The men’s March Madness bracket is set, and Duke, Arizona, Michigan and Florida have claimed the four No. 1 seeds in the tournament.
Duke, the No. 1 overall seed in the men’s tournament, will take on No. 16 Siena in the first round. Arizona, No. 1 in the West, will face Long Island University. Michigan and Florida will learn their opponents after the First Four, set for Mar. 17-18. Florida will play the winner of Lehigh vs. Prairie View, and Michigan will host the winner of UMBC vs. Howard.
The women’s teams still await their fate, which will be revealed during an 8 p.m. ET Selection Sunday show.
Stick around for live updates as the women’s bracket is unveiled and we continue to analyze the men’s schedule for the 2026 NCAA basketball tournaments.
Top dogs
UConn is a No. 1 seed in the women’s tournament for a 23rd time, giving the Huskies the most No. 1 seeds ever. Tennessee has held the top seed on 22 occasions.
The Lady Vols remain the only women’s program to be in every NCAA Tournament.
Their bubbles burst
There are a few big-name programs missing from the women’s draw this season.
Stanford, which won the national title as recently as 2021, was left out for a second straight season. Also missing are 2017 and 2018 runner-up Mississippi State as well as 2011 champion Texas A&M.
After racing to a 14-3 start, Stanford lost 10 of its last 15 games. Stanford went 8-10 against Atlantic Coast Conference competition.
Mississippi State (18-13) lost its last five games and went 5-11 in the Southeastern Conference.
Texas A&M (14-12) won its last five regular-season games to get back into possible NCAA contention before losing to Auburn in its SEC Tournament opener.
Battle for No. 1 seed
Although UConn has won 50 straight games and is the defending national champion, NCAA selection committee chair Amanda Braun told ESPN there was much conversation over whether to give the No. 1 overall seed to the Huskies or UCLA.
“The debate was pretty close the whole time,” Braun said.
UCLA, as a Big Ten member, played a tougher schedule than Big East champion UConn faced. UCLA’s only loss this season was a 76-65 decision against Texas on Nov. 27.
The value of JuJu
Southern California’s status in the NCAA Tournament shows the impact of not having JuJu Watkins, who isn’t playing this year after tearing her anterior cruciate ligament in last season’s NCAA Tournament.
USC had reached regional finals before losing to UConn each of the last two seasons. Without Watkins, USC’s seeded ninth and likely must face South Carolina if it survives a first-round matchup with Clemson.
A couple different looks at how the men’s bracket might unfold
Mark Long: Houston and coach Kelvin Sampson were 50 seconds from a national championship in San Antonio in 2025.
The defensive-minded Cougars have been thinking about it for a year — and it will be the extra motivation they need to land their first title.
No. 2 seed Houston will beat top-seeded Michigan 70-65 in the championship game, with fellow No. 1 seed Arizona and third-seeded Michigan State losing in the semifinals.
Noah Trister: The top seeds have separated themselves this season. But the wild card is Purdue, which was ranked No. 1 in the preseason but finished tied for sixth in the Big Ten. The Boilermakers seem to have it together now after winning their conference tournament. They join top seeds Duke, Florida and Michigan in the Final Four. The Gators make it two championships in a row by beating Purdue 77-70 in the title game.
Things to note in Sacramento Regional 4
There’s the possibility of rivals South Carolina and Clemson facing off in the round of 32. Or it could be a USC vs. USC matchup.
South Carolina will have to go all the way to the West Coast to earn a sixth straight Final Four appearance. But it appears unlikely the Gamecocks would face a West Coast team if they make it to Sacramento.
Beware of South Dakota State as a double-digit seed. The Jackrabbits beat Oklahoma State as a No. 10 seed in the opening round last season.
Regional 4 – Sacramento
No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 16 Southern or Samford at Columbia, South Carolina
No. 8 Clemson vs. No. 9 Southern California at Columbia, South Carolina
No. 5 Michigan State vs. No. 12 Colorado State at Norman, Oklahoma
No. 4 Oklahoma vs. No. 13 Idaho at Norman, Oklahoma
No. 6 Washington vs. No. 11 South Dakota State at Fort Worth, Texas
No. 3 TCU vs. No. 14 UC San Diego at Fort Worth, Texas
No. 7 Georgia vs. No. 10 Virginia or Arizona State at Iowa City, Iowa
No. 2 Iowa vs. No. 15 Fairleigh Dickinson at Iowa City, Iowa
Things to note in Fort Worth Regional 3
Texas has the opportunity to earn a Final Four berth without leaving its home state.
Tennessee is the only women’s program to play in every NCAA Tournament, and its No. 10 seed is its second-worst in school history. The Lady Vols were seeded 11th in their region in 2019, Holly Warlick’s last year as coach. Tennessee has lost its last seven games, albeit against a brutal schedule.
NC State gets a rematch with Tennessee in the opening round. The Wolfpack won 80-77 at Tennessee in the season opener for both teams.
