SEC, Kansas lead NCAA Tournament seeds release winners and losers

USA Today

15-02-2025

SEC, Kansas lead NCAA Tournament seeds release winners and losers
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The Division I men's basketball committee's in-season top 16 seeds is a NCAA men's tournament roadmap directly from the source. A year ago, the committee's in-season list nailed all but two of the eventual top 16 tournament seeds, missing on only Creighton and Kentucky.
While there's enough time left in the regular season for this early bracket projection to fall apart before Selection Sunday, this year's top 16 seeds released Saturday indicates a few subtle and not-so-subtle ways the committee will approach the selection process.
One obvious takeaway from the top 16 is the committee's affinity for several major conferences and lack of affection for one purported basketball conference in particular — the ACC, as we'll touch on below.
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Here are the biggest winners and losers from the in-season rankings:
Winners
The SEC
As expected, the conference dominated the top 16 with six teams, including five of the top six. The list is topped by Auburn, the top overall seed thanks to a Division I-best 13 wins against Quad 1 teams. The SEC has two more projected No. 1 seeds in Alabama and Florida. With this many teams scheduled to land on the top four lines, you can see why this year's SEC is on track to dominate March Madness and potentially have multiple teams deep in contention for the Final Four. And the committee's rankings don't include another seven teams projected to reach the tournament in our latest bracketology. You're beginning to see why this year's SEC is already being talked about in a historic context.
Kansas
Ranked No. 15 overall by the committee, Kansas is set to receive the committee's benefit of the doubt despite ranking fifth in the Big 12 standings, four games behind Houston, and owning a losing record in games against fellow Quad 1 competition. The Jayhawks do have some very good wins in Michigan State, Duke and Iowa State. They've also lost league games to West Virginia and Kansas State and are 3-5 overall in road games. KU has avoided any bad losses, though, with all seven defeats coming against teams currently slated for tournament play. That's probably the biggest asset in the Jayhawks' favor.
Michigan
The Wolverines have been on a tear under new coach Dusty May, taking five in a row and six of seven to edge a half-game ahead of Purdue and into first place in the Big Ten. The committee is paying attention: Michigan is a No. 4 seed in the in-season rankings, edging out rival Michigan State. The Wolverines' postseason credentials are polished by a 6-3 mark in Quad I games and a 5-2 record away from home. Five of Michigan's final eight games before the conference tournament come at home, though the three road games are against projected tournament teams in Ohio State, Nebraska and Michigan State.
Losers
The ACC
With just projected No. 1 seed Duke representing the conference in the top 16, the rankings reflect the committee's perception of the ACC as several rungs below the SEC, Big 12 and Big Ten. While that wouldn't prevent the Blue Devils from landing on the No. 1 line should they continue to dominate league play, the ACC has none of the depth those three rival conferences will bring into March Madness. As of now, the only ACC teams projected to join Duke in tournament play are Louisville and Clemson.
Michigan State
A recent slide has dropped Michigan State down the Big Ten ladder and out of the top four lines. After beating Minnesota to end January, the Spartans were sitting pretty at 18-2 overall and possibly in contention for a No. 1 seed should they have continued to put some distance between themselves and the rest of the Big Ten's top tier. But Michigan State has lost three of four this month, including losses to non-tournament teams in Southern California and Indiana. With a brutal stretch ahead – Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Maryland, Wisconsin, Iowa and Michigan again – things might get worse as we inch toward Selection Sunday.