Who makes the Dance?
Twelve people pick and seed the field over a week of closed-door sessions, for both the men's and women's tournaments. Read the criteria they use, see how my bracket scored against the real one, then build your own.
295 Placeholder model, looking back 2026 field · final ratings, tournament included of 408 possible · a look back, not a forecast record
Start here
- Learn the Selection Process The 12-member committee, each sport's own resume metrics, quadrant records, how the seed list gets built, and the 2027 Selection Sunday calendar, for both the men's and women's fields. How selection works
- The Forecast The field three ways: the model's bracket, my own bracket, and yours, side by side and never averaged. For now the model is a simple placeholder built on published ratings. A better one is coming. See the bracket forecast New model · 2027
- Build Your Bracket in the Bracket Studio Build the men's or women's field yourself. Start from live NET data, compare team resumes side by side, keep an eye on the bubble as Selection Sunday gets close, and save or share what you end up with. Open the studio Open Beta
Latest Projections
What's next
Early December 2026
First NET rankings published
February 2027
Committee meeting and bracket reveal
Mar 14
Selection Sunday
Mar 16–17
Opening Round