The top overall seed in the NCAA men’s tournament was awarded to the Auburn Tigers, whose star Johni Broome is a finalist for the Naismith College Player of the Year Award. The Alabama Crimson Tide were awarded a No. 2 seed.
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Brandon Sumrall/Getty Images/Getty Images North America
Move over, Big East and ACC: College basketball has a new heavyweight conference.
The Southeastern Conference, normally known for its dominance on the football field, has set a new March Madness record by sending 14 of its 16 teams to the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament. The SEC also boasts two of the tournament’s four No. 1 seeds, Auburn and Florida.
Some of sport’s powerhouse programs had mixed records this season, and their seeds reflected that. While the Duke Blue Devils were named a No. 1 seed for the 15th time, other perennial names like Kansas and UConn were given No. 7 and No. 8 seeds, respectively, while another, North Carolina, managed only a No. 11 seed and will have to win a Tuesday play-in game in order to reach the round of 64.
The men’s tournament tips off Tuesday, and the full Round of 64 gets underway Thursday and Friday. The women’s bracket will be announced at 8 p.m. ET, Sunday.
Here’s what to know:
Who are the No. 1 seeds?
No surprise, the 28-5 Auburn Tigers were awarded the tournament’s top overall seed. Auburn lost only five games all season long. Four of those losses belong to opponents that are now seeded No. 1 or No. 2 in the NCAA tournament — Duke, Florida, Alabama and Tennessee. And the Tigers have lost three of their last four games, which doesn’t usually bode well for their tournament chances.
Another No. 1 seed was awarded to 31-3 Duke. The Blue Devils’ star freshman forward Cooper Flagg sprained his ankle Thursday, but Duke went on to win the ACC tournament without him. He’s expected to be available for the tournament.
Rounding out the men’s top seeds are 30-4 Houston and 30-4 Florida, which locked in their spots with their titles in the Big 12 and SEC conference tournaments, respectively.
In the women’s bracket, the top overall seed could go to UCLA. That’s a name with a lot of history in the men’s game, where the Bruins have won 11 national titles and reached the Final Four 19 times. But UCLA women’s basketball has had nowhere near that level of success: They’ve never reached the Final Four. Will this be the first time?
South Carolina and head coach Dawn Staley seem to be a lock for another No. 1 seed. Look for stars JuJu Watkins and Paige Bueckers to lead USC and UConn, respectively, to other high seeds.
Who could be this year’s Cinderella teams?
On the men’s side, the trendiest upset pick might be the No. 11 Drake Bulldogs, led by first-year head coach Ben McCollum. McCollum won four Division II national titles at his previous school, Northwest Missouri State. They’ll face No. 6 Missouri on Thursday.
Keep your eye, too, on UC San Diego. It’s no small feat for a mid-major school to qualify for the tournament at all — let alone in the first season it was eligible. The Tritons have done just that, and for their efforts were awarded a No. 12 seed and a first-round matchup Thursday against No. 5 seed Michigan.
In the women’s tournament, higher seeds have always had more success than in the men’s game. No team worse than a No. 3 seed has ever cut down the nets.
One contender to make that history could be Iowa. Yes, the Hawkeyes have been runner-ups the last two years in a row. But that was with megastar Caitlin Clark, who graduated last year and now plays in the WNBA. This year, Iowa doesn’t have the resume for a higher seed, but still the Hawkeyes have been frisky, knocking off then-No. 4 USC in February on the day Clark’s jersey was retired.
Which first-round matchups should I watch?
In the men’s tournament, Missouri vs. Drake will be circled on a lot of fans’ calendars. Fans will also have an eye on two Southern region games: Michigan vs. UC San Diego, of course, and No. 4 Texas A&M vs. No. 13 Yale. Both of these higher seeds are on major upset alert: The Tritons have won 15 straight entering the tournament, the nation’s longest winning streak. And Yale last year pulled off the upset against then-No. 4 Auburn.
It’ll also be intriguing to see if the SEC lives up to the hype. These teams have been so impressive all year long. But the last time one conference sent a record number of teams to the Big Dance — the Big East in 2011 — only two of those teams reached the Sweet 16. Whether the SEC fare any better is still an open question.
When do the tournaments begin?
The men’s tournament tips off with the opening “first four” games on Tuesday and Wednesday, then the madness gets underway next Thursday and Friday with the round of 64.
Men’s First Four
Tuesday, March 18 and Wednesday, March 19
Men’s Round of 64
Thursday, March 20 and Friday, March 21
Men’s Round of 32
Saturday, March 22 and Sunday, March 23
Men’s Sweet 16
Thursday, March 27 and Friday, March 28
Men’s Elite Eight
Saturday, March 29 and Sunday, March 30
Men’s Final Four
Saturday, April 5
Men’s National Championship Game
Monday, April 7
The women begin their tournament a day later, with the first four games on Wednesday and Thursday followed by the full round of 64 next Friday and Saturday.
Women’s First Four
Wednesday, March 19 and Thursday, March 20
Women’s Round of 64
Friday, March 21 and Saturday, March 22
Women’s Round of 32
Sunday, March 23 and Monday, March 24
Women’s Sweet 16
Friday, March 28 and Saturday, March 29
Women’s Elite Eight
Sunday, March 30 and Monday, March 31
Women’s Final Four
Friday, April 4
Women’s National Championship Game
Sunday, April 6
