NCAA bracket reveal: Breaking down top 16 teams' resumes
With three weeks to go until Selection Sunday, the NCAA Selection Committee unveiled the top 16 seeds for March Madness. Now, it’s time to look at their resumes.
Alabama came in as the top overall seed after checking in as the No. 1 team in both polls this week. Houston, Purdue and Kansas joined the Crimson Tide on the one-seed line in their respective regions thanks to quality wins and the metrics.
As for the 2-4 seeds, some surprises came up during the reveal show on CBS. Here’s a full breakdown of each team’s resume, including NET rankings and KenPom.
No. 1 seeds
Alabama — South Region (No. 1 overall seed)
NET ranking: 2
KenPom ranking: 2
Notable wins: Houston, Arkansas, Auburn
Despite a loss to Tennessee earlier this week, Alabama came in as the No. 1 team in the tournament field. The Crimson Tide took a 22-4 record into Saturday’s game against Georgia, led by National Player of the Year candidate Brandon Miller. He’s averaging 18.7 points and 8.2 rebounds per game as part of a strong freshman season.
Houston — Midwest Region
NET ranking: 1
KenPom ranking: 1
Notable wins: Saint Mary’s, Virginia, Oregon
Houston fell to Alabama earlier in the year, but the Cougars still have some quality wins to their name. They’re 4-1 in Q1 games and a perfect 7-0 in Q2 matchups to boost their tournament resume. Marcus Sasser has led the charge for Houston this year with a team-high 16.5 points to go with 3.3 assists per game.
Purdue — East Region
NET ranking: 5
KenPom ranking: 6
Notable wins: Marquette, Gonzaga, Maryland, West Virginia
Purdue has lost three of its last four games, but the Boilermakers still found themselves on the No. 1 seed line thanks to their strong non-conference schedule. They’ve won nine of 13 Q1 games this season and have a National Player of the Year candidate of their own in Zach Edey. He ranks fifth in the nation with 22 points per game and sits second in rebounds per game with 12.8, just behind last year’s Player of the Year, Oscar Tshiebwe.
Kansas — West Region
NET ranking: 6
KenPom ranking: 7
Notable wins: Texas, Iowa State, Kansas State, Indiana, Kentucky
Kansas boasts one of the strongest NCAA Tournament resumes in the field. The Jayhawks have won 12 Q1 games this year — the most in the nation — and have lost five of them. They’ve played a gauntlet of the schedule, which has kept them on the one-line along with a monster year from Jalen Wilson, who’s averaging 20.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.
No. 2 seeds
Texas — Midwest Region
NET ranking: 9
KenPom ranking: 9
Notable wins: Creighton, Gonzaga, Baylor, West Virginia
It’s been an interesting year for Texas, which finds itself on the two-line thanks in large part to nine Q1 wins. The Longhorns fell to Texas Tech earlier this week, but still have a strong enough resume to be the No. 5 overall seed in the field. Marcus Carr has been a key part of the success, leading the team in scoring with 17.2 points, 4.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game.
Arizona — West Region
NET ranking: 11
KenPom ranking: 11
Notable wins: UCLA, Tennessee, Creighton, Indiana
Arizona also boasts an impressive resume with six Q1 wins and six Q2 wins. But the Wildcats have had a couple avoidable losses in Pac-12 play, including missteps against Stanford and Washington State, that keep them at the two-line. Still, two players average more than 14 points per game, led by 19.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game from Azuolas Tubelis.
Baylor — South Region
NET ranking: 12
KenPom ranking: 10
Notable wins: UCLA, Kansas, Gonzaga
Scott Drew has Baylor in strong position once again with a 9-6 record in Q1 games. The Bears won some of their bigger matchups to put themselves on the two-seed line and ride a four-game win streak into Saturday’s rematch against Kansas. Keyonte George (16.9 points per game), Adam Flagler (15.8) and LJ Cryer (14.9) lead the balanced attack on offense.
