Welcome to Selection Sunday. Conference tournaments are concluding across the country as the selection committee readies itself to release the full field of 68 teams that will comprise this year’s NCAA Tournament. What four teams will earn No. 1 seeds? Who will be this year’s biggest snub? We’ll find out Sunday afternoon.
NCAA bracket 2017: Your printable bracket to fill-in on Selection Sunday
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The Kansas Jayhawks ended the year as the AP’s top-ranked team, and Bill Self’s club look primed to grab a No. 1 seed for the second year in a row. Led by senior Frank Mason and freshman Josh Jackson, Rock Chalk is talented and deep enough to make a run into the Big Dance’s later rounds. Mason in particular has a emerged as a force of nature this year, averaging 20.5 points and 5.1 assists per outing.
Out on the West Coast, a bevy of teams that includes UCLA, Oregon, and Gonzaga would appear well suited to make runs of their own. The Zags are especially intriguing, as they tore through the regular season on the way to 30 wins. Their lone regular season loss came against BYU in the second-to-last game, but that does nothing to diminish these Bulldogs’ complete body of work.
UCLA ended the season as the AP’s No. 3 team, and they’ve been led to this point by star freshman Lonzo Ball. The probable one-and-done is contributing 14.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 7.8 assists per game, a testament to how versatile his game already is. Fellow freshman T.J. Leaf is adding 16.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per contest. Steve Alford’s team boasts non-conference wins over Kentucky, Long Beach State, and Ohio State, and they finished out the regular season on a nine-game winning streak.
Back on the East Coast, AP No. 2 team Villanova looks strong again, and the Wildcats of Philadelphia have every reason to expect a No. 1 seed this year. They fought from a No. 2 line in last year’s tournament to win the title on a dramatic buzzer-beater three, and despite being forced to play more small-ball lineups, Jay Wright led his club to a 28-3 overall regular season record. The return of Josh Hart for his senior year has seen the burly guard average 18.7 points and 6.5 rebounds per game this season, and he leads the Wildcats into their campaign to repeat as national champions.
Kentucky is again stacked with blue chip talent, and it’s a pair of freshman guards, De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk, who’ve stepped up to lead the way for John Calipari. Roy Williams’ Tar Heels are also riddled with talent up and down the roster, and his team carries the further memory of losing in such crushing fashion in last year’s tournament final. Juniors Joel Berry and Justin Jackson are surely smarting from 2016’s championship game, a strong motivating factor as they enter the tournament.
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