Regional 3 – Fort Worth
No. 1 Texas vs. No. 16 Missouri State/Stephen F. Austin at Austin, Texas
No. 8 Oregon vs. No. 9 Virginia Tech at Austin, Texas
No. 5 Kentucky vs. No. 12 James Madison at Morgantown, West Virginia
No. 4 West Virginia vs. No. 13 Miami (Ohio) at Morgantown, West Virginia
No. 6 Alabama vs. No. 11 Rhode Island at Louisville, Kentucky
No. 3 Louisville vs. No. 14 Vermont at Louisville, Kentucky
No. 7 NC State vs. No. 10 Tennessee at Ann Arbor, Michigan
No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 15 Holy Cross at Ann Arbor, Michigan
Things to watch in Regional 2 Sacramento
Richmond getting into the First Four makes the Atlantic 10 a two-bid league. Rhode Island already had made it as the Atlantic 10 Tournament champion.
It may sound like more of an NFC North matchup than an NCAA Tournament game, but the Green Bay-Minnesota pairing offers plenty of intrigue. Green Bay is a traditional mid-major power making its third straight NCAA Tournament appearance. Minnesota is in the NCAA field for the first time since 2018.
Duke lost 93-77 to LSU on Dec. 4 as part of the Blue Devils’ 3-6 start. Duke has gone 21-2 since and now gets another shot at LSU.
Auburn has no one to blame but itself
Auburn and its fans surely will find someone to blame.
Maybe it’s Saint Mary’s and Santa Clara from the three-bid West Coast Conference. Or maybe VCU for winning the Atlantic 10 Tournament and essentially stealing a bid. Or maybe Miami (Ohio) for losing in the Mid-American Conference tourney and creating a second bid for that league.
Auburn, Indiana, Oklahoma and San Diego State ended up being the first four teams left out of the bracket.
The Tigers (17-16) had argued their case plenty over the last two weeks — to no avail. They went 3-9 down the stretch while dealing with various team discipline issues but felt like a win at Florida should offset a 7-15 record in Quad 1 and 2 games.
They’re unlikely to get much sympathy.
Regional 2 – Sacramento
No. 1 UCLA vs. No. 16 California Baptist at Los Angeles
No. 8 Oklahoma State vs. No. 9 Princeton at Los Angeles
No. 5 Mississippi vs. No. 12 Gonzaga at Minneapolis
No. 4 Minnesota vs. No. 13 Green Bay at Minneapolis
No. 6 Baylor vs. No. 11 Nebraska/Richmond at Durham, North Carolina
No. 3 Duke vs. No. 14 Charleston at Durham, North Carolina
No. 7 Texas Tech vs. No. 10 Villanova at Baton Rouge, Louisiana
No. 2 LSU vs. No. 15 Jacksonville at Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Things to watch in Fort Worth Regional 1
If the top two seeds advance to the regional final, UConn coach Geno Auriemma could match up with Vanderbilt’s Shea Ralph — a former Huskies player and assistant — with a Final Four berth at stake. Ralph was an assistant on Auriemma’s staff in six national championship seasons.
The second round in Storrs features a potential second-round matchup between two of the nation’s best bigs in UConn’s Sarah Strong and Iowa State’s Audi Crooks.
Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff was an assistant on the 2001 Notre Dame national championship team that had current Irish coach Niele Ivey at point guard. McGuff and Ivey could face off in the second round.
If Notre Dame manages to get to the Sweet 16, it could set up a regional semifinal between two national player of the year candidates in the Irish’s Hannah Hidalgo and Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes.
Fort Worth Regional 1’s first-round pairings are set
No. 1 UConn vs. No. 16 UTSA at Storrs, Connecticut
No. 8 Iowa State vs. No. 9 Syracuse at Storrs, Connecticut
No. 4 North Carolina vs. No. 13 Western Illinois at Chapel Hill, North Carolina
No. 5 Maryland vs. No. 12 Murray State at Chapel Hill, North Carolina
No. 3 Ohio State vs. No. 14 Howard at Columbus, Ohio
No. 6 Notre Dame vs. No. 11 Fairfield at Columbus, Ohio
No. 2 Vanderbilt vs. No. 15 High Point at Nashville, Tennessee
No. 7 Illinois vs. No. 10 Colorado at Nashville, Tennessee
Here comes the women’s bracket
It’s time for Take Two on Selection Sunday as the NCAA unveils its 68-team field for the women’s bracket.
UConn is expected to earn the No. 1 overall seed as an unbeaten defending champion on a 50-game winning streak. The other likely No. 1 seeds are UCLA, South Carolina and Texas.
The NCAA announced on Saturday the 16 host sites for the tournament’s opening weekend.
Players to watch in the women’s draw
Azzi Fudd is back for UConn after being named the most outstanding player in last year’s Final Four. Fudd scored 19 points in a semifinal win over UCLA and 24 in a championship game victory over South Carolina.
UConn’s leading scorer and rebounder is sophomore Sarah Strong, who is likely competing with Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes for national player of the year honors. Blakes is averaging 27 points per game.
