The men’s NCAA tournament selection committee gave the world its annual peek behind the curtain on Saturday, releasing its current top 16 teams less than one month out from Selection Sunday.
As things stand, the tourney’s No. 1 seeds would be Gonzaga (West Region), Auburn (Midwest), Arizona (South) and Kansas (East). The Bulldogs (22–2), who are on top of the seed list, recently returned to No. 1 in the men’s AP poll and are No. 1 in the NCAA NET rankings and on metrics site KenPom, as well. If the Zags capture the No. 1 overall seed again in March, they’ll have done it for the second straight year.
The current No. 2 seeds are Baylor, Kentucky, Purdue and Duke, with the the Bears leading that seed line. The top No. 3 seed is Villanova, and the top No. 4 seed is Wisconsin.
Young Kwak/AP
The full top 16 is below:
1. Gonzaga (No. 1, West)
2. Auburn (No. 1, Midwest)
3. Arizona (No. 1, South)
4. Kansas (No. 1, East)
5. Baylor (No. 2, South)
6. Kentucky (No. 2, East)
7. Purdue (No. 2, Midwest)
8. Duke (No. 2, West)
9. Villanova (No. 3, East)
10. Texas Tech (No. 3, Midwest)
11. Tennessee (No. 3, South)
12. Illinois (No. 3, West)
13. Wisconsin (No. 4, East)
14. UCLA (No. 4, Midwest)
15. Providence (No. 4, South)
16. Texas (No. 4, West)
Houston, Alabama and Ohio State were also considered by the committee for the No. 4 seed line, according to CBS.
The official field of 68 will be released on March 13, giving teams a few more weeks to either raise their tournament stock or slip down the seed lines. Last year, 11 of the 16 teams from the initial top 16 preview remained in the top 16 on Selection Sunday, with five falling out of position for a top-four seed.
Sports Illustrated’s most recent full projection for the 2022 men's NCAA tournament bracket is here.
The committee's rankings rely partly on the NET, which is in its fourth season of use after replacing the Rating Percentage Index (RPI). The NET functions as a primary tool in evaluating Division I men’s basketball teams but is not the sole factor that determines a team’s ranking or seed.
This year’s regionals will be held in San Francisco (West), Chicago (Midwest), San Antonio (South) and Philadelphia (East). The Final Four will be held in New Orleans on April 2–4.
