Selection Sunday: Who’s In and Who’s Out?

Selection Sunday has arrived, and the latest projection from ESPN’s Joe Lunardi provides a clearer picture of how the Big 12 Conference could be represented in the NCAA Tournament.

At the top of the conference, there are no surprises. The Arizona Wildcats, Kansas Jayhawks, Iowa State Cyclones, Houston Cougars, Texas Tech Red Raiders, BYU Cougars, and TCU Horned Frogs are all projected comfortably inside the tournament field.

The real intrigue has centered on the conference’s bubble teams, the UCF Knights, Cincinnati Bearcats, and West Virginia Mountaineers, each of whom entered the week needing help to solidify their postseason hopes.

According to Lunardi’s latest update, UCF has done enough. The Knights are currently projected inside the Field of 68, meaning they should hear their name called when the bracket is revealed later this afternoon.

For Cincinnati and West Virginia, however, the outlook is far less promising.

Cincinnati sits in Lunardi’s Next Four Out category, placing the Bearcats just outside the tournament field with little reason for optimism heading into Selection Sunday. Meanwhile, West Virginia has fallen off the bubble entirely, suggesting the Mountaineers’ postseason hopes are effectively over.

The situation is particularly telling in Cincinnati, where the program has already begun turning its focus toward the future. With their NCAA Tournament chances essentially gone, the Cincinnati Bearcats have moved on from head coach Wes Miller, officially entering the college basketball coaching carousel as the program looks to reset.

For UCF, though, the waiting game is nearly over. After weeks of living on the bubble, the Knights appear poised to represent the Big 12 in March Madness, assuming the committee agrees with Lunardi’s projection.

Now, all that remains is the bracket reveal.