UCLA’s Lauren Betts averaged 23.6 points and 8.4 rebounds during the Bruins’ Final Four run last season. Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo is a two-time Atlantic Coast conference overall player of the year and defensive player of the year. TCU guard Olivia Miles — Hidalgo’s former Notre Dame teammate — could become the first college player selected in the WNBA draft.
Bubble watch in women’s draw
One thing to watch is whether the selection committee adds a second team from the Dakotas, giving an at-large berth to North Dakota State.
The Bison (28-4) won the Summit League regular-season title but lost the conference’s tournament final to South Dakota State (27-6). One strike against North Dakota State is that it lost an early season game to Nebraska (18-12), another team on the bubble.
Other teams whose NCAA Tournament fates appear uncertain include Arizona State, BYU, Mississippi State, Richmond, Stanford, Texas A&M and Virginia.
Fulwiley’s shot at a double
LSU’s MiLaysia Fulwiley already won a national title at South Carolina in 2023. Now she has a chance to win a championship at multiple schools.
Fulwiley played on a national title team her freshman year. As a sophomore, she helped the Gamecocks get back to the championship round, where they lost to UConn.
The 5-foot-10 junior is averaging 14.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists in her first year at LSU.
Mid-major teams to watch in the women’s draw
Princeton is ranked No. 23 in the latest Associated Press Top 25. The Ivy League school won NCAA Tournament games in 2022 and 2023, beating Kentucky one year and N.C. State the other.
South Dakota State finished last season in the Top 25 and then beat Oklahoma State in the NCAA Tournament before losing to UConn in the round of 32. The Jackrabbits are on a 10-game winning streak and have perhaps the nation’s top mid-major player in Brooklyn Meyer.
Fairfield has won its last 11 games and owns early season victories at Villanova and Richmond.
Rhode Island won at N.C. State this season.
James Madison has won its last 12 games and has an early season victory over Virginia Tech.
Where will Lady Vols get seeded?
Tennessee (16-13) is staggering into the NCAA Tournament on a seven-game skid.
The Lady Vols remain virtually certain to end up somewhere in the 68-team field due to their strength of schedule. Tennessee is the only women’s basketball program to play in every single NCAA Tournament.
Tennessee’s resume includes road wins over Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi State and Stanford plus a home victory over Kentucky. But the Lady Vols’ late slump means a double-digit seed isn’t out of the question.
The Lady Vols’ lowest-ever seed came in 2019. Tennessee was seeded 11th in its region that year and lost a first-round matchup to UCLA in the Lady Vols’ last game before the firing of coach Holly Warlick.
ACC gets the bid bump it wanted
The Atlantic Coast Conference got the bump in NCAA Tournament bids it has been chasing.
The ACC got eight bids, including No. 1 overall seed Duke. That comes after commissioner Jim Phillips has talked publicly about working to reverse a multiyear slide since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ACC had a league-record nine NCAA bids in 2017 and 2018, but slid to five from 2022-24. Then came four as an 18-team league last year, its lowest count since getting four in 2013 with just 12 schools.
The league had made multiple moves to address the multiyear slide, notably by cutting a 20-game league slate to 18 this year so teams had more flexibility to schedule quality nonconference matchups.
Sentimental favorites?
Less than two years after the death of coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, South Florida is in the NCAA Tournament. The Bulls won the AAC Tournament on Sunday. Abdur-Rahim died at age 43 during a medical procedure in October 2024.
Abdur-Rahim also coached at Kennesaw State, and USF and Kennesaw State set up a home-and-home series following his death.
Kennesaw State is in the field this year as well after winning the Conference USA Tournament. The 14th-seeded Owls face third-seeded Gonzaga. South Florida is a No. 11 seed, facing No. 6 seed Louisville.
Impact of upset in women’s conference tournament
UTSA pulled a stunner in the American Athletic Conference Tournament championship game Saturday. The sixth-seeded Roadrunners earned the league’s automatic NCAA Tournament bid with a 54-40 victory over No. 1 seed Rice.
There’s at least a possibility that result steals an NCAA Tournament spot away from a potential bubble team with the selection committee making the American a two-bid league, though it’s more likely that Rice gets left out of the field. Rice had won 22 straight games before losing twice to UTSA.
Another bid-stealing possibility vanished when Princeton outlasted Harvard 63-53 in an Ivy League Tournament final that was tied midway through the fourth quarter. Princeton likely would have received an at-large bid if it had lost that game.
SEC gets 10 teams in but shut out of East Region
There’s no chance the Final Four can be an all-Southeastern Conference affair.
The league that put a record 14 teams in the NCAA Tournament last year got 10 in this time around. Auburn (17-16) and Oklahoma (19-15) ended up just missing the cut despite playing in what’s considered the country’s toughest conference.
But the SEC didn’t land any of its 10 teams in the East Region. No. 1 seed and defending national champion Florida, Vanderbilt (5) and Texas A&M (10) ended up in the South. Alabama (4), Tennessee (6), Kentucky (7) and Georgia (8) bunched up the Midwest. And Arkansas (4), Missouri (10) and Texas (11) were placed in the West.
