Ahead of a loaded day of college basketball, the men’s NCAA tournament selection committee unveiled an early look at its current top 16 teams. Unsurprisingly, Auburn came in as the No. 1 overall seed, buoyed by a remarkable resume that features 13 Quad 1 wins … five more than any other team in the sport. Committee chair Bubba Cunningham said the choice of the Tigers at No. 1 overall was unanimous inside the committee.
But while there were no surprises at the top, the reveal provided some key insights on how the committee views many of the best teams in the country. It also provided an early look into some of the things this year’s committee values most, which could have ramifications up and down the bracket come March.
Selection Committee’s Top 16
- Auburn Tigers
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- Duke Blue Devils
- Florida Gators
- Tennessee Volunteers
- Texas A&M Aggies
- Purdue Boilermakers
- Houston Cougars
- Iowa State Cyclones
- Kentucky Wildcats
- Wisconsin Badgers
- Arizona Wildcats
- Texas Tech Red Raiders
- Michigan Wolverines
- Kansas Jayhawks
- St. John’s Red Storm
And a look at what a hypothetical bracket would look like:
The Top 16 seeds in bracket form 👀#BracketPreview pic.twitter.com/zA3qrDHht3
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) February 15, 2025
Plus, a few takeaways from the early rankings:
SEC Reigns Supreme
In what has been a historic season for the league, the top 16 served as a reminder just how much the SEC will dominate the top of brackets this March. In addition to Auburn at No. 1 overall, two other SEC teams in Alabama (No. 2 overall) and Florida (No. 4) landed on the top line, and two others (Tennessee and Texas A&M) landed as the top two No. 2 seeds. If the top line holds, it’d be the first time since the ACC in 2019 that a league earned three of the four No. 1 seeds. In total, six of the top 16 are from the SEC, a staggering number that illustrates how good the league has been. That also could be good news for the league’s bubble teams, which should get a boost from all the opportunities for elite wins they’ll get down the stretch. Whether SEC teams at 7–11 or even 6–12 in league play can get into the field will be a big story line as we approach Selection Sunday.
Duke Keeps Preferred Path … for Now
Duke was widely expected to land on the No. 1 line and did but came in at No. 3 overall behind Alabama. For now, that distinction means very little, as it would still allow Duke to play its first- and second-round games in Raleigh and its Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games in Newark. However, the Blue Devils at No. 3 overall leaves open the possibility of slipping out of that comfortable path with another loss or two, especially given the relative weakness of ACC opponents. Getting sent out West or even knocked off the No. 1 line is a possibility should the Blue Devils not take care of business down the stretch.
Big Ten Pecking Order Gets Clearer
There was little on paper separating several of the Big Ten’s top teams from a seeding perspective. The committee’s reveal gives us a sense of their thoughts on the top of the league. Purdue was the league’s highest-rated team (No. 2 seed, No. 7 overall) thanks to its strong resume: The Boilermakers have 14 Quad 1+2 wins, including nonconference victories over Alabama and Ole Miss. Wisconsin (No. 3 seed, No. 10 overall) was second, buoyed by a huge early season win over Arizona and has no losses outside of Quad 1. On the No. 4 line, Michigan crashed the party after getting arguably its best win of the season earlier this week against Purdue. Left out: Michigan State, Illinois, UCLA and Maryland, all of whom at least had some case for the top four seed lines. Cunningham specifically singled out the Spartans as knocking on the door.
A Northeast-Centric Path for St. John’s
St. John’s landed at No. 16, the last spot in the ranking reveal. That was good news for Rick Pitino, especially given the committee sent them in this exercise to Newark, a potential boon for the New York City–based squad. The local angle might not stop there either, with St. John’s ideally heading to Providence to play its first- and second-round games. The Red Storm have opportunities coming up against Creighton, UConn and Marquette in the final three weeks of the regular season to bolster their resume and secure their protected seed standing.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Men’s College Hoops Top 16: Four Takeaways From Selection Committee Reveal.
