Brentley’s Bracketology: Predicting 2023 NCAA men’s golf regional fields

Another week, another round of bracketology.

As the final men’s conference tournaments finish up, here is a prediction of which teams will make regionals, what seeds they’ll receive and where they’ll be sent.

The official regional fields will be revealed Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET on Golf Channel. Each of the six regionals will be contested on May 15-17. There 81 total teams that qualify for postseason, and the top five teams (and top individual not on an advancing team) from each regional will advance to the 30-team NCAA Championship on May 26-31 at Grayhawk.

As for the magic number – the Golfstat ranking of the final at-large berth – it’s at No. 67, as of Golfstat’s April 30 update, with that team being Oregon State. That factors in two teams inside the number that are under .500 and therefore don’t satisfy the .500 rule – No. 57 Notre Dame and No. 63 USC.

The magic number is subject to change, of course, because two conference favorites – Long Beach State in the Big West and Kent State in the MAC – have to win or the number with shrink more.

Wright State, Sam Houston State and UCF are the first three teams out.

Here’s a projection of how this year’s six regionals will look when the fields are finalized:

(Note: Automatic qualifiers are listed with their conference in parentheses; *-projected conference champion)

Auburn Regional

Auburn University Club, Auburn, Alabama (Auburn)

• 1. Vanderbilt
• 2. Tennessee
• 3. Auburn
• 4. Colorado State
• 5. Ohio State
• 6. Washington
• 7. TCU
• 8. Chattanooga
• 9. Houston (American)
• 10. Marquette (Big East)
• 11. Indiana
• 12. Augusta (Southland)
• 13. Lehigh (Patriot)

Salem Regional

The Cliffs at Keowee Falls, Salem, South Carolina (Clemson)

• 1. North Carolina
• 2. Georgia Tech (ACC)
• 3. Texas A&M
• 4. San Diego State (Mountain West)
• 5. Georgia Southern
• 6. Arkansas
• 7. Purdue
• 8. New Mexico
• 9. Clemson
• 10. Furman
• 11. Middle Tennessee State
• 12. Davidson (Atlantic-10)
• 13. Howard (Northeast*)
• 14. Siena (MAAC)

East Lansing Regional

Eagle Eye GC, East Lansing, Michigan (Michigan State)

• 1. Illinois (Big Ten)
• 2. Florida (SEC)
• 3. Texas
• 4. Ole Miss
• 5. Kansas State
• 6. East Tennessee State (SoCon)
• 7. Liberty (ASUN)
• 8. San Diego
• 9. UNCG
• 10. Michigan State
• 11. Kent State (MAC*)
• 12. Charlotte (C-USA)
• 13. Princeton (Ivy)
• 14. IPFW (Horizon)

Las Vegas Regional

Bear’s Best, Las Vegas (UNLV)

• 1. Arizona State
• 2. Stanford (Pac-12)
• 3. Virginia
• 4. Oklahoma State
• 5. Northwestern
• 6. Georgia
• 7. Cincinnati
• 8. San Francisco
• 9. Little Rock (Ohio Valley)
• 10. Long Beach State (Big Wesr*)
• 11. Wisconsin
• 12. Illinois State (Missouri Valley)
• 13. Kansas City (Summit*)

Norman Regional

Jimmie Austin OU GC, Norman, Oklahoma (Oklahoma)

• 1. Texas Tech
• 2. Oklahoma (Big 12)
• 3. Alabama
• 4. Oregon
• 5. Wake Forest
• 6. Duke
• 7. LSU
• 8. North Florida
• 9. N.C. State
• 10. Kansas
• 11. Oregon State
• 12. Louisiana (Sun Belt)
• 13. Longwood (Big South)
• 14. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (SWAC)

Morgan Hill Regional

The Institute GC, Morgan Hill, California (San Jose State)

• 1. Pepperdine
• 2. Florida State
• 3. Mississippi State
• 4. Arizona
• 5. Louisville
• 6. Baylor
• 7. Missouri
• 8. BYU (West Coast)
• 9. Colorado
• 10. Cal
• 11. UNCW (Colonial)
• 12. Grand Canyon (WAC)
• 13. Northern Colorado (Big Sky)