The final few conference championship games are in the books and the brackets are out.
The NCAA men’s tournament bracket was revealed on Sunday with UConn announced as the No. 1 overall seed playing out of the East region. Houston is the No. 1 seed in the South region and Purdue earned the No. 1 seed in the Midwest. North Carolina was named the No. 1 seed in the West, beating out follow projected contenders Iowa State and Arizona.
The Gamecocks were an easy choice for the top seed. They went a perfect 32-0 this season after marking their second straight undefeated regular season, and then they beat LSU in a very contentious title game to win the SEC tournament. South Carolina, which won the national championship in 2022, made it to the Final Four again last season — though the Gamecocks were knocked out by Iowa.
Whether you’re a die-hard hoops head, a casual or someone who’s never watched a college basketball game, there’s a decent chance you’ve been invited to fill out a bracket. If not, join one of our free public contests and fill out a men’s and women’s bracket today.
Yahoo’s Jeff Eisenberg breaks down the best and worst of the men’s bracket:
Tip times posted for first-round men’s games
Start times and TV networks for all first-round men’s games:
Snap judgments on NCAA tourney reveal
Iowa’s draw is just brutal. Hawkeyes in a region with UCLA, LSU, Kansas State, Princeton and Creighton. Geez.
Columbia earning an at-large bid is nice to see. Not often you see a two-bid Ivy.
Gonzaga getting to host after a bad loss to Portland in the WCC final is very generous of the committee.
The full Portland 4 region
Texas is the final 1 seed in the NCAA women’s field
A+ reaction to making their first NCAA tourney:
The full Portland 3 region
USC is the top seed in the Portland 3 region
Potentially emotional matchup in the 2nd round here as LSU’s Hailey Van Lith could face her old team
Setting up a Louisville vs. Hailey Van Lith matchup in Baton Rouge in the second round is something in the women’s bracket. Especially when Louisville AD Josh Heird was on the selection committee.
South Carolina is the overall 1 seed in women’s bracket
With the women’s selection show minutes away, here’s what to know:
We’re about a half hour away from the start of the women’s selection show reveal.
With the men’s bracket set, here are the point spreads for 1st-round games
The NCAA tournament attracts all sports bettors, from the serious player who is watching Big West games on a Wednesday night to those who won’t watch their first college basketball game this season until noon Eastern time on Thursday.
Here are the opening lines for the first-round games (four matchups won’t be set until the First Four is completed), with the spreads from BetMGM.
Click photo for story. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
Full men’s bracket picture
Top half of bracket
Bottom half of bracket
Here are this year’s six biggest NCAA men’s tournament snubs
This was the rare year in college basketball when there were more deserving NCAA tournament bubble teams than spots in the field of 68. Bubble teams from across the country made valiant last-gasp charges at the same time as a handful of bid-stealers came from nowhere to win their conference tournaments and shrink the number of available at-large spots.
In the end, the committee gave lifelines to bubble teams Virginia and Colorado and showed no love to the Big East. Seton Hall, St. John’s and Providence were each among the teams left out of the field, leaving the vaunted Big East with just three NCAA tournament bids.
Last four in: Boise State, Colorado, Virginia, Colorado State
First four out: Oklahoma, Seton Hall, Indiana State, Pittsburgh
West Region snap judgments
Please, please, please give us Caleb Love versus North Carolina in the Elite Eight. That would be all kinds of fun.
Saint Mary’s, like Gonzaga, is generously seeded as a No. 5.
Biggest snubs among the bubble teams: Oklahoma, Indiana State and the Big East trio of St. John’s, Seton Hall and Providence. Only three bids for the Big East? Wild.
West Region
No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 16 Howard/Wagner
No. 8 Mississippi State vs. No. 9 Michigan State
No. 5 Saint Mary’s vs. No. 12 Grand Canyon
No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 13 Charleston
No. 6 Clemson vs. No. 11 New Mexico
No. 3 Baylor vs. No. 14 Colgate
No. 7 Dayton vs. No. 10 Nevada
No. 2 Arizona vs. No. 15 Long Beach State
Midwest Region snap judgments
Utah State an 8? Colorado State joining Boise State in Dayton? This committee has no respect for the best Mountain West in at least a decade.
Gonzaga-McNeese State is a super fun first-round matchup, but the Zags landing a No. 5 seed is very, very generous. They were lucky to avoid the 8-9 game. Bubble teams who should be very worried right now: Michigan State, Providence, St. John’s, Seton Hall, Pitt, Oklahoma, Indiana State
Midwest Region
No. 1 Purdue vs. No. 16 Montana State/Grambling State
No. 8 Utah State vs. No. 9 TCU
No. 5 Gonzaga vs. No. 12 McNeese
No. 4 Kansas vs. No. 13 Samford
No. 6 South Carolina vs. No. 11 Oregon
No. 3 Creighton vs. No. 14 Akron
No. 7 Texas vs. No. 10 Virginia/Colorado State
No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 15 Saint Peter’s
South Region snap judgments
Wisconsin-James Madison is a tasty first-round matchup. That will be a must-see game and a popular opening-round upset.