Leagues with multiple teams
The following leagues put multiple teams in the NCAAs
SEC: 10
Big Ten: 9
ACC: 8
Big 12: 8
Big East: 3
West Coast: 3
Atlantic 10: 2
Mid-American: 2
Interestingly, the SEC does not have a team in the East, meaning its 10 teams are squeezed into the other three regions.
Unusual opening weekend sites for women
This marks the first time since 1992 that West Virginia has hosted the first two rounds of the women’s draw. Although West Virginia is making its 17th NCAA Tournament appearance, the Mountaineers generally haven’t been seeded high enough to host.
West Virginia was a No. 4 seed in 2021, but that tournament’s opening week was moved to neutral sites due to the pandemic. West Virginia was a No. 3 seed in 2010 and a No. 2 seed in 2014, but the tournament used predetermined host sites those years.
Minnesota is making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2018 and is hosting for the first time since 2005. Vanderbilt is hosting for the first time since 2012.
UConn women are overwhelming favorites
BetMGM Sportsbook has UConn as a minus-275 favorite as we wait for the brackets to get unveiled, meaning it gives the Huskies a 73.3% chance of defending their title.
The teams with the next-best odds are UCLA (plus-550), Texas (plus-650), South Carolina (plus-900) and LSU (plus-1,700).
Beware of the No. 12 seeds!
Akron (Midwest), High Point (West), McNeese (South) and Northern Iowa (East) are the ones to watch this year in those tricky first-round matchups against power-conference teams.
Akron drew Texas Tech, which is the nation’s top scoring team. High Point landed Wisconsin. McNeese got Vanderbilt. And Northern Iowa ended up with St. John’s.
The committee chair speaks
Selection committee chair Keith Gill says on CBS that Miami (Ohio) was not the last at-large team in the field.
The RedHawks were in before Texas, SMU and N.C. State, but those teams moved ahead of them on the seed list based on quality wins and predictive metrics.
He also says VCU would not have made the field had the Rams lost to Dayton in Sunday’s Atlantic 10 Tournament final.
Some injury concerns for top teams as the tournament begins
Duke: Caleb Foster broke his foot, and big man Patrick Ngongba II has also dealt with a foot issue. The Blue Devils won the ACC Tournament anyway, but it was not easy.
North Carolina: Duke’s Tobacco Road rival won’t have much sympathy for the Blue Devils’ health concerns after the Tar Heels lost Caleb Wilson for the season to a broken thumb.
Texas Tech: JT Toppin was a first-team All-Big 12 pick this year despite his season ending in mid-February because of a torn ACL.
UCLA: The Bruins reached the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament, but at what price? Tyler Bilodeau left the quarterfinals with a right leg injury, and then Donovan Dent strained a calf in the semis.
Kansas: Top NBA prospect Darryn Peterson has been in and out of the lineup all season, but he’s been more reliably available over the past month.
No major surprises on the bubble
The bracketologists generally did well this year. The expectation was that Miami (Ohio), SMU and Texas would get in, while Oklahoma, Auburn and San Diego State wouldn’t. And that’s what happened.
A closer look at the South
Florida is the defending national champion and has a six-game winning streak in NCAA Tournament play. The Gators are one of three programs to win back-to-back titles since 1990, joining Duke and UConn.
Houston has a chance to play the regional final in Houston. It could be a significant advantage, one that Florida coach Todd Golden saw coming and already voiced fairness concerns.
Florida and Vanderbilt could end up playing a rubber match. The Gators won at Vandy in mid-January, and the Commodores exacted revenge in the SEC Tournament.
Nebraska is looking to win its first NCAA Tournament game following a record-setting season.
South Regional
The South Regional is set:
No. 1 Florida vs. No. 16 Prairie View/Lehigh
No. 8 Clemson vs. No. 9 Iowa
No. 5 Vanderbilt vs. No. 12 McNeese
No. 4 Nebraska vs. No. 13 Troy
No. 6 North Carolina vs. No. 11 VCU
No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 14 Penn
No. 7 Saint Mary’s vs. No. 10 Texas A&M
No. 2 Houston vs. No. 15 Idaho
A closer look at the Midwest
Miami (Ohio) is in, but the RedHawks were the final at-large team in the field, according to the CBS broadcast. Miami faces SMU in the First Four and should have plenty of fans in Dayton, Ohio — which is about an hour’s drive from Miami’s campus.
UMBC gets a 16 seed again. The Retrievers pulled off a 16-over-1 upset against Virginia the last time they were in the field. This time they’ll have to get through a First Four matchup with Howard before they get a shot at a No. 1 seed.
Michigan is a No. 1 seed for the fourth time since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985. The Wolverines also topped their region in 2021, 1993 and 1985. The Fab Five reached the Final Four in 1993, but the other two teams didn’t get out of their regions.
