March Madness set to begin after NCAA tournament bracket revealed
The NCAA selection committee didn't deal the college basketball community any major surprises this year, but the nation will still be buzzing about several novel storylines in the lead-up to the Big Dance this week.
Defending champion Villanova (31-3) claimed the overall No. 1 seed, the third in school history, after cruising through the Big East tournament. They were joined on the top seeding line by Kansas (28-4), North Carolina (27-7) and Gonzaga (32-1) as the favorites tabbed by the committee to advance to the Final Four in Phoenix, Ariz.
Northwestern (23-11) finally qualified for the field for the first time in school history, snapping a 78-year drought by earning a No. 8 seed in the West Region. They'll tip off against No. 9 Vanderbilt (19-15), which became the first 15-loss team in NCAA history to earn an at-large bid.
Villanova will have to navigate an East Region that features Duke, Baylor, Florida and Virginia. Some speculated that the Blue Devils had done enough to earn a No. 1 seed after taking home the ACC tournament title. Committee chair Mark Hollis noted in an interview with CBS aired during the selection show that Duke was slotted as a No. 4 seed before beating three top-25 teams last week. The Blue Devils ultimately earned the No. 2 seed, and will have to take down the defending champs to reach the Final Four.
Kansas heads up the Midwest Region, which also includes Louisville, Oregon, Purdue and Iowa State. The Jayhawks seem to have drawn the softest bracket, as the Cardinals (24-8) were not expected to obtain a No. 2 seed after losing in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament. The Ducks are perhaps underseeded on the No. 3 line, but they did lose starting forward Chris Boucher to a torn ACL during the Pac-12 tournament -- a fact that CBS analyst Clark Kellogg said likely contributed to their placement.
North Carolina (27-7) earned the No. 1 seed in the South Region despite losing to Duke twice in three matchups this season. The Tar Heels did, however, win the regular-season ACC title -- an achievement the selection committee seemingly prioritized. Regardless, they won't have an easy road to Phoenix in a bracket that boasts Kentucky, UCLA and Butler -- a fascinating collection of basketball blue bloods and programs with extensive recent success.
The West Region will be home to two powers in Gonzaga and Arizona. The Bulldogs lost only one game this season, a home upset to BYU. The Wildcats, meanwhile, just concluded an impressive march through the Pac-12 tournament by defeating UCLA and Oregon. That region also includes Florida State, West Virginia and Notre Dame. The Seminoles will take part in one of the most intriguing first-round matchups versus No. 14 Florida Gulf Coast in Orlando, Fla.
The most notable teams "snubbed" were Syracuse (18-14) and Illinois State (27-6), but even those squads can't feel too aggrieved.
Committee chair Mark Hollis cited Syracuse's 2-11 road record and poor nonconference play as to why the Orange were left out of the field. Ultimately, they never rediscovered the magic that carried them to the Final Four last year, having lost four of their final six games after falling to lesser teams such as St. John's, Boston College and Connecticut on their nonconference slate.
The Redbirds, meanwhile, only had one win against NCAA tournament teams -- and that was against Wichita State, whom they lost to twice. That wasn't enough to overcome losses to lightweights like Murray State, Tulsa and San Francisco.
As of Sunday evening, VegasInsider listed Kansas and North Carolina as 13/2 co-favorites to win it all. UCLA (9/1), Gonzaga (10/1) and Villanova (10/1) rounded out the top five.
Below is the entire bracket of 68 teams. Who do you think will take home the championship?
East Region
No. 1 Villanova vs. No. 16 (Mount St. Mary's/New Orleans)
No. 8 Wisconsin vs. No. 9 Virginia Tech
No. 5 Virginia vs. No. 12 UNC-Wilmington
No. 4 Florida vs. No. 13 East Tennessee State
No. 3 Baylor vs. No. 14 New Mexico State
No. 6 SMU vs. No. 11 (Providence/USC)
No. 7 South Carolina vs. No. 10 Marquette
No. 2 Duke vs. No. 15 Troy
Midwest Region
No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 16 (N.C. Central/UC Davis)
No. 8 Miami vs. No. 9 Michigan State
No. 5 Iowa State vs. No. 12 Nevada
No. 4 Purdue vs. No. 13 Vermont
No. 3 Oregon vs. No. 14 Iona
No. 6 Creighton vs. No. 11 Rhode Island
No. 7 Michigan vs. No. 10 Oklahoma State
No. 2 Louisville vs. No. 15 Jacksonville State
South Region
No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 16 Texas Southern
No. 8 Arkansas vs. No. 9 Seton Hall
No. 5 Minnesota vs. No. 12 Middle Tennessee
No. 4 Butler vs. No. 13 Winthrop
No. 3 UCLA vs. No. 14 Kent State
No. 6 Cincinnati vs. No. 11 (Kansas State/Wake Forest)
No. 7 Dayton vs. No. 10 Wichita State
No. 2 Kentucky vs. No. 15 Northern Kentucky
West Region
No. 1 Gonzaga vs. No. 16 South Dakota State
No. 8 Northwestern vs. No. 9 Vanderbilt
No. 5 Notre Dame vs. No. 12 Princeton
No. 4 West Virginia vs. No. 13 Bucknell
No. 3 Florida State vs. No. 14 Florida Gulf Coast
No. 6 Maryland vs. No. 11 Xavier
No. 7 Saint Mary's vs. No. 10 VCU
No. 2 Arizona vs. No. 15 North Dakota
