Defending national champion Florida and runner-up Houston are climbing in USA TODAY Sports' latest men's basketball bracketology update.
After a sluggish start that included non-conference losses to Arizona, TCU, Duke and Connecticut, theGatorshave moved to a No. 3 seed and within a half-game of first place in the SEC.
Florida has lost just twice in nearly two months and now has a combined 10 Quad 1 and 2 wins. On Sunday, the Gators shot 51.3% from the field and had a plus-16 turnover margin in a 100-77 win against Alabama.
Meanwhile, Houston steps up to the No. 2 line after rebounding from a road loss to Texas Tech with wins against TCU and Cincinnati.
After playing just four true away games to date, the Cougars are set to face a daunting Big 12 road slate down the stretch, including dates at Brigham Young, Iowa State and Kansas.
Notable fallers in the bracket include No. 3 seed Nebraska, which has recently lost high-profile conference games against Michigan and Illinois, and No. 6 seed Arkansas, which drops a line after losing at home to Kentucky.
March Madness bracketology projection for NCAA Tournament
March Madness Last four in
UCLA, New Mexico, Ohio State, Santa Clara.
March Madness First four out
Miami (Fla.), Virginia Tech, Seton Hall, Missouri.
NCAA tournament bids conference breakdown
Multi-bid leagues:Big Ten (11), SEC (10), ACC (7) Big 12 (7), Big East (3), Mountain West (3), West Coast (3).
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:March Madness bracketology: Houston, Florida top tournament projection