Alabama coach Nate Oats was once a high school coach in the Detroit area, and there was once speculation over whether Michigan would target him. Both he and the Wolverines are doing fine now, and they could meet in the Sweet 16.
A closer look at the West
Purdue played its way into a No. 2 seed by upsetting Michigan in the Big Ten title game. The Boilermakers will open against 15th-seeded Queens, which is making its NCAA Tournament debut.
The region features two of the most potent scorers in college basketball this season: BYU star forward AJ Dybantsa and Arkansas star guard Darius Acuff Jr. Dybantsa led the nation in scoring. Acuff is the first since Pete Maravich in 1970 to lead the Southeastern Conference in scoring and assists in the same season.
Midwest Regional
The Midwest Regional is set:
No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 16 UMBC/Howard
No. 8 Georgia vs. No. 9 Saint Louis
No. 5 Texas Tech vs. No. 12 Akron
No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 13 Hofstra
No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 11 Miami (Ohio)/SMU
No. 3 Virginia vs. No. 14 Wright State
No. 7 Kentucky vs. No. 10 Santa Clara
No. 2 Iowa State vs. No. 15 Tennessee State
Vanderbilt puts up a good fight
Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington sure hopes the selection committee didn’t fill out the bracket a couple days ago.
His Commodores reached Sunday’s Southeastern Conference Tournament championship after beating No. 25 Tennessee in the quarterfinals. Then they handed defending national champion Florida
their worst loss of the season in the semifinals.
Byington, who has led Vanderbilt to consecutive NCAA berths each of his first two seasons, says his Commodores have had a really good year and earned a high seed.
The Commodores put up a good fight in the SEC Tournament championship game on Sunday before falling 86-75 to Arkansas.
Izzo vs. Duke again?
Tom Izzo and Michigan State have faced Duke in the NCAA Tournament four times since 2013. And now they’re in the same region again, although they can’t meet until the regional final.
The previous four clashes
2013 Sweet 16: Duke 71-61
2015 national semifinal: Duke 81-61
2019 Elite Eight: Michigan State 68-67
2022 second round: Duke 85-76
West Regional
The West Regional is set:
No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 16 Long Island
No. 8 Villanova vs. No. 9 Utah State
No. 5 Wisconsin vs. No. 12 High Point
No. 4 Arkansas vs. No. 13 Hawaii
No. 6 BYU vs. No. 11 Texas/NC State
No. 3 Gonzaga vs. No. 14 Kennesaw State
No. 7 Miami vs. No. 10 Missouri
No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 15 Queens
A closer look at the East
Duke receiving the No. 1 overall seed is no surprise, although the Blue Devils will face a standalone No. 16 seed in Siena, not a winner of a First Four game.
Winning the Big East Tournament in impressive fashion didn’t boost St. John’s all that much. The Red Storm will have to go through fourth-seeded Kansas just to reach the Sweet 16.
There are plenty of traditional powers in this region with Duke, Kansas, Michigan State, UConn, Michigan State and UCLA. A second-round clash between Bill Self (Kansas) and Rick Pitino (St. John’s) would be quite a scene. Ditto a Sweet 16 matchup between Danny Hurley (UConn) and Tom Izzo (Michigan State).
If St. John’s reaches the Elite Eight, Pitino could end up facing a conference rival in UConn, another longtime coach in Izzo — or even one of his former teams in Louisville.
Like father, like son
The NCAA Tournament will have a number of players with famous fathers.
Duke freshmen Cameron and Cayden Boozer. Their father, Carlos, won the 2001 national title at Duke and enjoyed a 13-year NBA career.
Michigan’s Jace Howard is the son of former Michigan coach Juwan Howard, who was a member of the famed “Fab Five” squad and spent 25 years in the NBA as a player and assistant coach.
Bryce James is a freshman guard at Arizona and the second child of NBA superstar LeBron James.
Andrej Stojakovic is a junior guard at Illinois and the oldest son of veteran NBA player Peja Stojakovic.
Jake Wilkins is a freshman forward at Georgia and the son of NBA Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins.
East Regional
The East Regional is set:
No. 1 Duke vs. No. 16 Siena
No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 9 TCU
No. 5 St. John’s vs. No. 12 Northern Iowa
No. 4 Kansas vs. No. 13 Cal Baptist
No. 6 Louisville vs. No. 11 South Florida
No. 3 Michigan State vs. No. 14 North Dakota State
No. 7 UCLA vs. No. 10 UCF
No. 2 UConn vs. No. 15 Furman
It’s time to start filling out those brackets
The Selection Show is underway, with bluebloods, conference champs, Cinderellas and everyone else finding out where they will begin the NCAA Tournament. Duke, Michigan, Arizona and Florida are the favorites to win it all, according to BetMGM Sportsbook, and the likely No. 1 seeds.
The Gators are trying to give men’s college basketball consecutive back-to-back champs.
Miami (Ohio), SMU and Texas are among the key bubble teams. Auburn, New Mexico, Oklahoma and San Diego State have their fingers crossed and looking for a last-minute break.
