Getty Image / Brian Spurlock
- The countdown to the NCAA tournament officially began today
- The NCAA selection committee revealed their top 16 for the first time today
- Read more BroBible articles here
There is no sport in the world that focuses on seeding like college basketball. Not even college football seems to have the same concerns, with most teams only caring whether or not they make the top 4, not where they fit in that top 4.
In college basketball, it makes all the difference in the world. Today marks the beginning of the debates over that seeding. Today was the day the selection committee gave college basketball fans their first look at the top 16 teams for the NCAA tournament field.
As seen on CBS, here are the top 16 overall seeds entering today in men’s college basketball.
1. Gonzaga
2. Auburn
3. Arizona
4. Kansas
5. Baylor
6. Kentucky
7. Purdue
8. Duke
9. Villanova
10. Texas Tech
11. Tennessee
12. Illinois
13. Wisconsin
14. UCLA
15. Providence
16. Texas— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) February 19, 2022
We also got to see how the regions would break down for these 16 teams.
Here’s the top 16 broken down by region. pic.twitter.com/8RvUjeSLTz
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) February 19, 2022
The top quarter of the bracket was laid out today in a way that could set up a couple of very interesting rematches for college basketball fans. In the East region, we could see a second game between Kansas and Kentucky. Kentucky dominated the first time these two blue bloods met, but a second match up would still be an exciting one.
Perhaps more intriguing is the West region. First, we could see Gonzaga take on Texas for a second time after handling them early in the non-conference schedule. Then they could get a shot at some revenge.
The first time Gonzaga met Duke this season, it was one of the most hyped matchups of the year. Duke ended up getting the win in a thrilling matchup that went right down to the wire to hand the Zags their first loss of the year. A rematch in the Elite 8 would be a dream matchup for college basketball fans.
This reveal was surprisingly low on controversy and high in potential exciting matchups. Let’s hope it stays that way until Selection Sunday.