"That changed Monday with the start of the 2025-26 season. The focus returned to the court, and everything that happens from this point forward has a direct impact on the NCAA tournament status of each team in the country. Bracketology will cover the shifting tides of the tournament field all season long, with weekly updates beginning Tuesday. Once January hits, we'll project the 68-team field twice a week through the end of the regular season."
"ESPN's preseason Bracketology projection included 13 Big Ten teams. That would break the record for teams from one conference to make the NCAA tournament, which the Big Ten set last season with 12. Four of those 13 -- Nebraska, Oregon, Illinois and Minnesota -- are 9-seeds or lower. That means getting in 13 is far from automatic. With the attrition that naturally comes from playing each other during the league season, these teams will have to accomplish something before conference play opens."
Women's college basketball opened the 2025-26 season with immediate NCAA tournament implications. Weekly bracket projections will start Tuesday, increasing to twice weekly in January through the regular season. Last offseason featured conference realignment and the quad system; this offseason was quieter. ESPN's preseason Bracketology projected 13 Big Ten teams, which would break last season's conference record of 12. Four projected Big Ten teams — Nebraska, Oregon, Illinois and Minnesota — are seeded 9 or lower, making a 13-team outcome far from automatic. Nonconference results in November and December will be crucial for individual resumes and the Big Ten's collective NET and strength of schedule.
Read at ESPN.com
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