The NCAA Tournament is the peak of the college basketball season on the court. But if you’re looking for the time when college basketball discourse hits a fever pitch, look no further than Selection Sunday.
On a day when some teams are fighting for their conference tournament’s automatic qualifiers, others are waiting nervously to see what seed they get, or if they’ll even make the field at all. With teams such as North Carolina State and Oregon punching their ticket through their conference tournaments, an already tight bubble has gotten even more dicey.
There will be controversies about seeding, teams and fanbases angry about being snubbed and intrigue around potential matchups. Follow along here as we break down the latest from the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Selection Show, which starts at 6 p.m. on CBS.
6:57 p.m.: A few final thoughts to wrap up:
- According to the overall seeds for the top four seeds in each region, the Midwest is the toughest region. But between the recent NCAA Tournament success and the fact that its top four teams are all major conference tournament champions, the East is my pick for toughest region.
- Between Tennessee-Saint Peter’s, Kansas-Samford and Gonzaga McNeese, the Midwest is going to be a popular upset region.
- If the Tar Heels and Wildcats make it through, Arizona’s Caleb Love will face his old team in the Elite Eight.
- The South is led by a “new blood” in Houston but also features the traditional blue bloods in Kentucky and Duke. The victor of that region will be an interesting indication of the state of college basketball.
6:43 p.m.: Dr. Charles McClelland, the chair of the selection committee, confirms that Iowa State’s non-conference strength of schedule was the reason it didn’t get the fourth No. 1 seed. In fact, Iowa State was the lowest-ranked 2-seed despite winning the Big 12 Tournament.
6:39 p.m.: The bubble was brutal this year. The Last Four In were Boise State, Colorado, Virginia and Colorado State; the First Four Out were Oklahoma, Seton Hall, Indiana State and Pittsburgh.
The Big 12 and SEC led all conferences in tournament teams with eight each. Up next were the Big Ten and Mountain West with six.
6:35 p.m.: Completing the West’s top four seeds are No. 2 Arizona, No. 3 Baylor and No. 4 Alabama.
6:32 p.m.: The West Region’s No. 1 seed is North Carolina. It’s an MSU matchup in the 8-9 game between No. 8 Mississippi State and No. 9 Michigan State.
6:27 p.m.: The Midwest’s top four concludes with No. 2 Tennessee (up against familiar face Saint Peter’s), No. 3 Creighton and No. 4 Kansas. We also have our other 10-seed First Four matchup between Virginia and Colorado State.
6:22 p.m.: Purdue, as expected, is the No. 1 seed in the Midwest region and will get to play its first-round game in Indianapolis. Also, four teams in men’s Division I basketball won 30 games this season; No. 12 seed McNeese, No. 5 Gonzaga’s first-round matchup, was one of them. That is a fantastic game.
6:16 p.m.: Joining Houston in the South’s top four: No. 2 seed Marquette, No. 3 seed Kentucky and No. 4 seed Duke. The first revealed First Four game is Boise State vs. Colorado on the 10-seed line.
6:13 p.m.: Houston is the No. 1 seed out of the South. The Cougars will look to bounce back from an ugly loss to Iowa State in the Big 12 title game. Out of the Big Ten, No. 8 seed Nebraska pulls No. 9 seed Texas A&M; No. 5 seed Wisconsin, trending back in the right direction after making the Big Ten title game, pulls No. 12-seeded James Madison in the first round.
6:06 p.m.: The East Region top four rounds out with 2-seed Iowa State, 3-seed Illinois and 4-seed Auburn. All the top four seeds in the East are conference tournament champions. San Diego State, the 5-seed, makes three 2023 Final Four teams in the region alongside UConn and FAU.
6:02 p.m.: The No. 1 overall seed is defending champion UConn out of the East region. Also, a great matchup in the 8 vs. 9 game between Florida Atlantic and Northwestern.
5:40 p.m.: With Illinois’ victory over Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament’s championship game, all of our automatic qualifiers have been decided. All that’s left is the selection show. Let’s go!