NCAA Basketball Bracket 2019: Latest Bracketology Before Selection Sunday

Friday's conference tournament results shook up the bracket projections for the 2019 NCAA men's basketball tournament. 

The most important victory earned Friday came from Florida, who knocked off top seed LSU in the SEC tournament quarterfinals. 

Fellow bubble teams Minnesota and Seton Hall helped their status to make the field of 68 with wins in the Big Ten and Big East, respectively.

Now the focus turns to Saturday's conference tournament finals, as 14 automatic bids will be handed out over the course of 14 hours.

A handful of programs will have a close eye on some of the finals, as there are a few potential bid thieves taking the court. 

Florida, Minnesota and Seton Hall Should Be In

Florida, Minnesota and Seton Hall were Friday's biggest winners, and all three programs should feel comfortable about their respective places in the Big Dance. 

The Gators opened Friday's four-game slate at the SEC tournament with a gutsy win over LSU, which boosted them above the last four in spots on ESPN.com's Joe Lunardi's latest bracket projection. 

Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller seconded that sentiment and has the Gators as his fifth-to-last team in going into Saturday. 

Minnesota upset Purdue in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals to reinforce its position as the seventh Big Ten team to be locked into the field of 68. 

Dylan Buell/Getty Images

Going into Saturday, the Golden Gophers are a No. 9 seed in CBSSports.com's Jerry Palm's bracket projection. 

Barring any significant changes over the weekend, Minnesota should expect to land a No. 9 seed or a No. 10 seed at worst. 

In Miller's latest projection, he has Seton Hall landing a No. 8 seed and playing Minnesota in the first round. 

However, there isn't a consensus on where Kevin Willard's team will land, as Lunardi projects the Pirates as a No. 9 seed and Palm views them as a No. 10 seed. 

But at this point in the season, it shouldn't matter much where these teams end up, as all they're concerned with is safely being in the Big Dance. 

Bubble Teams Will Be Rooting Against Saturday's Potential Bid Thieves

The Mountain West, Pac-12 and MAC championship games will be watched closely by teams currently projected on the bubble due to the presence of bid thieves. 

San Diego State, Oregon and Bowling Green are the specific teams in focus, as none of those teams are projected to make the field of 68 as of right now. 

If San Diego State upends Utah State in the Mountain West tournament final, that league could land three NCAA tournament bids with Nevada locked into the field and Utah State in a safe spot for now as a projected No. 10 seed in Lunardi's bracket. 

For most of the season, the Pac-12 was seen as a one-bid league with Washington being the conference's lone representative, but Oregon has emerged as a possible NCAA tournament team with its run through the Pac-12 tournament. 

John Locher/Associated Press

If the Ducks win their fourth straight game at T-Mobile Arena, the Pac-12 could receive an extra berth that wasn't expected at the start of Championship Week.

If Washington loses, it's likely going to make the Big Dance, as it went 26-7 in the regular season and won the Pac-12 regular-season crown. 

The MAC is already guaranteed of sending Buffalo into the field of 68, but Bowling Green could join the Bulls if it wins in Cleveland Saturday. 

Bubble teams should be concerned about Bowling Green, as the Eagles already own a regular-season victory over Buffalo. 

Among the teams rooting for Washington, Buffalo and Utah State are Temple, St. John's, NC State, Belmont, UNC-Greensboro and Creighton. 

But the conference tournament finals aren't the only games bubble teams should be watching, as Memphis is making a run on home soil in The American tournament, and if the Tigers upset Houston in Saturday's semifinals, it will set the stage for a nervous Sunday afternoon for certain schools. 

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