Bubble teams breathe a sigh of relief
A handful of teams sitting on the NCAA Tournament bubble were relieved when VCU defeated Dayton in the Atlantic 10 championship game.
Most bracketologists expected the Rams to make the 68-team field — win or lose.
The only way most thought Dayton would make the field was by clinching the league’s automatic and taking away an at-large bid from someone else.
When the bracket is released, the last team to make the tournament is likely to find out it was the beneficiary of Dayton’s loss.
How unbeaten UConn women’s teams have fared in NCAAs
This is the 10th time the UConn women have entered an NCAA Tournament unbeaten.
The Huskies won the national championship six of the previous nine times: 1995, 2002, 2009, 2010, 2014 and 2016.
The 1997 UConn team suffered its first and only loss in a regional final to eventual national champion Tennessee.
UConn’s 2017 team fell in overtime in an NCAA semifinal to Mississippi State that snapped the Huskies’ record 111-game winning streak.
The 2018 team also lost an NCAA semifinal in overtime, this time to eventual national champion Notre Dame.
First-timers in the Big Dance
California Baptist and Queens will make their NCAA Tournament debuts.
The California Baptist Lancers (25-8) beat Utah Valley in the WAC Tournament finale to earn a spot. The Queens Royals (21-13) knocked off Central Arkansas to win the Atlantic Sun championship and land a place in their first season eligible; they received full Division I status last July.
Queens continues to move through a merger process with Elon University.
Two more programs might feel like this is their NCAA debut. Tennessee State last made the field in 1994, and Hofstra accomplished the feat in 2001
Impact transfers
The transfer portal is an increasingly important part of major college sports. Here are a few transfers to watch in the NCAA Tournament.
Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan: Lendeborg arrived from Alabama-Birmingham and led the Wolverines to a dominant showing in the Big Ten.
Silas Demary Jr., UConn: The 6-foot-4 point guard, who transferred in from Georgia, injured his left ankle during the Big East Tournament, so that’s an issue to watch.
Henri Veesaar, North Carolina: The Tar Heels need a big tournament from Veesaar, the 7-footer who came over from Arizona, now that Caleb Wilson is out.
MJ Collins Jr., Utah State: Collins was mostly a reserve for Vanderbilt last season but now averages 17.6 points per game at Utah State
TJ Power, Penn: The Ivy League has lost a ton of talented players to other conferences recently, but Penn has reversed the trend a bit with Power, who scored 44 points in the Ivy Tournament final against Yale.
Where the women’s opening weekend games will happen
The host schools for the first weekend of the women’s tournament were announced yesterday.
Host schools include likely No. 1 seeds UConn, UCLA, South Carolina and Texas as well as Duke, Iowa, Louisville, LSU, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio State, Oklahoma, TCU, Vanderbilt and West Virginia.
The Southeastern Conference and Big Ten lead the way with five host schools each.
Which teams are streaking into the tournament?
There’s something to be said for streaking into the NCAA Tournament. Six teams bring double-digit winning streaks into the Big Dance.
Here’s a look at them:
14 – High Point hasn’t lost since Jan. 14.
12 – UMBC hasn’t lost since Jan. 29 against Vermont.
11 – Duke’s last loss came against rival North Carolina on Feb. 7.
10 – Akron has won a few close games during its streak, including two three-point affairs in the Mid-American Conference Tournament.
10 – McNeese needed triple overtime to beat University of Texas Rio Grande in the Southland Conference Tournament semifinals.
NCAA field is loaded with top NBA talent
The NCAA Tournament field is filled with future NBA starters, maybe even stars.
Duke forward Cameron Boozer, BYU forward AJ Dybantsa and Kansas guard Darryn Peterson are widely considered to be the top three draft picks this summer. North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson, Houston’s Kingston Flemings, Illinois’ Keaton Wagler, Arkansas’ Darius Acuff Jr., Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr., Tennessee’s Nate Ament, Arizona’s Brayden Burries and Florida’s Thomas Haugh also could be lottery picks.
And the rest of the first round could be packed with players taking the stage for March Madness.
Conference tourneys finished in women’s draw
All the automatic bids in the NCAA women’s draw have been filled with the completion of four conference championship games Sunday.
College of Charleston beat Hofstra 68-56 in the Coastal Athletic Association final.
Murray State beat Evansville 91-70 for the Missouri Valley Conference’s automatic bid.
Fairleigh Dickinson beat No. 3 seed Long Island 79-57 in the Northeast Conference.
Holy Cross beat Lehigh 77-70 in the Patriot League final.
The wins by College of Charleston and Murray State assured that Hofstra (11-22) and Evansville (10-25) wouldn’t reach the NCAA Tournament with losing records.
Will Houston end up playing in Houston?
Many bracket prognosticators have Houston earning a No. 2 seed — and landing in the South Region. That would put the Cougars in line for Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight games in Houston.
The Cougars wouldn’t play in their home arena. Instead they would be at the Toyota Center, where they beat Florida State in early December. It also could mean another advantage for a team that got to stay in the Lone Star State for the 2025 Final Four in San Antonio.
