The NCAA Tournament is the peak of the college basketball season on the court. But if you're looking for when the college basketball debate reaches its peak, look no further than Selection Sunday.
On a day when some teams are fighting for an automatic qualifier for the conference tournament, others are waiting nervously to find out what seed they'll get or if they'll even make it. Teams like North Carolina State and Oregon have qualified through conference tournaments, putting the already tight bubble in even more jeopardy.
There will be controversy over seeding, anger from teams and fanbases about being disrespected, and intrigue over potential matchups. Here's the latest on the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship Selection Show starting at 6pm on CBS.
6:57pm: I'll conclude with some thoughts.
– The Midwest is the toughest region, according to the overall seeds of the top four seeds in each region. However, my pick for the toughest region is the East, given its recent NCAA Tournament success and the fact that its top four teams are all major conference tournament champions.
– The Midwest between Tennessee and St. Peters, Kansas and Sanford, and Gonzaga-McNeese will be popular upset areas.
– Arizona's Caleb Love will play against his old team in the Elite Eight if the Tar Heels and Wildcats advance.
– The South is led by “new blood” in Houston, but also features traditional blue bloods in Kentucky and Duke. The winner of that region will be an interesting indicator of the current state of college basketball.
6:43pm: Dr. Charles McClelland, chairman of the selection committee, acknowledged that the strength of Iowa State's nonconference schedule was the reason it did not earn a fourth No. 1 seed. In fact, Iowa State was the lowest No. 2 seed despite winning the Big 12 Tournament.
6:39pm: This year's bubble was amazing. His last four were Boise State, Colorado State, Virginia and Colorado State. The first four schools were Oklahoma, Seton Hall, Indiana State, and Pittsburgh.
The Big 12 and SEC led all conferences with eight tournament teams each. The Big Ten and Mountain West were next with six.
6:35pm: The top four seeds in the West are No. 2 Arizona, No. 3 Baylor and No. 4 Alabama.
6:32pm: North Carolina is the No. 1 seed in the West. It's an 8-9 game between MSU's No. 8 Mississippi State University and No. 9 Michigan State University.
6:27pm: The top four in the Midwest ends with No. 2 Tennessee (playing familiar favorite St. Peter's), No. 3 Creighton, and No. 4 Kansas. Another First Four matchup is scheduled between Virginia and Colorado State, the No. 10 seeds.
6:22pm: As expected, Purdue is the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region and will play in the first round in Indianapolis. Also, four men's Division I basketball teams won his 30 games this season. McNeese, the 12th seed who will face No. 5 seed Gonzaga in the first round, was one of them. It's a great game.
6:16pm: They join Houston in the top four in the South: No. 2 seed Marquette, No. 3 seed Kentucky and No. 4 seed Duke. The first First Four game to be released is Boise State vs. Colorado State for the No. 10 seed line.
6:13pm: Houston is the No. 1 seed in the South Region. The Cougars will look to bounce back from a disappointing loss to Iowa State in the Big 12 title game. In the Big Ten, No. 8 seed Nebraska will pull away from No. 9 seed Texas A&M. Fifth-seeded University of Wisconsin advanced to the Big Ten title game and is regaining momentum, but they pull away from 12th-seeded James Madison in the first round.
6:06pm: The top four in the East will face No. 2 seed Iowa State, No. 3 seed Illinois State, and No. 4 seed Auburn. The top four seeds in the East are all conference tournament champions. No. 5 seed San Diego State joins UConn and his FAU as three of his 2023 Final Four teams in the region.
6:02pm: The No. 1 overall seed is defending champion UConn from the East. It was also a great matchup in the 8-9 game between Florida Atlantic and Northwestern.
5:40pm: Illinois' win over Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament championship game determined all automatic qualifiers. All that remains is the selection show. Alright, let's go!
