But North Carolina (17th all-time)? The Tar Heels will not be the No. 1 seed this year. So are Duke (14) and Kentucky (12). It’s been uphill for Illinois, who was the top seed two years ago, and Michigan (another of his 2021 No. 1 seeds) is lucky enough to just make it to a field of 68.
So when seven nominees who weren’t the number one seed of the 21st century are announced in just under six weeks, it’s entirely possible that the top views will change.
Alabama (never): Three-time No. 2 seed (1987, 2002, 2021) under three different coaches, the Crimson Tide are undefeated in SEC play this season. Alabama is most likely to be the No. 1 seed for the first time this season behind freshman star Brandon Miller.
Kansas (none): The Wildcats haven’t won every close game this year (Iowa State confirmed it last week), but they still have an 18-3 record with Keyonte Johnson named Comeback Player of the Year. . Leading an impressive revivalK-State’s seeding peak is second (2010 team led by Jacob Pullen). A lot of work remains on the grueling Big 12, but it’s not too far off.
Marquette (never): The Golden Eagles have only landed as the No. 3 seed, and that’s probably where they’ll end up this season. Still they’re 8-1 since Christmas and Tyler Kolek is one of the best table-setters in the country. If they walk into the barn with a loss or two to go, the No. 1 seed isn’t out of the question (depending on how others deal with it, of course).
Tennessee (never): Volunteers, a three-time second seed (2006, 2008, 2019), possess the most efficient defense in the United States. ken pom dot com I dispatched Texas by 11 o’clock on the weekend. They haven’t had as deep a string of wins as other teams in the No. 1 seed mix, but the SEC will give him ample opportunity from now until mid-March to fix that.
TCU (none): The Horned Frogs haven’t played in back-to-back tournaments in 1952-53 (a feat they’re coming close to achieving), so they can hardly expect to land on the top line around Fort Worth. They’re the least likely to get there in this pack, especially after dropping 4 of his 7, but there’s no shortage of opportunities to fill out their profile in the coming weeks.
Houston (1983): The Cougars have not been the No. 1 seed since the days of Phi Slama Jama. Even if we lose to Temple earlier this month, we are ready to end that drought. Led by veteran guard Marcus Susser, Houston has a stingy defense and a sharp (if lesser-known) offense.
Purdue (1996): The Boilermakers were the #1 seed three times under Gene Keady (1988, 1994, 1996), but finished second under Matt Painter (2018). They were also at least the 5th seed in every tournament held since 2016. With Zach his Eadie providing a mismatch every game at the post, Purdue is poised to end his No. 1 seed drought for the first time in 27 years.
Includes the last four. West Virginia, Texas A&M, Pennsylvania, Nevada
Outer first four: Pittsburgh, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Arizona
The four outer ones: Oklahoma, Ohio, Seton Hall, Oregon
Move in: Cornell, Fairleigh Dickinson, Furman, Maryland Eastern Shore, St. Louis, Siena, Southeast Louisiana, Southern California, Southern Mississippi, Tennessee Martin, Texas A&M, UNC Asheville, Utah Valley, Vermont, West Virginia, Youngstown
Move out: Arizona, Iona, Longwood, Marshall, Milwaukee, Morgan, Nichols, Ohio, Princeton, St. Francis, Pennsylvania, Samford, Seattle, SIU Edwardsville, UMass Lowell, VCU, Wisconsin
Conference call: Big Ten (9), SEC (7), Big 12 (7), ACC (6), Big East (5), Mountain West (4), Pac-12 (3), American Athletic (2), West Coast ( 2)
Bracket projection: South vs West.midwest and east
Purdue Anyway, it looks like a clear top seed overall at this point. Alabama’s loss to Oklahoma over the weekend reinforced that. … connecticut Lowering another line after last week’s loss to Xavier. The Huskies are down 8-6 since he started 14-0, but have a chance to recover this week at DePaul and Georgetown. …
While some of the Borderline Big Ten teams have stumbled in the past few weeks, Maryland3 wins in 4 games helped cement their position. Terrapins excels in all metrics and has no bad losses on its resume. …the metrics remain favorable Arkansas, but the Razorback is brawling. He lost 6 of 9 heading into Tuesday’s home game against Texas A&M.
After sweeping the streets of a Washington school, Arizona Up to line 1. The Wildcats are 7-2 in a single game in the quadrant, winning more than any team other than Purdue. … Charleston University A loss to Hofstra on Saturday ended a 20-game winning streak, marking the first loss for Pat Kelsey’s team outside the first quadrant. …
One of the most precious opportunities of the week is providenceXavier’s visit. The Flyers are already leading in the Big East, and he’s leading 3-4 in the Quad 1 game, but Ed’s best away result for Cooley’s team this season is a win. . … Rick Burns/Clemson Reunion?If so, Greensboro would have plenty of oranges Tennessee I happened to face the Tigers. …
Iowa 5-5 in quad 1 game, but plenty of chances late in the big ten play. The Hawkeyes are home to the Northwest and Illinois this week. … Indiana It was the first time they won five consecutive conference games since 2016 when they won the Big Ten regular season title. The Hoosiers had a difficult week visiting Maryland on Tuesday and hosting Purdue on Saturday.
Only two are worth noting kentucky‘s resume is a win in Tennessee and a home loss against South Carolina. And it may not change much. Of his final 10 games for the Wildcats, only four were against his expected NCAA Tournament team, one of which was his (March 4 game in Arkansas). is on an expedition. … east washington They are one of six teams to remain undefeated in conference play, joining Alabama (SEC), Colgate (Patriots), Florida Atlantic (Conference USA), Oral Roberts (Summit) and St. Mary’s (WCC).
north carolina Over the next two weeks you will face a crucial stretch. Pitt is at his home, Duke and Wake travel to his Forest, and Clemson and Miami are home to his three-day stretch. Tar Heel has a real chance to improve the seed in its span. … Rutgers Although they lost to Iowa, they are 6-2 against the rest of the Big Ten, with two games remaining against bottom-placed Minnesota. The Scarlet Knights don’t have to break a sweat this Selection Sunday. …
both Texas A&M (won Vanderbilt at Auburn and home) and west virginia (who won at home to Texas Tech and Auburn) will enter the field in 2-0 weeks. Southern California After an impressive victory over UCLA, we watched the weekend as Utah lost one and Arizona lost two. For both standings and bracket purposes, the Trojans are clearly the third team in Pac-12 so far.