It also seems a little manipulated since Rice replaced Houston in September as the host institution for the regional site.
“I don’t know if it’s fair,” Florida coach Todd Golden said earlier this week. “If we have to run into that issue, there’s worse problems in the world. (But) I would enjoy somebody else in Houston than Houston.”
Who is on the bubble?
Missouri: The Tigers could have removed all doubt but lost their final three games.
Miami (Ohio): The RedHawks went 31-0 in the regular season before losing in their first game in the Mid-American Conference Tournament. The consensus is they’ll get in anyway.
Texas: The Longhorns will have to sweat it out after dropping three in a row.
SMU: The Mustangs beat Syracuse in the ACC Tournament before losing to Louisville. Is that enough?
Auburn: A particularly polarizing team thanks to its unusual resume and the antics of Bruce Pearl — the father of Tigers coach Steven Pearl — on national broadcasts. Auburn is just 17-16 on the season but played one of the toughest schedules around.
Oklahoma: The Sooners endured a nine-game losing streak earlier in the season but later won six in a row to move back into contention for a bid.
San Diego State: The Aztecs lost to Utah State in the title game of the Mountain West Tournament.
A look at Michigan
Michigan is the betting favorite to win the NCAA Tournament. The Wolverines are plus-325 to win it all, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
Michigan won the Big Ten regular season and will face Purdue in the title game Sunday. Regardless of the outcome, they are a lock to be a No. 1 seed in the bracket — and for good reason.
The Wolverines are unique size and depth in the post. They are led by 7-foot-3 center Aday Mara and 6-9 forwards Morez Johnson Jr. and Yaxel Lendeborg, a formidable frontcourt that averages nearly 40 points and 22 rebounds.
A look at Florida
Florida sputtered in the Southeastern Conference Tournament after delivering one of college hoops’ top turnarounds. The defending national champion Gators were 5-4 in early December and unranked by January before getting hot down the stretch.
They are ultra physical and the best rebounding team in the country, with big men Rueben Chinyelu, Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh leading the way.
They won 12 in a row before losing to Vanderbilt in the SEC semifinals but are the fourth choice at plus-600, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
A look at Duke
Duke is one of college basketball’s true bluebloods, a renowned program with five national championships. The Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season and tournament champs are led by freshman Cameron Boozer and have a strong case for being the overall No. 1 seed.
They have won 11 in a row while locking down the top spot in the NCAA’s NET rankings as well as two key advanced analytical sites, kenpom.com and barttorvik.com.
The Blue Devils last won the national title in 2015 and are the second choice at plus-333 to cut down the nets in Indianapolis, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
A look at Arizona, one of the betting favorites
It’s hard to find a better starting five than what the Wildcats put on the floor. Brayden Burries, Koa Peat, Jaden Bradley, Motiejus Krivas and Ivan Kharchenkov share the basketball and the spotlight — and rarely beat themselves.
The Wildcats (32-2) claimed the Big 12 regular season and the conference tournament. They have won nine in a row and are the third betting choice at plus-425 to win it all, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
Big Ten seeking a breakthrough
The Big Ten hasn’t won a national championship in men’s basketball or women’s basketball in more than 25 years.
Both droughts have a decent shot of ending this year.
Michigan opened Sunday as a slight favorite to win the national title in the men’s draw, according to BetMGM Sports. UCLA has the second-best odds of winning the women’s championship.
The last Big Ten men’s team to win the national title was Michigan State in 2000. The Big Ten hasn’t won it all in women’s basketball since Purdue did it in 1999.
NCAA could discuss expanding March Madness after this year’s tournaments
If you like the tourney at 68 teams, enjoy the moment!
Discussions continue on whether to expand the field by at least four teams and possibly more — but those talks won’t have legs until after this year’s version of March Madness finishes, senior vice president of basketball Dan Gavitt said last month.
The NCAA Tournament expanded from 64 to 68 teams in 2011.
In an NCAA first, teams that fail to submit player availability reports will have to pay up
The NCAA announced that schools participating in the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments could face fines starting at $10,000 if they fail to submit the player availability reports required for the first time this year.
Player availability reports are intended to combat betting-related pressure, solicitations and harassment that athletes receive from bettors connected to playing status. Conference availability reports have become common in recent years.
Teams must submit initial reports the night before competition and provide any updates at least two hours prior to the scheduled tip time.
A player will be designated as “available” if, according to the team, he or she has more than a 75% chance to play. A player is “questionable” if he or she has up to a 75% chance to play and “out” if he or she won’t play. Athletes will be assumed to be available unless designated as questionable or out.
Pursuit of glory? Cold, hard cash? An AP poll breaks down why people fill out March Madness brackets
A poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that about one-quarter of Americans fill out a men’s March Madness bracket “every year” or “some years,” while 16% fill out a women’s tournament bracket “every year” or “some years.”
Another 14% fill out a bracket for both tournaments at least “some years.”
