The 2023 March Madness bracket has been released. Alabama is the top overall seed in the bracket and will be representing the South Region. Kansas, Houston, and Purdue round out the No. 1 seeds. Learn more about the No. 1 seeds, including their KenPom ranking, leading scorer, and more.
March Madness 2023: Who Are The Top Seeds?
- Alabama — South Region
- Purdue — East Region
- Kansas — West Region
- Houston — Midwest Region
Alabama Crimson Tide
- KenPom Rank: 3
- Adjusted Offensive Efficiency Rating: 116.1 (19th in the NCAA)
- Adjusted Defensive Efficiency Rating: 88.6 (3rd in the NCAA)
- Leading Scorer: Brandon Miller (19.5 PPG)
Alabama has faced as much adversity on and off the court as any college basketball team in the country this season. Much to the credit of head coach Nate Oats, the Crimson Tide have stayed focused down the stretch of the season. Alabama won seven of its final eight games, including three in a row to win the SEC Tournament.
Gun incident aside, Brandon Miller has been arguably the most complete player in the country. The 6-foot-9 freshman is averaging 19.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game while shooting 45.9 percent from the field and 40.7 percent from 3-point range. With that being said, don’t overlook Alabama’s defense.
The Crimson Tide are the top-ranked effective field goal percentage defense in the country and rank in the top-3 in 2-point defense and 3-point defense.
Purdue Boilermakers
- KenPom Rank: 5
- Adjusted Offensive Efficiency Rating: 119.9 (5th in the NCAA)
- Adjusted Defensive Efficiency Rating: 95.1 (27th in the NCAA)
- Leading Scorer: Zach Edey (22.1 PPG)
Purdue looked unstoppable for the first part of the season. The Boilermakers won 22 of their first 23 games but stumbled down the stretch of the Big Ten season, losing four of their final eight games before running the table in the conference tournament.
Big man Zach Edey is the center of the Boilermakers’ attack on both ends of the floor. The 7-foot-4 sophomore leads Purdue in points (22.1), rebounds (12.8), and blocks (2.2) per game. He also does a good job of crashing the offensive glass, which has helped Purdue become the third-best offensive rebounding team in the country.
Kansas Jayhawks
- KenPom Rank: 9
- Adjusted Offensive Efficiency Rating: 116.6 (18th in the NCAA)
- Adjusted Defensive Efficiency Rating: 92.0 (11th in the NCAA)
- Leading Scorer: Jalen Wilson (20.1 PPG)
Kansas head coach Bill Self has been away from the team due to an emergency procedure but he’s expected to be healthy enough to coach during the NCAA Tournament. Self’s squad found its identity following a three-game skid during conference play and turned things up a notch defensively.
Junior Jalen Wilson (20.1 PPG) and freshman Gradey Dick (14.1 PPG) combine to form one of the best duos in the country. Coming from the Big-12, Kansas is battle-tested and the Jayhawks performed well during the non-conference portion of their schedule, nabbing quality wins over Duke, NC State, Missouri, and Indiana in the process.
Houston Cougars
- KenPom Rank: 1
- Adjusted Offensive Efficiency Rating: 118.8 (19th in the NCAA)
- Adjusted Defensive Efficiency Rating: 88.9 (3rd in the NCAA)
- Leading Scorer: Marcus Sasser* (17.1 PPG)
Kelvin Sampson had Houston looking like a national championship contender heading into the American Athletic Conference Tournament. Houston is the No. 1 ranked team in the KenPom rankings and features a top-11 ranked offense and defense.
Marcus Sasser’s injury will be the focus for Cougars fans heading into the first round. If Sunday’s AAC Championship Game was any indication, Houston could be in trouble if its leading scorer is forced to miss a lot of time.
Houston might not need Sasser to get through the first game but it could be vulnerable without him thereafter.
*injured
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