the Texas Longhorns. Shaka Smart has brought his team back from the dead with two huge wins against West Virginia and at Texas Tech.