So, a sizeable chunk of Americans are into NCAA bracketology, but what’s behind the hype?
Among those who fill out brackets at least “some years,” about 7 in 10 say a reason for their participation was for the glory of winning, the chance to win money or the fact that other people were doing it.
They’re less likely to be motivated by support for a specific school or team — and in particular, to say this was a “major” reason for their participation.
NCAA tourney selection committee won’t let travel concerns dictate bracketing
The NCAA Tournament Selection Committee has enough to sift through this weekend without playing air traffic controller.
The 12 committee members have worked up the eagerly anticipated 68-team bracket by following the same basic principles the panel always does: giving the top teams the highest seeds, making each of the four regions as competitive as possible and trying to keep as many teams close to home as it can.
For those that inevitably will have to travel great distances for March Madness, organizers of the men’s and women’s tourneys are pleading for patience.
The partial government shutdown, increasing security concerns arising from conflict in the Middle East, the high volume of spring break travelers and a greater demand for charter flights may cause additional travel snafus in an already challenging month.
Who invented the March Madness bracket? Staten Island bar and Kentucky postal worker stake claims
Could it really be true? That, of all of college basketball’s urban myths, one of New York’s five boroughs is actually the birthplace of filling out an NCAA Tournament bracket?
Before all those office pools truly defined March, betting the bracket was the supposed brainchild of an Irish pub owner in Staten Island — a “creative businessman,” his son calls him — whose straightforward idea of plunking down 10 bucks to pick the Final Four teams and the national champion turned the unassuming spot into a bustling attraction where the special of the day could be a million-dollar payout.
“We created a pool that just blew up over time,” current bar owner Terence Haggerty said. “Looking back at it now, how did we pull it off? How did we do it? It was crazy.”
When and where the women’s games will be played
March 18-19: The First Four matchups will be played at campus sites.
March 20-23: The first- and second-round games will also be on campuses.
March 27-30: The Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games will be held at two venues — one in Fort Worth, Texas, and the other in Sacramento, California.
April 3 and April 5: The Final Four and championship game will be at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix.
When and where the men’s games will be played
March 17-18: The First Four will be played in Dayton, Ohio.
March 19-22: The first and second rounds are in Buffalo, New York; Greenville, South Carolina; Oklahoma City; Portland, Oregon; Philadelphia; San Diego; St. Louis; and Tampa, Florida.
March 26-29: The regional semifinals (Sweet 16) and finals (Elite Eight) will take place in Houston (South), Washington (East), Chicago (Midwest) and San Jose, California (West).
April 4 and April 6: The tournament ends with the Final Four and championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
How to watch the tournaments
Every game of the men’s tournament will be aired. Here’s a schedule that will be updated with matchups — either on CBS, TBS, TNT or TruTV and their digital platforms, including Paramount+. TBS will broadcast the Final Four and national title game this year. The NCAA will also stream games via its March Madness Live option.
Every game of the women’s tournament will similarly be aired. See a schedule that will be updated with those matchups — on ESPN’s networks and streaming services. The championship game will be aired on ABC for a fourth straight season.
What does ‘bubble watch’ mean?
Bubble watch is a term to track the teams that are teetering between making and not making the NCAA Tournament. These teams are considered to be “on the bubble.”
Teams that win conference tournaments secure automatic berths — often at the expense of others. So, bubble watch is essentially keeping tabs on teams that need to win to get in or need others to lose to sneak in.
Where did the term ‘March Madness’ come from?
March Madness is the catchphrase given to college basketball’s postseason, and many consider it the perfect term to capture the craziness that often happens in conference tournaments and NCAA brackets.
Magazine writer Henry V. Porter coined the phrase in 1939 while writing about the Illinois High School Association’s state tournament. It gained traction nationally after former CBS broadcaster Brent Musburger used it in reference to the NCAA Tournament in 1982. Both entities tried to trademark the term, which led to a lawsuit.
A federal court in 1996 ruled the phrase had “’dual use” beyond the high school tournament, and the sides now share marketing rights.
Women’s NCAA Tournament format
The women’s bracket is arranged similarly to the men’s side, with a few exceptions. The play-in games, along with the first- and second-round games, usually are played at the home arenas of the top four teams in each region.
Neutral sites begin in the Sweet 16.
Men’s NCAA Tournament format
A total of 68 teams make the NCAA Tournament.
Eight of those teams start in a preliminary round called the play-in games. The four winners there make it into the field’s traditional 64-team, single-elimination bracket played at neutral sites across the country.
Teams are seeded 1 through 16 and split up into four regions. A 12-member NCAA selection committee determines the field. Seeds are determined by wins, losses, strength of schedule and other metrics.
The top four teams are No. 1 seeds, the next four are No. 2 seeds and on down the line. The games start with 1 versus 16, 2 versus 15, etc., in each region.
What time will March Madness brackets be revealed?
The men’s NCAA Tournament field is set to be revealed at 6 p.m. ET on CBS.
The women’s NCAA Tournament field is set to be revealed at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
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