The Long Beach State 49ers came within one game of completing an undefeated regular season in the Big West Conference, losing their final conference game on Saturday at Cal State Fullerton. But the 49ers still have the top seed in the Big West Tournament, which begins Thursday at the Honda Center in Anaheim. Whether or not they need to win the conference tournament to make the NCAA Tournament remains to be seen.
Long Beach State is projected by bracket expert Chris Dobbertean at SB Nation to be an 11 seed in the East Region in his latest bracket prediction, which is changing by the day due to various conference tournaments this week. Long Beach State is projected to play No. 6 seed Wichita State in the first round in Nashville, Tennessee, with a potential matchup with No. 3 seed Michigan in the second round.
The Pac-12 Conference is projected to have just two teams make the field, with regular season champ Washington an 11 seed and California a 10 seed. The Oregon Ducks are among Dobbertean's second four out.
Saint Mary's captured the West Coast Conference automatic berth by winning the WCC tournament Monday night in an overtime thriller over Gonzaga, and both teams are projected by Dobbertean as No. 6 seeds in the tournament. Selection Sunday is just five days away.