After four months of waiting, the Big Dance is finally here. A pool of 68 teams will compete for a spot in the Final Four, hoping to advance to the National Championship. Selection Sunday revealed the men’s tournament bracket and the paths each team will take to try and reach the Final Four. Here is everything you need to know before the First Round tips off on Thursday.
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South Region:
No. 1 Auburn vs. Winner between No. 16 St. Francis (PA) vs. No. 16 Alabama State
No. 2 Michigan State vs. No. 15 Bryant
No. 3 Iowa State vs. No. 14 Lipscomb
No. 4 Texas A&M vs. No. 13 Yale
No. 5 Michigan vs. No. 12 UC San Diego
No. 6 Ole Miss vs. Winner between No. 11 San Diego State vs. No. 11 North Carolina
No. 7 Marquette vs. No. 10 New Mexico
No. 8 Louisville vs. No. 9 Creighton
Top Seed
The Auburn Tigers are the top overall seed in the tournament. Coming off a historic season led by Wooden Award candidate Johni Broome and star freshman Tahaad Pettiford—who recently met with SLAM—the Tigers posted a 28-5 record, tied for the third-best in program history. Broome is averaging a double-double at 18.9 ppg and 10.6 rpg, while Pettiford averages 11 ppg off the bench. The team also consists of lockdown defender Denver Jones and scoring threats Chad Baker-Mazara and Miles Kelly, all of whom are scoring in double-digit figures. Their offensive depth makes them poised for a deep run in March.
Key Matchups
The Michigan-UC San Diego matchup will be a chess match. Michigan is led by a star group of transfers in Danny Wolf, Vlad Goldin and Tre Donaldson and are fresh off winning the Big Ten Tournament. The Wolverines run a unique offense, with Wolf acting as a point forward who can pass and get buckets when needed. The Wolverines’ size will make it difficult on the Tritons, who are one of the hottest teams in the country. The team went 30-4 and is an elite sharpshooting team led by seniors Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, Tyler McGhie and Hayden Gray. The Tritons boast the sixth-ranked defense in the nation and a top-50 offense. Expect a gritty, physical matchup between two teams who have seen program revivals.
The Marquette-New Mexico matchup will feature a battle between two of the best guards in the nation. Marquette is led by senior Kam Jones, (delete later but I have pics of Kam Jones if you want to use one here) who has established himself as one of the best scorers in the nation, averaging 19.3 ppg and landing on the Wooden Award Watchlist. However, he will be tasked with guarding Donovan Dent, the star guard of their opponent, the No. 10 seed New Mexico Lobos. Dent is a certified bucket-getter, averaging 20.6 ppg and knocking down 3’s at a 41.5% clip en route to a Mountain West Player of the Year award. Expect a battle between two of the most talented guards in the country.
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West Region:
No. 1 Florida vs. No. 16 Norfolk State
No. 2 St. John’s vs. No. 15 Omaha
No. 3 Texas Tech vs. No. 14 UNC Wilmington
No. 4 Maryland vs. No. 13 Grand Canyon
No. 5 Memphis vs. No. 12 Colorado State
No. 6 Missouri vs. No. 11 Drake
No. 7 Kansas vs. No. 10 Arkansas
No. 8 UConn vs. No. 9 Oklahoma
Top Seed
The Florida Gators are the No. 1 seed in the region. Led by an elite backcourt of Alijah Martin, Will Richard and Walter Clayton Jr., the Gators won their first SEC conference tournament since 2014. The Gators posted a 30-4 record in the SEC and are one of the favorites to win the National Championship. With their backcourt, all averaging over 13 ppg and a threat down-low in Alex Condon, who is averaging 11.2 ppg and nearly eight boards, Florida’s explosive offense and lights-out shooting are built for March.
Key Matchups
Kansas-Arkansas will feature a clash between legendary coaches Bill Self and John Calipari. Kansas, the No. 1 ranked team in the preseason has had a tumultuous season, finishing with a 21-12 record. Star center Hunter Dickinson is the team’s leading scorer, averaging a double-double with 17 ppg and 10 boards. Transfer Zeke Mayo has also contributed on the offensive end, averaging 14.5 ppg. In his first season, Calipari led the Razorbacks to a 20-13 record. The Razorbacks are led by junior forward Adou Thiero and freshman guard Boogie Fland, who is expected to return from injury for the game. Thiero and Fland average 15.6 and 15.1 ppg respectively. Although both teams haven’t seen the rapid success they were expected to, expect both brilliant basketball minds to put forth an exciting game.
