If the NCAA tournament began today, all four No. 1 seeds would be teams located west of the Mississippi River. That was the main discovery for college hoops fans during Saturday afternoon’s NCAA March Madness Bracket Preview show, where the Selection Committee revealed its top 16 seeds at the present time.
March Madness bracket reveal: Baylor earns No. 1 overall seed
If the NCAA tournament started today, a couple of unfamiliar names would grace the top line.
Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images
Topping every team in the country in the eyes of the committee are the Baylor Bears, who are also the current No. 1 team in both the Associated Press and coaches top 25 polls. Scott Drew’s club is joined on the top line by, in order, Kansas, Gonzaga and San Diego State.
Here’s a full look at the top 16 and what region those teams would be in if the Big Dance kicked off today:
1. Baylor (South)
2. Kansas (Midwest)
3. Gonzaga (West)
4. San Diego State (East)
5. Duke (East)
6. Dayton (Midwest)
7. Louisville (South)
8. West Virginia (West)
9. Maryland (East)
10. Florida State (Midwest)
11. Seton Hall (South)
12. Villanova (West)
13. Auburn (South)
14. Oregon (West)
15. Butler (East)
16. Michigan State (Midwest)
This is the fourth year the Selection Committee has done this exercise, but the first time the top 16 teams in early February have been so diverse. It’s a group of teams that’s fully reflective of the balance and parity that has defined the 2019-20 season up to this point.
“There is a balance and competitiveness this year, more so than in any of the other three years we’ve done this,” said Dan Gavitt, the NCAA senior vice president in charge of men’s basketball. “There are nine teams from nine different conferences represented in this top 16. Seven conferences was the previous high for that. We also have at least three teams from all four regions, the West, the Midwest, the South and the East. So nationally, it’s very balanced and competitive.”
NCAA men’s basketball committee chair Kevin White added the three teams that were the closest to cracking the top 16 without making it in were Iowa, Kentucky and LSU.
The full field for the 2020 NCAA tournament will be revealed at 6 p.m. ET on Selection Sunday, which is March 15.
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