Creating a Coronavirus Travel Friendly Bracket within the Bracket Rules is Challenging.
This was the toughest bracket to create not because of the bubble teams, there has been a clear cut-off here and if San Francisco had defeated Gonzaga and then went on to win the West Coast Conference Tournament, it would have been an easier process. However, the objective is to try to ensure proper seeding zones, bracketing rules regarding the conferences and host schools, and be geographically friendly to as many schools as possible.
The highlights of this bracket:
- Seed numbers matter less if the objective is to reduce travel in this current environment.
- USC would be a #10 seed ordinarily, but giving them the #12 seed so that they have a shorter trip was the priority.
- Akron is on many brackets a #13 seed, but they are an #11 seed so that they can play in Cleveland.
- Florida stays in the East and does not get to play in Tampa, but if they are bounced out of the SEC Tournament by Georgia, this could certainly end up being arranged without any cringing.
- Liberty would ordinarily be a #12 seed, but sending them to Greensboro for the shorter travel time means pushing them up to a #11 seed.
- Utah State's strong resume of accomplishments earns them a shorter trip to a tournament location and they will travel to Spokane as a #9 seed.
- Last Four In: Stanford, Richmond, Indiana, Cincinnati
- First Three Out: Northern Iowa, Mississippi State, North Carolina State
- More guidance from the NCAA as far as their plans and what they want to do as it relates to the coronavirus crisis/panic will cause drastic changes to this bracket going forward. It is possible that this bracket and the NCAA Tournament Bracket can look really screwy and the seed lines could mean very little. This is unprecedented territory, this is not a typical NCAA Tournament anymore.
| Conference | Conference | |||
| SOUTH – Houston | MIDWEST – Indianapolis | |||
| St. Louis | Omaha | |||
| 1) Baylor | Big XII | 1) Kansas | Big XII | |
| 16) Northern Kentucky | Horizon | 16) Prairie View A&M/NC Central | SWAC/MEAC | |
| 8) LSU | SEC | 8) Colorado | Pac-12 | |
| 9) Providence | Big East | 9) Saint Mary's | WCC | |
| Tampa | Omaha | |||
| 5) Butler | Big East | 5) Wisconsin | Big Ten | |
| 12) Indiana/Cincinnati | Big Ten/American | 12) Richmond/Stanford | A-10/Pac-12 | |
| 4) Kentucky | SEC | 4) Louisville | ACC | |
| 13) North Texas | C-USA | 13) Stephen F. Austin | Southland | |
| Greensboro | Cleveland | |||
| 6) Auburn | SEC | 6) Houston | American | |
| 11) ETSU | SoCon | 11) Akron | MAC | |
| 3) Maryland | Big Ten | 3) Michigan St. | Big Ten | |
| 14) Belmont | OVC | 14) North Dakota St. | Summit | |
| Tampa | St. Louis | |||
| 7) Illinois | Big Ten | 7) Iowa | Big Ten | |
| 10) Oklahoma | Big XII | 10) Wichita St. | American | |
| 2) Florida St. | ACC | 2) Creighton | Big East | |
| 15) Winthrop | Big South | 15) Little Rock | Sun Belt | |
| EAST – New York | WEST – Los Angeles | |||
| Cleveland | Spokane | |||
| 1) Dayton | A-10 | 1) Gonzaga | WCC | |
| 16) Robert Morris/Siena | NEC/MAAC | 16) Eastern Washington | Big Sky | |
| 8) Florida | SEC | 8) Marquette | Big East | |
| 9) Rutgers | Big Ten | 9) Utah St. | MWC | |
| Albany | Sacramento | |||
| 5) Ohio St. | Big Ten | 5) West Virginia | Big XII | |
| 12) Yale | Ivy | 12) USC | Pac-12 | |
| 4) Seton Hall | Big East | 4) BYU | WCC | |
| 13) Vermont | America East | 13) New Mexico St. | WAC | |
| Greensboro | Spokane | |||
| 6) Michigan | Big Ten | 6) Penn St. | Big Ten | |
| 11) Liberty | A-Sun | 11) Texas Tech | Big XII | |
| 3) Duke | ACC | 3) Oregon | Pac-12 | |
| 14) Hofstra | Colonial | 14) Bradley | MVC | |
| Albany | Sacramento | |||
| 7) Virginia | ACC | 7) Arizona | Pac-12 | |
| 10) Arizona St. | Pac-12 | 10) Xavier | Big East | |
| 2) Villanova | Big East | 2) San Diego St. | MWC | |
| 15) Colgate | Patriot | 15) UC Irvine | Big West |