By BRIAN COSTELLO

Selection Sunday is seven weeks away. It’s time to start talking NCAA tournament.

Here is the first bracket projection I’ve done this year. I will try to do this weekly, schedule permitting.

One note: This is not an attempt to predict future games. This is based on games that have been played, as if today were Selection Sunday.

There are some oddities at this time of the year becasue of that. For instance, the Big East has 10 teams in this bracket. That won’t happen, but we need to get deeper into league play for it to shake out. Here’s the bracket with some notes at the bottom:

West plays South in Final Four; East plays Midwest

West (Phoenix)

Played in Raleigh, N.C.

1. Duke vs. 16. Lamar

8. Rhode Island vs. 9. West Virginia

Played in Tampa, Fla.

5. Butler vs. 12. Providence

4. Wisconsin vs. 13. Oral Roberts

Played in Little Rock, Ark.

3. Texas vs. 14. CS Northridge

6. Dayton vs. 11. South Alabama

Played in Birmingham, Ala.

7. Gonzaga vs. 10. Florida

2. Georgetown vs. 15. Wagner

South (Houston)

Played in Little Rock, Ark.

1. Memphis vs. 16. Jacksonville/Alabama St.

8. Ohio St. vs. 9. Miami (Fl.)

Played in Tampa, Fla.

5. Mississippi vs. 12. St. Joseph’s

4. Marquette vs. 13. VCU

Played in Omaha, Neb.

3. Drake vs. 14. UNC-Asheville

6. Arizona vs. 11. Seton Hall

Played in Birmingham, Ala.

7. Kansas St. vs. 10. Clemson

2. Tennessee vs. 15. Northern Arizona

Midwest (Detroit)

Played in Omaha, Neb.

1. Kansas vs. 16. Lafayette

8. Notre Dame vs. 9. Massachusetts

Played in Denver

5. Stanford vs. 12. Georgia Tech

4. St. Mary’s vs. 13. Davidson

Played in Washington D.C.

3. Indiana vs. 14. Utah St.

6. Baylor vs. 11. Syracuse

Played in Anaheim, Calif.

7. Connecticut vs. 10. Mississippi St.

2. UCLA vs. 15. Hampton

East (Charlotte)

Played in Raleigh, N.C.

1. North Carolina vs. 16. UMBC

8. Southern Cal vs. 9. Vanderbilt

Played in Denver

5. Oklahoma vs. 12. UNLV

4. Xavier vs. 13. Marist

Played in Anaheim, Calif.

3. Washington St. vs. 14. Cornell

6. Pittsburgh vs. 11. Texas A&M

Played in Washington D.C.

7. Louisville vs. 10. Kent St.

2. Michigan St. vs. 15. Austin Peay

Last three in: Seton Hall, Florida and Texas A&M

Last three out: Arkansas, Purdue and Oregon

Conferences with multiple bids

Big East: 10

Big 12: 6

ACC, Pac 10, SEC, A10: 5

Big 10: 4

West Coast: 2

Also, North Carolina and Southern Cal could meet in the second round. This is something the committee would try to avoid because they played last year in the tournament. It was unavoidable in this bracket, though, because moving one would break other, more important, rules.

With the Big East having 10 teams there are instances when the two teams will meet before the regional final, which the committee tries to avoid.