The only two undefeated teams remaining in college basketball, Gonzaga and Baylor, have remained steady from the pre-season to this point of the regular season, in first and second places, respectively, in the ranking. So in Saturday’s annual Bracket Preview program, in which the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee revealed its top four seeds in each region as a snapshot in time from the start of the season until February 12, it should come as no surprise that the two Powerful programs included half of the No. 1 seeds now revealed.
Fittingly, No. 1 Gonzaga – the No. 1 team in the preseason that remained at the top of the ranking throughout the season – also won first place overall on the selection committee. No. 2 Baylor won the second seed No. 1 The ten rivals Michigan and Ohio State were named the other teams with the highest ranking.
“There is no mystery here. There are two teams that have been incredible throughout the year, and the number one seed right now is Gonzaga,” said Mitch Barnhart, Kentucky athletic director and chairman of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee, featuring Baylor as the second overall team and second seed number 1.
The difference between the last two unbeaten teams in the country? “Very thin,” said Barnhart.
| Seed | Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 3 | Region 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1 | (1) Gonzaga | (2) Baylor | (3) Michigan | (4) State of Ohio |
| No. 2 | (7) Alabama | (5) Illinois | (8) Houston | (6) Villanova |
| n ° 3 | (12) Oklahoma | (11) Tennessee | (10) West Virginia | (9) Virginia |
| No. 4 | (13) Iowa | (15) Texas | (16) Missouri | (14) Texas Tech |
Second in the overall ranking nominated by the committee on Saturday was Illinois, which attracted a Region 2 designation in the Baylor key. Villanova, Alabama and Houston represent the remaining 2 seeds in descending order. It is a brutal draw for Illini in the same pod, with a team from Baylor fighting for first place overall, but it is important to mention here that this is subject to change and Selection Sunday is still a month away.
Defending champion Virginia won the committee’s vote as the best overall seed, with West Virginia, Tennessee and Oklahoma completing this seed line. Cavaliers are in Region 4 for the time being with Ohio State’s No. 1 seed. Oklahoma designed the dreaded Region 1 led by Gonzaga, Tennessee is in Region 2 and West Virginia is in Region 3.
Giving the big 12 a fourth and fifth reps in the bracket, comes fourth, with Texas Tech and Texas winning that distinction along with Iowa and Missouri. It also gives Big Ten a third member in the top 16 with Iowa.
Top 16 official seeds
- Gonzaga
- Baylor
- Michigan
- Ohio State
- Illinois
- Villanova
- Alabama
- Houston
- Virginia
- West Virginia
- Tennessee
- Oklahoma
- Iowa
- Texas Tech
- Texas
- Missouri