March Madness has officially begun in earnest now that the selection committee has revealed the 68-team bracket for the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Now it's time to study up and take pen to paper (err, keyboard to website page) and get those bracket pools going.
Before you do, though, let's sort through the news of note as we sit now with a fresh bracket in hand. There weren't too many surprises at the top of the bracket among No. 1 seeds; UConn, Houston, Purdue and North Carolina all landed on the top line. UNC and Iowa State were believed to be the strongest contenders for the fourth and final No. 1 seed, but the Tar Heels ultimately were given the top seed in the West Regional.
The committee had Tennessee, not Iowa State, as the No. 5 overall team, and thus the first No. 2 seed. Tennessee landed as the No. 2 seed in the Midwest Regional in the same corner of the bracket as No. 1 seed Purdue. Arizona was the No. 6 overall team and the second No. 2 seed; the Wildcats landed in the West Regional in the same part of the bracket as North Carolina. Marquette was the seventh overall team and Iowa State was the eighth overall team in the South and East Regionals, respectively.
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Below are three takeaways from the big reveal including some snubs and other thoughts on how the bracket shook out.
After Iowa State drubbed top-seeded Houston on Saturday for the Big 12 Tournament championship, it felt as if the Cyclones had put themselves in the driver's seat to supplant UNC as the fourth and final No. 1 seed. That wasn't even close to true, though. The committee wound up putting UNC as the fourth and final No. 1 seed, but put Iowa State as the No. 8 overall team -- a No. 2 seed that was one spot away from being a No. 3 seed and further away from No. 1 seed contention than expected.
"There was a lot of discussion [about the fourth No. 1 seed]," said Charles McClelland, Chair of the NCAA Tournament selection committee, on CBS. "Obviously North Carolina got it. We looked at some head to heads with Tennessee. North Carolina had a magnificent season, they did what they were supposed to do in the regular season, fell short in the ACC Tournament."
McClelland added that the committee ranked the Cyclones closer to a No. 3 seed than a No. 1 seed in part because of their poor nonconference strength of schedule.
"Iowa State a magnificent team," said McClelland. "We looked at the entirety of the season. When we added it all up, we felt like Iowa State was appropriately placed on that No. 2 seed line."
UConn, Marquette and Creighton represented the Big East well as the No. 1, No. 7 and No. 10 overall teams in the NCAA Tournament bracket. But the Big East got a brutal break on the bubble. Seton Hall was one of the First 4 Out, and both Providence and St. John's were even further down when both reasonably could have been included in the field. It marks the fewest teams the Big East has had in an NCAA Tournament since 1993.
The Big 12 and SEC led all conferences with eight teams from their respective leagues earning NCAA Tournament bids. The Big Ten, Mountain West, ACC, Pac-12, Big East, American, A-10 and WCC all had multiple bids as well, with the Big Ten and Mountain West tying for the second-most with six.
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UConn is the No. 1 overall seed in the EAST Regional.
Houston is the second No. 1 seed and will play out of the SOUTH Regional.
Purdue is the third No. 1 seed in the MIDWEST Regional.
And North Carolina -- not Iowa State and not Tennessee -- is the fourth and final No. 1 seed. The Tar Heels are the top seed in the WEST Regional.
FULL BRACKET:
The Big 12 and SEC had the most teams to earn NCAA Tournament bids of all the conferences with eight.
Big Ten and Mountain West finished tied for second with six. ACC had five and Pac-12 had four. Big East had three.
American, A-10 and WCC all had two.
There was an inordinate amount of bid thieves this year that shrunk the bubble and left some really good teams out. But still surprised by a few snubs. Two biggest for me were St. John's -- which somehow wasn't even among the First 4 OUT -- and Indiana State.
No Rick Pitino, and no Sycamores.
Indiana State went 28-6 but lost in the MVC Tournament title game. Clearly hurt by lack of Quad 1 opportunities.
Virginia and Michigan State getting included in the field but not St. John's nor Indiana State -- despite whatever evidence the committee used to validate the decision -- is pretty tough to reconcile.
Boise State, Colorado, Virginia and Colorado State are the last four teams IN the NCAA Tournament field.
Oklahoma, Seton Hall, Indiana State and Pittsburgh are the first four OUT of the NCAA Tournament field.
No. 2 seed Arizona will face Long Beach State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament out of the West Regional. That's a very winnable region with UNC as the No. 1 seed. They have Dayton as the No. 7 seed in that pod and Baylor as the No. 3 seed.
North Carolina earns the fourth and final No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament bracket and will play either No. 16 seed Wagner or No. 16 seed Howard in the first round of the West Regional. Good draw for the Tar Heels with that pod set in Charlotte, North Carolina.
So UNC edges out Tennessee, Iowa State, Arizona for the No. 1 seed despite losing in the ACC Tournament Championship Game.
The Midwest Regional looks like a gauntlet with Purdue drawing the No. 1 seed and Tennessee -- up until a few days ago considered a potential No. 1 seed -- drawing the No. 2 seed in the region.
Creighton is the No. 3 seed and Kansas is the No. 4 seed.
Very fun region, where No. 12 seed McNeese will be a VERY trendy pick to take down No. 5 seed Gonzaga in the first round.
Tennessee draws the No. 2 seed in the Midwest Regional. It will face No. 15 seed Saint Peter's in the first round
