NCAA Selection Committee Releases First Look At Top 16 Seeds

The Super Bowl just happened, the PGA golf season is in full swing, and the NBA and NHL have both reached their All-Star breaks. So that means it’s almost time for college basketball to take center stage.

With just twenty-two days until Selection Sunday, the NCAA men’s basketball selection committee recently offered a glimpse into its thought process by revealing a partial bracket that included its top 16 teams. Here are four key takeaways from this exciting announcement.

South Region

1. Alabama
2. Baylor
3. Virginia
4. Indiana

West Region

1. Kansas
2. Arizona
3. Kansas State
4. Gonzaga

Midwest Region

1. Houston
2. Texas
3. Tennessee
4. Xavier

East Region

1. Purdue
2. UCLA
3. Iowa State
4. Marquette

Bama Looks Like The #1 Overall Seed

The top four seeds in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament seemed to be a foregone conclusion going into the recent bracket reveal, but the order in which the selection committee ranked them provided some intrigue.

Despite a recent loss to Tennessee, Alabama (22-4) would still be the overall No. 1 seed in the tournament if it were held today. Selection committee chair Chris Reynolds pointed to the Crimson Tide’s impressive 13-4 record in Quadrant 1 games, as well as their noteworthy road victory over Houston, 71-65, back on December 10th

Houston (24-2) was given the second No. 1 seed, despite having fewer significant victories than either Purdue or Kansas and being the only team among the four with a loss outside the top two quadrants.

Big 12 Has Big Time Depth

A fundamental principle of the selection committee is that teams from the same conference must be assigned to different regions if they are on the top four seed lines. However, with the Big 12 being such a formidable conference this year, it may prove difficult to adhere to this principle.

Kansas, Baylor, Texas, Kansas State, and Iowa State all made the top 12 in the recent bracket reveal, meaning that two of these teams will inevitably be placed in the same region. In this case, the committee decided to put Kansas (1) and Kansas State (3) in the West Region, where they could face each other in a regional final.

Interestingly, the committee’s Big 12 dilemma could worsen if TCU finishes the season strongly. Despite recently losing their last four games without injured guard Mike Miles, the Horned Frogs were previously projected to be a top-four seed.
The committee’s inclusion of Iowa State and Kansas State on the No. 3 line suggests a strong belief in the Big 12 conference, which could bode well for potential bubble teams from the conference, such as Oklahoma State and West Virginia.

Lots Of Hoops Left

Of course, there is still a lot of basketball left with about two weeks of conference play left before conference tournaments start. Conference winners and long runs into conference tourneys can absolutely mold the bracket for the tournament committee. It’s about time for college hoop fans to get excited as this is the best time of year for college basketball.