Here’s a quick rundown (scroll down) of the CB360 Composite National Rankings (CNR) Top–50, taking into account various polls and rankings for games played through March 15, 2015. (Note: the next update to the CNR will be coming on March 24.)
(CLICK HERE for the preseason top-50, with complete release, historical notes, etc.
… week-2 update … week–3 … week–4 … week–5)
The CNR Top-50 – which made its debut on CB360 in 2009 – can serve as a snapshot for teams that project for making the NCAAs (as at-large entrants, if they don’t win their conference automatic bids). In the past, the weekly top-50 also has included a listing of other projected NCAA qualifiers, for conferences that don’t feature any teams in the top-50 … and those teams also are included at the bottom of this page, based on a composite of various preseason conference predictions.
See previous CNR releases (linked above) for in-depth criteria, poll history, etc.
CB360 Composite National Rankings #5 (top-50, plus projected NCAA field-of-64)
(through games as of 3–15–15)
(rank) Team – voting pts (previous weeks … 2015 preseason)
1. TCU – 98.95 (#1 after week-4 … 2 … 2 … 3 … #3 preseason)
2. Florida – 97.72 (3 … 5 … 4 … 4 … 4)
3. LSU – 97.51 (4 … 6 … 7 … 5 … 5)
4. Vanderbilt – 95.72 (5 … 3 … 3 … 1 … 1)
5. Texas A&M – 95.20 (8 … 22 … 24 … 24 … 33)
6. South Carolina – 93.74 (7 … 8 … 10 … 12 … 11)
7. UCLA – 91.67 (10 … 4 … 5 … 6 … 6)
8. Virginia – 89.22 (2 … 1 … 1 … 2 … 2)
9. Rice – 88.09 (12 …. 13 … 11 … 15 … 14)
10. USC – 87.69 (11 … 24 … 37 … – … –)
11. UCF (Central Florida) – 87.21 (9 … 14 … 19 … 33 … 38)
12. Florida State – 87.03 (15 … 21 … 22 … 16 … 13)
13. Louisville – 86.83 (18 … 23 … 20 … 10 … 10)
14. Arizona State – 85.07 (14 … 16 … 13 … 17 … 15)
15. Texas Tech – 84.87 (19 … 7 … 9 … 17)
16. Texas – 83.66 (16 … 12 … 9 … 8 … 9)
17. UC Santa Barbara – 80.99 (17 … 19 … 17 … 21 … 25)
18. Oregon – 78.96 (6 … 10 … 15 … 18 … 21)
19. Miami – 75.13 (21 … 17 … 14 … 11 … 18)
20. Florida Atlantic – 71.12 (26 … 26 … 36 … – … –)
21. Houston – 70.36 (22 … 9 … 6 … 7 … 8)
22. Illinois – 70.25 (23 … 37 … 27 … 30 … 37)
23. North Carolina – 65.82 (13 … 15 …12 … 14 … 12)
24. Georgia Tech – 64.69 (31 … 29 … 32 … 34 … 39)
25. Mississippi State – 64.44 (20 … 11 … 16 … 19 … 19)
26. Oklahoma State – 62.94 (32 … 20 … 18 … 13 … 7)
27. Dallas Baptist – 62.86 (27 … 25 … 25 … – … 50)
28. Oregon State – 62.41 (25 … 28 … 28 … 38 … 31)
29. Indiana – 61.78 (– … – … 49 … 32 … –)
30. California – 61.09 (41 … 44 … – … – … –)
31. Maryland – 58.54 (29 … 18 … 21 … 20 … 20)
32. Nevada – 56.62 (28 … 35 … 40 … – … –)
33. Notre Dame – 52.14 (39 … 33 … – … – … –)
34. Campbell – 50.45 (43 … – … – … – … –)
35. Missouri – 50.02 (– … – … – … – … –)
36. San Diego – 47.30 (38 … 45 … – … – … –)
37. Tulane – 46.98 (42 … 31 … 39 … – … –)
38. Alabama – 45.97 (47 … 41 … 31 … 29 … 35)
39. San Diego State – 45.94 (33 … 27 … 33 … – … –)
40. Stanford – 45.85 (34 … 34 … 44 … 26 … 22)
41. Arizona – 45.74 (37 … – … – … – … –)
42. UNC Wilmington – 45.46 (40 … – … 50 … – … –)
43. Cal State Northridge – 44.98 (44 … – … – … – … –)
44. Milwaukee – 44.14 (– … – … – … – … –)
45. Cal State Fullerton – 43.63 (24 … 40 … 43 … 22 … 16)
46. New Mexico – 42.56 (35 … 42 … – … – … –)
47. Oklahoma – 42.15 (– … – … – … – … –)
48. Nebraska – 42.09 (– … – … 42 … 36 …. 26)
49. East Carolina – 41.89 (– … – … – … – … –)
50. Central Arkansas – 41.69 (– … – … – … – … –)
• 16 Other Projected 2015 NCAA Tournament Teams (conferences not in top–50):
(based on composite preseason projections; to be updated throughout season):
Kennesaw State (Atlantic Sun) … Louisiana -Lafayette (Sun Belt) … St. John’s (BIG EAST)
Western Carolina (SoCon) … Sacramento State (WAC) … Kent State (Mid-American)
Southeast Missouri State (Ohio Valley) … Bucknell (Patriot League) … Bryant (Northeast)
Alabama State (SWAC) … Columbia (Ivy League) … Virginia Commonwealth (A-10)
Stony Brook (America East) … Bethune-Cookman (MEAC) … Canisius (MAAC) … Oral Roberts (Summit)
– Dropped Out of the Top-50 after Week–5:
30. Auburn – 54.27 (38 … – … – … –)
36. Arkansas – 48.48 (32 … 35 … 25 … 36)
45. Georgia Southern – 43.11 (– … – … – … –)
46. Mississippi – 42.03 (30 … 26 … 28 … 24)
47. Kennesaw State – 41.93 (46 … 23 … 23 … 23)
47. Louisiana-Lafayette – 41.93 (– … – … 45 … 44)
50. Georgia – 41.75 (– … 29 … – … –)
– Dropped Out of the Top-50 after Week–4:
36. Long Beach State – 48.09 (– … – … –)
39. College of Charleston – 45.83 (30 … 42 … 34)
43. Baylor – 42.80 (34 … 43 … –)
47. Columbia – 42.46 (– … – … –)
48. Arkansas State – 42.40 (– … – … –)
49. Coastal Carolina – 42.40 (– … – … –)
50. Clemson – 42.30 (48 … 44 … 27)
– Dropped Out of the Top-50 after Week–3:
29. Georgia – 50.50 (– … –)
38. UNLV – 42.27 (40 … –)
41. Grand Canyon – 41.57 (– … –)
42. Nebraska – 41.36 (36 … 26)
45. Tennessee – 39.02 (41 … 30)
46. Liberty – 38.57 (27 … 29)
47. Loyola Marymount – 38.52 (35 … 32)
49. Indiana – 38.04 (32 … –)
50. UNC Wilmington – 38.01 (– … –)
Dropped Out of Top-50 after Week–2:
31. Florida International
37. Cal Poly (#28 preseason)
39. UC Irvine (41)
45. Louisiana (Lafayette) (44)
46. Sam Houston State (47)
47. Washington
48. Pepperdine (45)
49. St. John’s (40)
50. Fresno State
Note: the following teams dropped out of the top-50 after being in the preseason CNR – (42) Kent State, (43) Wichita State, (46) Ball State, (48) San Diego and (49) Kentucky (also #50 Dallas Baptist, which later returned to the top-50, as did USD this week).