NCAA tournament bracketology: Four more bids up for grabs on Tuesday

That alone isn’t going to get a Wisconsin or Oklahoma State or Penn State into the field. But it means there is one fewer obstacle for all of those teams as they try to pin down an at-large berth later this week.

Big Ten tournament bracket, schedule and scores

As for Tuesday’s highlights …

West Coast final (St. Mary’s vs. Gonzaga, 9 p.m., ESPN): It will be a much-anticipated Round 3. Aidan Mahaney and the Gaels won at home in overtime on Feb. 4. Drew Timme and Gonzaga got payback in Spokane three weeks later. It’s the 11th time in the last 15 years they’ve met in the WCC final.

Bracket impact: Both are safely in the field, and neither should see its seeding damaged with a loss. Picking up a top-10 NET victory on a neutral floor might help lift the seeding prospects of whoever wins.

Colonial final (College of Charleston vs. UNC Wilmington, 7 p.m., CBS Sports Network): The CAA’s southern tier emerged from a stellar semifinal doubleheader, with fourth-seeded UNC Wilmington outlasting top-seeded Hofstra, 79-73, in overtime and second-seeded College of Charleston outlasting Towson, 77-72, in the second game. Charleston (30-3) won its last meeting with the Seahawks (24-9) by 32 on Feb. 8.

Bracket impact: The Cougars’ profile isn’t loaded with eye-catching victories, though before Thanksgiving they beat five teams that reached the 2022 NCAA tournament (Chattanooga, Richmond, Davidson, Colorado State and Virginia Tech). Plus, no team with more than 28 victories has ever missed the NCAA tournament. Charleston would be an interesting test case, something it wants no part of on Selection Sunday. Better to just win and claim a No. 11 or No. 12 seed.

Horizon League final (Cleveland State vs. Northern Kentucky, 7 p.m., ESPN): Northern Kentucky bounced top-seeded Youngstown State in Monday’s semifinals behind Marques Warrick’s 22 points. The Norse will face Cleveland State in a matchup of 21-12 teams that combined to win three of the previous four Horizon League crowns.

Bracket impact: The winner will wind up as a No. 15 or No. 16 seed.

Northeast final (Fairleigh Dickinson at Merrimack, 7 p.m., ESPN2): The automatic bid is already decided, since Merrimack (17-16) is ineligible for the NCAA tournament in its fourth and final year of transitioning to Division I, so Fairleigh Dickinson (19-14) is assured a spot in the tournament a year after going 4-22.

Bracket impact: None. The Knights will be heading to Dayton, just like the NEC champion has in every tournament since…