March Madness 2015 bracket: Full NCAA Tournament bracket revealed
Unbeaten Kentucky’s march towards perfection will be the biggest storyline of the 2015 NCAA Tournament. Check out the complete bracket now.
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Another Selection Show is in the books and the 2015 NCAA Tournament bracket is complete. Now it's time to start predicting upsets and picking one champion from the 68-team field as the most famous tournament in American sports gets set to play out over the next three weeks.
This year, it all starts with Kentucky, the tournament’s overall No.1 seed as the nation’s only undefeated team. The Wildcats will be the top seed in the Midwest Region, as they continue their quest to become college basketball’s first unblemished champion since Indiana achieved the feat in 1976. That journey will begin on Friday in Louisville, when John Calipari’s team faces the winner of a First Four game between 16 seeds Hampton and Manhattan.
In the Midwest, Kentucky will be challenged by No. 2 seed Kansas, a team which won its 11th straight regular season Big 12 championship and which will be looking to avenge a 32-point loss to the Wildcats from back in November. UK could also run into Notre Dame in the Midwest regional final. The third-seeded Fighting Irish are riding high into the big dance after beating North Carolina to win the ACC Tournament championship on Saturday.
As expected, the Villanova Wildcats also received a No. 1 seed, and will make their journey towards the Final Four from the East Region. Jay Wright's team dominated the Big East on their way capturing both the league's regular season and tournament titles, and will enter the big dance riding the momentum of a 15-game winning streak. Their road to Indianapolis could include tests from No. 2 seed Virginia, No. 3 seed Oklahoma or No. 4 seed Louisville.
Despite being upset by Notre Dame in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament, the Duke Blue Devils earned the No. 1 seed in the South Region. Coach K and company will get to play their first two games close to home in Charlotte. If they advance to the tournament's weekend, they could receive serious challenges from second-seeded Gonzaga, third-seeded Iowa State or the winner of a potential round of 32 game between Georgetown and Utah.
On the heels of a dramatic overtime victory over Michigan State in the Big 10 Tournament championship game on Sunday, Wisconsin earned the No. 1 seed in the West Region. The Badgers have lost just once in their last 17 games, and can lay claim to the front-runner for most national player of the year awards in senior center Frank Kaminsky.
Perhaps the tournament’s most dangerous No. 2 seed, Pac-12 regular season and tournament champion Arizona, will also make its run to the Final Four from the West Region. No. 3 seed Baylor and No. 4 seed North Carolina will also present formidable competition out West.
One team noticeably absent from the field of 68 is defending national champion Connecticut. The Huskies fell to SMU in the AAC Tournament championship game on Sunday and were not selected for an at-large bid, making them the second defending champ in the last three years to miss the big dance entirely.
Here's the complete bracket. The tournament tips off on Tuesday with First Four action from Dayton, but the real madness gets gong on Thursday.
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Midwest Region
1 Kentucky / 16 Manhattan or Hampton
8 Cincinnati / 9 Purdue
5 West Virginia / 12 Buffalo
4 Maryland / 13 Valparaiso
6 Butler / 11 Texas
3 Notre Dame / 14 Northeastern
7 Wichita State / 10 Indiana
2 Kansas / 15 New Mexico State
West Region
No. 1 Wisconsin / No. 16 Coastal Carolina
No. 8 Oregon / No. 9 Oklahoma State
No. 5 Arkansas /No. 12 Wofford
No. 4 North Carolina / No. 13 Harvard
No. 6 Xavier / No. 11 BYU or Ole Miss
No. 3 Baylor / No. 14 Georgia State
No. 7 VCU / No. 10 Ohio State
No. 2 Arizona / No. 15 Texas Southern
East Region
1 Villanova / 16 Lafayette
8 NC State / 9 LSU
5 Northern Iowa / 12 Wyoming
4 Louisville / 13 UC-Irvine
6 Providence Friars / 11 Boise State or Dayton
3 Oklahoma / 14 Albany
7 Michigan State / 10 Georgia
2 Virginia / 15 Belmont
South Region
No. 1 Duke / No. 16 North Florida or Robert Morris
No. 8 San Diego State / No. 9 St. John’s
No. 5 Utah / No. 12 Stephen F. Austin
No. 4 Georgetown / No. 13 Eastern Washington
No. 6 SMU / No. 11 UCLA
No. 3 Iowa State / No. 14 UAB
No. 7 Iowa / No. 10 Davidson
No. 2 Gonzaga / No. 15 North Dakota State
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