With the conference tournaments wrapping up this week and the ACC, Big Ten and Big 12 wrapping up their regular seasons this weekend, all resumes will be finalized on Saturday and all the drama will be resolved on the Selection Show on Sunday (6 p.m. ET, ESPN).
The 31 automatic bids will already know their fate in the NCAA tournament, but not their status. The other 33 places will be filled with general equipment. Volleyball fields the top eight finishers from each region and the top four finishers from each region serve as hosts for the first and second rounds. The rest of the group is completed to balance it competitively and geographically. The remaining top seeds also host the regionals, with the 2025 Final Four taking place in Kansas City, Missouri, on December 18 and the finals on December 21.
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Two of those number one seeds should be Texas and Kentucky. After their epic five-set SEC tournament championship game, won by the Wildcats, it's hard to imagine them not being among the top four teams in the country. Unless something surprising happens this weekend, Nebraska will be the number one team overall. The fourth number one spot is now the biggest question mark. Arizona State ranks there now by virtue of its No. 3 ranking in the Rating Percentage Index (RPI), its ninth-ranked ranking in Strength of Schedule (SOS), and its 6-3 record against the top 25 in the RPI.
However, you could argue that the quality of Pittsburgh's top 25 wins is better and that would replace the Panthers with a lower RPI and SOS than the Sun Devils. Pittsburgh can strengthen that argument with wins over Louisville and Georgia Tech. Convincing wins in those two games and we expect the Panthers to ascend to the final number one spot. A sweep at Louisville over Pittsburgh and Stanford and the Cardinals will allow them to claim the top spot.
Top seeds
Seeds number 1: Nebraska, Kentucky, Texas, Arizona State
Seeds number 2: Pittsburgh, SMU, Texas A&M, Creighton
Seeds No. 3: Louisville, Stanford, Wisconsin, Purdue
Seeds No. 4: Indiana, Minnesota, Miami, USC
Seeds number 5: BYU, Kansas, Iowa State, TCU
Seeds No. 6: Tennessee, Baylor, Colorado, Kansas State
Seeds number 7: Penn State, Florida, Northern Iowa, Marquette
Seeds number 8: Michigan, Western Kentucky, North Carolina, UTEP
Rest of the field (alphabetical): American, Arkansas State, Campbell, UC Davis, UCLA, Central Arkansas, Cincinnati, Coppin State, Eastern Illinois, Fairfield, Florida A&M, Georgia Tech, High Point, Long Island, Loyola-Chicago, Maryland-Baltimore County, Northern Colorado, Princeton, Rice, St. Thomas, San Diego, South Dakota State, South Florida, Stephen F. Austin, Toledo, Tulsa, Utah State, Utah Valley, Villanova, Wofford, Wright State, Xavier
(The rest of the field teams would not be seeded)
bubble clock
The upsets in this week's conference tournaments dealt a blow to some bubble teams. The Summit League now has two teams in the field: St. Thomas beat South Dakota State and earned the automatic bid, stealing a spot for a bubble team with the Jackrabbits remaining in the field as an at-large bid. Tulsa did the same in the American. That made second-round SEC tournament losses to bubble teams Auburn, Georgia, Missouri and Oklahoma even harder to overcome. None of those teams are likely to make the NCAA tournament now.
After a bad week, Michigan State can still get back on the field with wins over USC and UCLA. Oregon's remaining schedule (Rutgers and Maryland) doesn't offer as much resume help. The Ducks will have a harder time getting on the field now. Georgia Tech solidifies its spot by beating either Stanford or Pittsburgh or even playing competitively in both.
Last four to arrive: South Dakota State, Georgia Tech, Villanova, South Florida
First four out: Oregon, Michigan State, Dayton, Arizona
Next four eliminated: Missouri, James Madison, Auburn, Pepperdine
Conference breakdown
12 big: 8
Big Ten: 8
CAC: 7
SECOND: 5
Great East: 4
American: 3
CUSA: 2
Summit: 2