What on earth is Boise State doing in the First Four? There’s a reason the Broncos weren’t mentioned as a bubble team all week. They shouldn’t have been one.
Is Marquette star Tyler Kolek healthy? If not, that’s about as friendly a path to the Elite Eight as third-seeded Kentucky could have asked for.
UConn as the No. 1 overall seed was the right call. The most dominant team and the only potential No. 1 seed that swept its regular season and conference tournament titles
Iowa State not only doesn’t get a No. 1 but isn’t the top No. 2 seed and lands in UConn’s bracket? Yikes. That’s harsh.
Does Drake securing a No. 10 seed bode well for Indiana State sneaking in?
Most unjustifiably high seed so far: Duquesne as a No. 11
Full East Region for the NCAA men’s tournament
No. 1 overall seed: UConn Huskies
The big decision I’m looking forward to most is who receives the final No. 1 seed alongside UConn, Purdue and Houston. Will it be North Carolina, which won the ACC regular season title, swept two games from Duke and reached the ACC title game? Or will it be Iowa State, which vaulted into contention by demolishing Houston in Saturday night’s Big 12 title game?
Both teams have identical 27-7 overall records and 16-7 records against the top two quadrants. Iowa State has more top-tier wins and has overtaken North Carolina in the NCAA approved advanced metrics.
3 quick bubble predictions as the unveiling of the bracket creeps closer
1. At least one of the Big East’s three bubble teams will hear its name called. League affiliation isn’t supposed to matter but there’s no way a conference as strong as the Big East only gets three NCAA tournament teams. I feel a little better about Seton Hall’s chances than either Providence or St. John’s, but it’s very, very close.
2. Every few years, the committee sends a message by excluding a power-conference bubble team that didn’t challenge itself enough in non-league play. The team that will likelfall victim to that this year is Pittsburgh, which played the NET’s 344th-ranked non-conference strength of schedule.
3. If there’s a surprise team left out of the NCAA tournament field, it could be Oklahoma. Only two of Oklahoma’s 20 wins came against likely NCAA tournament teams. While the Sooners have four Quadrant 1 victories, they needed 16 Quadrant 1 games to get those.
NCAA tournament bubble: A chaotic Saturday could spell doom for these teams’ tournament hopes
Will Robbie Avila and Indiana State be dancing? (Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
5 toughest decisions facing the NCAA men’s tournament selection committee
(Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Autobids are locked for the men’s tourney
Final: Illinois 93, Wisconsin 87
The Illini pulled away in the last couple minutes to claim the Big Ten tournament title. Terrence Shannon was once again the star, scoring 34 to lead the way.
Terrence Shannon has scored 7 straight points to give Illinois the late lead. He’s got 33 points.
The last game before the NCAA Selection Show is a fun one. Who will take home the Big Ten tourney crown?
Final: UAB 85, Temple 69
Alejandro Vasquez drops 29 points to lead the Blazers to the AAC tourney title. UAB is back in the NCAA tournament.
UAB IS IN THE DANCE đź•ş
The Blazers take the American championship in their first year in the conference to punch their ticket 🎟️ pic.twitter.com/Hr5wlDZjVq
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 17, 2024
“The Hawk, flyin!”
Coleman Hawkins and the Illini have rallied to take a 70-65 lead with under 10 minutes to play.
With the unveiling of the bracket only an hour away, the big decision I’m looking forward to most is who receives the final No. 1 seed alongside UConn, Purdue and Houston. Will it be North Carolina, which won the ACC regular season title, swept two games from Duke and reached the ACC title game? Or will it be Iowa State, which vaulted into contention by demolishing Houston in Saturday night’s Big 12 title game?
Both teams have identical 27-7 overall records and 16-7 records against the top two quadrants. Iowa State has more top-tier wins and has overtaken North Carolina in the NCAA-approved advanced metrics.
Badgers open the 2nd half on a nice little run, shooting 12 of 15 so far in the frame. It’s a 58-51 lead for Wisconsin.
UAB is comfortably ahead of Temple in the AAC title game.
Alejandro Vasquez up to 27 points for the Blazers.
Think twice before you project the Illinois-Wisconsin winner to go deep in your NCAA tournament bracket. The Big Ten tournament champion hasn’t survived the opening weekend the past three years.
In 2021, top-seeded Illinois face-planted in the round of 32 against Loyola (Chicago). In 2022, Iowa went from the hottest team in the country to losing to unheralded Richmond. And last year, Purdue … well … if you’re reading this, you probably know what Purdue did.
NCAA women’s autobids locked in
Halftime: Illinois 41, Wisconsin 40
It’s been a tight one all the way through so far. No team has led by more than 4 points. Terrence Shannon’s 15 points leads the way for the Illini.
Drexel women are dancin’
Drexel beat Stony Brook 68-60 in the CAA final.
Well that’s one way to get a bucket. Wisconsin up 31-29 late in the first half.
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