We are less than a month away from Selection Sunday, and this year's committee seeding the field of 68 will have several difficult tasks.

For starters, there are so many teams on the bubble that have pretty even resumes. There are big wins, suspect losses and tough decisions ahead. I believe Champ Week will help clear some of these things up.

Another factor is going to be injuries. A number of teams that could be in the field have been hampered by injuries. Earlier performances and success may be overshadowed by key players lost for the season. How will the committee evaluate the potential of a team which is without a key star.

Here are some examples:

I saw an injury firsthand as Georgia's Yante Maten suffered a knee sprain early in the game against Kentucky. Georgia was on the outside looking in, but losing the third-leading scorer in the SEC is a major setback. The Bulldogs fought hard but fell short to Big Blue.

Michigan State, which has been plagued by injuries all season, suffered a blow when Eron Harris was injured. He required season-ending knee surgery. The Spartans were a bubble team and the committee will have to evaluate Michigan State without a starting guard.

Creighton was playing outstanding basketball when Maurice Watson Jr. went down with a knee injury that has him out for the season. He was leading the nation in assists when he went down. The Bluejays have talent with Marcus Foster and Justin Patton, but they may slip a line or two on the seeding chart without Watson. Some may argue they are not the same team and should be even lower.

Florida lost a presence up front in John Egbunu. He was a rebounder and inside factor and it is not going to be easy to evaluate the Gators without him. Mike White's team has been solid in the SEC, but they could be hampered by this blow. Virginia Tech's top rebounder, Chris Clarke, also suffered a torn ACL and is finished for the season. Buzz Williams has to be concerned about his loss.

Xavier lost Edmond Sumner for the season and Trevon Blueitt has missed time as well. When healthy, this is a dangerous team. The Musketeers may drop in seed and become a dnagerous early opponent capable of scoring an upset.

Gonzaga will be highly-ranked int he field of 68, though Mark Few currently is missing 6-10 big man Killian Tillie (broken hand). He hopes to return for the WCC tournament.

Arizona was shorthanded in its win at Washington last weekend. Dusan Ristic and Kadeem Allen sidelined. Imagine if they were out for the tournament? They will be back, but it is something else for the committee to think about.

Indiana's hopes were severely hurt when OG Anonoby was lost for the season. They have also missed James Blackmon at times. This is not an easy time for Tom Crean. His team continues to scrap and claw, but must be considered a longshot right now.

North Carolina's depth was affected by the loss of guard Kenny Williams to knee surgery. That will not have any consequence on seeding as the Tar Heels are still an elite team.

Keep an eye on the injury reports over the last few weeks of the season. The tournament selection committee ill have several situations where deeper evaluation of seeding is needed.

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