Ricky Nelson’s 2017 projected field of 64

This is what I think the field should be when it is revealed via an online selection show at 11:30 a.m. central tomorrow.

The committee and I have never synced up completely with our selections, so don’t fret, bubble teams. If you don’t see your name below, chances are you’ll be playing next week anyway.

My yearly at-large matches with the national selection committee: 2016: 16 of 21 2015: 16 of 20 2014: 18 of 20 2013: 16 of 21 2012: 19 of 22 2011: 19 of 22 2010: 19 of 21 2009: 19 of 22 2008: 20 of 23

Pool A (43) Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference: Penn State Behrend American Southwest Conference: Texas Dallas Capital Athletic Conference: Christopher Newport Centennial Conference: Johns Hopkins City University of New York Athletic Conference: Hunter College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin: Carthage Colonial States Athletic Conference: Cabrini Commonwealth Coast Conference: Endicott Commonwealth Conference: Stevenson Empire 8 Athletic Conference: Stevens Freedom Conference: Eastern Great Northeast Athletic Conference: Johnson & Wales (R.I.) Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference: Hanover Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference: Wartburg Landmark Conference: Juniata Liberty League: Clarkson Little East Conference: UMass Boston Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference: Worcester State Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association: Calvin Midwest Conference: Cornell Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference: Saint Benedict New England Collegiate Conference: Elms New England Small College Athletic Conference: Wesleyan New England Women’s and Men’s Athletics Conference: MIT New Jersey Athletic Conference: Kean North Atlantic Conference: Maine Maritime North Coast Athletic Conference: Wittenberg North Eastern Athletic Conference: Morrisville State Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference: Concordia Wisconsin Northwest Conference: Pacific Lutheran Ohio Athletic Conference: Otterbein Old Dominion Athletic Conference: Randolph-Macon Presidents’ Athletic Conference: Thomas More Skyline Conference: Merchant Marine Southern Athletic Association: Berry Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference: Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference: Colorado College St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference: Greenville State University of New York Athletic Conference: Brockport University Athletic Association: Washington-St. Louis Upper Midwest Conference: Northwestern USA South Athletic Conference: Covenant Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference: Wisconsin-La Crosse

Pool B (1) New Rochelle

Pool C (20) Aurora Birmingham-Southern Carnegie Mellon Chicago DePauw Emory Gustavus Adolphus Illinois Wesleyan La Verne Wellesley Mary Hardin-Baylor Vassar Millikin Mount Union Ithaca Ohio Northern St. Thomas Southwestern Trinity (Texas) Tufts Whittier Wisconsin-Eau Claire Swarthmore Wisconsin-Whitewater Babson

Last five in: Mount Union; Mary Hardin-Baylor; DePauw; La Verne; Birmingham-Southern. At the table when last bid was projected: St. Olaf; Muskingum; Wisconsin-Oshkosh; Swarthmore; Wellesley; Vassar; Cal Lutheran.

My field of teams will cost money, but I think it’s the correct field. I’ll return to defend and/or chat about my preferred list of 64 teams in an hour or so.

-Ricky Nelson