Today is the day we have all been waiting for: Daylight Saving Time. (I learned from losing HQ the other night that “Savings” is incorrect and officially it is “Saving”).

So maybe we have not all been waiting for DST, but today is also Selection Sunday! Today we find out what the committee thinks is the best 68, and what sort of gerrymandered logic they invented on the spot to assemble this year’s collection.

In this space, we have monitored closely the trials and tribulations of those programs who play Division I men’s college basketball and have never made the big tournament’s second weekend, never been to the Sweet Sixteen, and therefore Never Been Kissed (NBK). We selected 21 teams to follow this year, primarily based on overall KenPom ranking — for multi-bid conferences — and position in their conference for one-bid leagues.

Several favorites bit the dust these past few days. Lafayette tried to take this bull by the reins, but just got redder with bloodstains, losing the Sun Belt final to UT-Arlington.   Former Mizzou forward Jakeenan Gant will not be going to the tournament this year with the Ragin’ Cajuns.  We are ruling them OUT.

Boise St lingered on the edges of the bubble for the past several weeks, but a bad loss to Utah St in the opener of the C-USA tournament sealed the fate of the Blue Turfers.  Broncos are OUT.

Vermont lost in the championship of the America East to Maryland-Baltimore County on a late three by Jarius Lyles.  UMBC goes dancing while the Catamounts wonder what might have been.  OUT.

Middle Tennessee complicated matters for themselves and other bubble teams by losing in their C-USA tourney opener to a terrible Southern Miss team, on the heels of a final regular season loss to Marshall the week prior.  All the good tidings of a 10-game win streak have burst into flames, and the team that all the prognosticators were frothing over as a potential upset pick is now likely not dancing at all.  Blue Raiders are going to be OUT.

St Bonaventure is playing with fire, bowing to Davidson in the Atlantic 10 semifinals.  Their loss was probably just late enough (Saturday eve) and to just good enough of a team (Davidson is #43 KenPom) that their bubble status will remain precarious but secure.  We are calling the Bonnies IN.

The Big Ten tournament was seemingly a couple of months ago, and this Champ Week cannot have been a pleasant one for Nebraska.  The Huskers ended their season as a First Four Out, and with other teams improving their stock, Herbie’s continues to erode.  BracketMatrix still tracks them as the very last of the Next Four Out, but Lunardi has written them off completely.  We concur.  OUT.

Here is the full NBK before the brackets are announced later this evening.  Let me decode the hideous color scheme:

• Green are automatic qualifiers.  These NBK teams took care of business, won their conference tournament and are in the field.  They simply await their seed and location assignments.   Today is nothing but a party for them.
• Gray are teams we deem OUT.  No chance of their name being called.  The NBK committee has spoken.
• Orange teams remain in limbo, but all evidence points to their inclusion in the field of 68 today.

Adding up the Greens and Oranges, we project 10 teams in the field this year with the slightest chance of making the second weekend and their first ever Sweet Sixteen.

KenPom rankings are not final, as there are a handful of championship games to be played today.

Note: An earlier version of this post credited Houston with winning the American conference championship prematurely.