NCAA Men’s Bracketology: Where Gamecocks project as of Saturday

South Carolina’s chances of being in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament weren’t as strong Saturday as they were to begin the week.

USC’s RPI slipped to 62 after Friday night’s SEC tournament loss to Georgia, the third loss of the season to the Bulldogs. Here’s a roundup of where national pundits project the Gamecocks (24-8) to land in the postseason, as of Saturday.

At least two national projections have the Gamecocks in the First Four games in Dayton, Ohio, that are played Tuesday and Wednesday. The selection show is 5:30 p.m. Sunday on CBS.

CBS, Jerry Palm

Palm has South Carolina as “probably out,” saying:

“The Gamecocks played a very bad non-conference schedule and seven of their eight losses, including three bad ones, have come to teams that are not likely to make the tournament. Their only win over a sure tournament team came at Texas A&M. If you’re an eye-test person, they spent the last month failing it. This is a classic example of a team the committee leaves out every chance it gets.”

The full CBS bracketology projection is here.

ESPN, Joe Lunardi

Lunardi on Saturday said, “For me, the bubble has settled on 3 middling majors (So Carolina, Michigan, Vandy) and 2 top mids (Monmouth, St Mary). 5 teams for 3 spots.” For now, Lunardi has South Carolina in Dayton in the First Four facing St. Mary’s in Dayton, Ohio, for a No. 11 seed.

USA Today

South Carolina is one of USA Today’s “last four in,” joining Monmouth, Wichita State and Michigan. The publication has the Gamecocks playing Michigan in the First Four in Dayton.

SB Nation

SB Nation still has the Gamecocks in the tournament as one of four teams “barely avoiding Dayton.” In this bracket projection, South Carolina is a No. 11 seed in the West region, facing No. 6 California in Providence, R.I.

This story was originally published March 12, 2016 at 4:24 PM with the headline "NCAA Men’s Bracketology: Where Gamecocks project as of Saturday."