UCLA — East Region
NET ranking: 4
KenPom ranking: 3
Notable wins: Maryland, Kentucky, Oregon
UCLA ranks in the top five in the metrics, but the Bruins are 4-4 in Q1 games, which puts them on as a No. 2 seed. Losses to Illinois, Baylor and USC all have an impact on their position in the field. Jaime Jaquez has been the driving force on offense this season with 16.7 points along with 8.1 rebounds per game.
No. 3 seeds
Tennessee — Midwest Region
NET ranking: 3
KenPom ranking: 4
Notable wins: Alabama, Kansas, Texas, Auburn
Tennessee also has an impressive resume, but avoidable losses, as well. The Volunteers dropped matchups against Kentucky, Florida, Vanderbilt and Mizzou that drop them down to the three-seed line despite their win over No. 1 Alabama earlier this week.
Virginia — South Region
NET ranking: 16
KenPom ranking: 17
Notable wins: Baylor, Illinois, North Carolina
Tony Bennett has Virginia in prime position in the ACC this season and along the No. 3 seed line in the initial rankings. However, the Cavaliers are 4-4 in Q1 games this season, which has an impact on their resume. Virginia also ranks No. 10 in the nation in scoring defense, holding teams to 60.3 points per game entering Saturday’s game against Notre Dame.
Iowa State — East Region
NET ranking: 14
KenPom ranking: 15
Notable wins: Kansas, Texas, Baylor
Iowa State is in prime position once again under T.J. Otzelberger thanks to a strong schedule. The Cyclones are 8-7 in Q1 games, which put them as a three-seed entering play Saturday against Kansas State — which came in right behind them in the initial rankings.
Kansas State — West Region
NET ranking: 20
KenPom ranking: 26
Notable wins: Kansas, Texas, Baylor
Kansas State has had a breakout year under new coach Jerome Tang, catapulting itself up to a No. 3 seed. The Wildcats have struggled as of late, though, dropping five of their last seven games entering a key matchup with Iowa State on Saturday. Keyontae Johnson and Markquis Nowell have led the charge for K-State, leading the team with 17.5 and 16.8 points per game, respectively.
No. 4 seeds
Indiana — South Region
NET ranking: 17
KenPom ranking: 20
Notable wins: Purdue, Xavier, Illinois
Especially coming on the heels of a loss to Northwestern , Indiana seemed like a surprise choice for the No. 12 overall seed. Despite a 5-7 record in Q1 games, the amount of quality games on the schedule is a big reason why the Hoosiers lead the four-seeds. Trayce Jackson-Davis has put himself in the National Player of the Year conversation, as well, with 20.3 points and 11.3 rebounds per game — the latter of which ranks fourth in the nation.
Marquette — East Region
NET ranking: 15
KenPom ranking: 13
Notable wins: UConn, Baylor, Xavier, Creighton
Shaka Smart has something special going at Marquette. The Golden Eagles have a 5-5 record in Q1 games, including a huge win over UConn and, more recently, a win over Xavier just this week. They’ll have another chance to make a statment with a rematch against Creighton looming on Tuesday.
Gonzaga — West Region
NET ranking: 10
KenPom ranking: 14
Notable wins: Alabama, Xavier, Michigan State, Kentucky
It’s been an up-and-down go as of late for Gonzaga, which has now lost two WCC games this season. The Bulldogs are 3-4 in Q1 games, including an overtime loss to Saint Mary’s earlier this week, despite 20.8 points per game from Drew Timme.
Xavier — Midwest Region
NET ranking: 26
KenPom ranking: 22
Notable wins: UConn, Creighton, Marquette
The Big East is well-represented in the top 16 with Xavier coming in as a four-seed, as well. The Musketeers have the head-to-head matchup with Marquette, but losses to DePaul and Butler hurt their resume despite a 5-5 mark in Q1 games. Five players average double-digit points per game for Xavier, including four — Souley Boum (16.4), Zach Freemantle (15.2), Colby Jones (15.0) and Jack Nunge (14.5) — who score more than 14 points per contest.