Although the SEC was noticeably absent from the College Football Playoff national championship game on Monday night, it dominates the initial YSL News Sports Bracketology for the 2024-25 college basketball season. The conference boasts an impressive 13 teams projected to make the tournament, with several likely to secure a No. 1 seed.

Auburn holds the top overall seed, credited with 10 Quad 1 victories. Following their recent win against Mississippi State on Tuesday, Tennessee joins Auburn as another SEC team holding a No. 1 seed. The two will face off this Saturday night.

Completing the No. 1 seeds are Duke and Iowa State. The Blue Devils are on a hot streak, winning their last 12 games and handing Auburn its sole loss this season. The Cyclones have a record of 16-2, with a close defeat to Auburn and another loss in Big 12 play against West Virginia.

Alabama is the most formidable No. 2 seed and is closely trailing Tennessee, indicating a potential change in rankings by next week. Florida, which recently defeated Tennessee by 30 points, also claims a No. 2 seed.

Other SEC contenders included in this early projection are No. 3 Kentucky, No. 4 Mississippi State, No. 4 Texas A&M, No. 5 Mississippi, No. 7 Missouri, No. 10 Oklahoma, No. 10 Vanderbilt, and No. 11 Texas. The Longhorns are expected to compete in a play-in game against San Diego State.

Notably, two prominent teams are missing from this Bracketology.

One is North Carolina, which has dropped to a disappointing 12-8 following their loss to Wake Forest on Tuesday night. The Tar Heels have an abysmal record of 1-7 in Quad 1 matchups. The other absent team is Arkansas, which has struggled under new coach John Calipari. Once regarded as a potential Final Four contender, the Razorbacks have a record of 12-7, 1-5 in SEC play, and 2-7 against Quad 1 teams, leading to a slump to No. 54 in the NET rankings.

In mid-major circles, the Mountain West Conference features just two teams in our current bracket: No. 8 Utah State and No. 11 San Diego State, a drop from the six teams they had in last year’s tournament.

A crucial point to remember: this is an early indication of the possible tournament lineup, and much will change as teams progress through conference matches.

Last four teams in

Central Florida, Texas, San Diego State, Virginia Commonwealth.

Last four teams out

Wake Forest, Cincinnati, North Carolina, SMU.

Conference NCAA Tournament Bids Breakdown

Multi-bid conferences: SEC (13), Big Ten (9), Big 12 (8), Big East (4), ACC (4), Atlantic 10 (2), Mountain West (2), West Coast (2).