Men's Bracketology: Can Kansas repeat? So many questions to consider

RULES

ESPN's Bracketology efforts are focused connected projecting the NCAA tourney tract conscionable arsenic we expect the NCAA Division I hoops committee to prime the tract successful March. ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi uses the aforesaid information points favored by the committee, including spot of docket and different season-long indicators, including the NET and team-sheet information akin to what is disposable to the NCAA, successful his projections of the field. Visit the NCAA's website for a fuller knowing of NCAA enactment criteria.

68-Team Bracket

The 68-team bracket is the modular mentation of the NCAA tourney tract that has been successful spot since 2011. If the 2021 tract is comprised of 68 teams, determination volition beryllium immoderate cardinal differences to past years, however.

The superior accommodation from a mean twelvemonth is, of course, the playing of the full NCAA tourney astatine a azygous site. This eliminates the request for geographical considerations successful seeding. Additionally, determination volition beryllium astatine slightest 1 less automatic qualifier this season, arsenic the Ivy League's determination to forgo the 2020-21 play reduces the fig of AQ entries to 31 for this season.

48-Team Bracket

In this projection, a condensed enactment process would trim the tract by 10 at-large teams and 10 automatic qualifiers (the second of which inactive person a gross unit). The apical 4 seeds successful each portion would person a bye into the 2nd round, with 4 first-round games per portion - 5 vs. 12, 6 vs. 11, 7 vs. 10 and 8 vs. 9 - being played without fans connected the higher seed's location court.

To minimize travel, first-round pairings volition beryllium guided by geography to the top grade possible. And the reduced tract results successful lone 32 teams competing astatine the cardinal site. All participants indispensable station a minimum .500 league grounds - the "Lunardi Rule" - for at-large consideration.

16-Team Bracket

In this projection, the committee selects and seeds the 16 champion disposable teams. There are nary automatic qualifiers, though each non-competing league champions person the designated gross unit.

To support immoderate consciousness of nationalist balance, league information is capped astatine 4 teams. And nary portion shall person much than 1 squad from the aforesaid conference.