The battle between the two-time defending champion UConn Huskies and Oklahoma Sooners will feature two of the best freshmen in the country. Oklahoma is led by freshman guard Jeremiah Fears, who is averaging 17 ppg. Fears has established himself as a mid-range assassin equipped with a strong driving ability. His offensive production has found himself as a potential lottery pick in NBA mock drafts. UConn’s star freshman is forward Liam McNeeley, who is averaging 14.5 ppg. McNeeley is a three-level scorer who can score in the paint and from beyond the arc, knocking down 33.3% of his 3’s. McNeeley is another projected lottery pick in NBA mock drafts. Expect the two draft prospects to put on an offensive show in this one.
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East Region:
No. 1 Duke vs. Winner of No. 16 American vs. No. 16 Mount St. Mary’s
No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 15 Robert Morris
No. 3 Wisconsin vs. No. 14 Montana
No. 4 Arizona vs. No. 13 Akron
No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 12 Liberty
No. 6 BYU vs. No. 11 VCU
No. 7 Saint Mary’s vs. No. 10 Vanderbilt
No. 8 Mississippi State vs. No. 9 Baylor
Top Seed
The No. 1 seed in this region is the Duke Blue Devils, who finished with a 31-3 record and an ACC regular season and conference title. The team is led by star freshmen Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel. Flagg has become one of the key players on the Wooden Award Watchlist, averaging nearly 19 ppg, 7.5 rebounds and four assists a game. Knueppel has been an elite sharpshooter for the squad, averaging 14.4 ppg on 39.2% shooting from beyond the arc. Duke also has scoring threats from all positions, including Tyrese Proctor, Sion James, Isaiah Evans and lockdown defender Khaman Maluach. However, the story for this team is the status of Flagg, who suffered an ankle injury in the ACC Tournament. Coach Jon Scheyer said he expects to have Flagg return for the first round, but nothing has been made official yet.
Key Matchup
The matchup between Saint Mary’s and Vanderbilt is an intriguing one. Both teams present opposite strong suits, with Saint Mary’s excelling on the defensive end and Vanderbilt containing an explosive offense. The Gaels are a veteran team led by seniors Augustas Marciulionis and Mitchell Saxen, who are averaging double-digit points. The Gaels play at a slow pace and hold teams to 60.7 ppg, the fifth best in the nation. They square off against a Vanderbilt squad led by All-SEC guard Jason Edwards, who is averaging 17 ppg. The Commodores are dancing for the first time since the 2016-17 season. They have a balanced offense with Edwards, sharpshooter Tyler Nickel and double-double machine Devin McGlockton. Expect a close battle between these two squads.
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Midwest Region
No. 1 Houston vs. No. 16 SIUE
No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 15 Wofford
No. 3 Kentucky vs. No. 14 Troy
No. 4 Purdue vs. No. 13 High Point
No. 5 Clemson vs. No. 12 McNeese
No. 6 Illinois vs. Winner between No. 11 Texas vs. No. 11 Xavier
No. 7 UCLA vs. No. 10 Utah State
No. 8 Gonzaga vs. No. 9 Georgia
Top Seed
The Houston Cougars are the top seed in this region, earning a No. 1 seed for the third consecutive year. The Cougars posted a 30-4 record en route to a Big 12 regular season and tournament title. They retain the majority of last year’s roster, being led by guards L.J. Cryer and Emanuel Sharp, who average 15.2 and 12.6 ppg respectively. The Cougs also added Oklahoma transfer Milos Uzan, who has filled Jamal Shead’s void, averaging 11.5 ppg and facilitating the offense. However, Houston’s strong suit is interior defense led by J’Wan Roberts, Joseph Tugler and Ja’Vier Francis. Tugler averages 2.1 blocks a game and has found his way up draft boards on mock drafts. The Cougars have the second-best defense in the nation, allowing 58.5 ppg and are poised for another deep run in March.
Key Matchups
The Midwest region boasts an intriguing matchup between Gonzaga and Georgia. The Zags are in their 26th consecutive Big Dance and boast the nation’s second-best offense. They are led by Wooden Award Watchlist guard Ryan Nembhard, the nation’s assist leader and forward Graham Ike, who averages 17.1 ppg. Georgia is in the tournament for the first time since the 2014-15 season. The team’s star is freshman forward Asa Newell, who is averaging 15.3 ppg and nearly seven boards a game. Newell was named to the All-SEC Freshman team and is a projected lottery pick. Expect a battle between the two forwards down low.
The matchup between Clemson and McNeese State is also a barnburner. The Clemson Tigers possess a dangerous veteran lineup led by guard Chase Hunter and forward Ian Schieffelin. The Tigers were the only team to take down Duke in conference play and posted a 27-6 record. However, their mid-major opponent is no pushover. Will Wade has McNeese back in the Big Dance after posting a 27-6 record. They are led by guards Javohn Garcia and Sincere Parker, who average 12 ppg. However, their biggest weapon is their manager, Amir Khan, who orchestrates the toughest walkout with the team before every tip-off. Expect a close battle between two balanced teams.