RULE
ESPN’s Bracketology efforts are focused on projecting the NCAA’s playing field just as we expected the NCAA Division I basketball committee to pick the field in March. ESPN bracket expert Joe Lunardi, using the same data points preferred by the committee, including schedule strength and other metrics throughout the season, including NET data and team tables similar to what is available for the NCAA, in his predictions about the field. Visit the NCAA’s website for a fuller understanding of NCAA Selection Criteria.
Frame 68 teams
However, if the 2021 tournament has 68 teams, which is the standard version of the NCAA field that has existed since 2011. If the 2021 field includes 68 teams, there will be some key differences compared to previous years.
Of course, the main tweak from a normal year is the playing of the entire NCAA tournament in a single venue. This eliminates the need for geographical considerations when seeding. Additionally, there will be at least one automatic qualifier this season, as the Ivy League’s decision to forgo the 2020-21 season reduces the number of AQ entries to 31 for this season.
48 teams group stage
In this forecast, a condensed selection process will reduce the field to 10 major teams and 10 automatic qualifiers (the latter still receiving one revenue unit). The top four seeds in each region will bid farewell to the second round, with four first-round matches for each region – 5v 12, 6v 11, 7v 10 and 8v9 – played without fan. The seed’s home field is higher.
To minimize travel, the first couples will be geo-guided to the greatest extent possible. And the result of the field was reduced to only 32 teams competing at the central venue. All participants must post a minimum .500 conference transcript – the “Lunardi Rules” – in order to be considered widely.
16-team frame
In this project, the committee will select the 16 best teams available. There is no automatic qualifier, although all non-competitive conference champions receive a designated revenue unit.
To maintain some sense of national balance, conference participation was limited to four teams. And no region has more than one team from the same convention.
