Selection Sunday: Live Reaction Blog

If the entirety of March Madness is like a holiday, then Selection Sunday is day one of the vacation. In the weeks leading up to March 12 – Selection Sunday – there was a lot of anticipation in the air. So many bracketologists trying to predict what the NCAA Committee will do.

We spend the better part of early Selection Sunday watching games. The SEC, American, Big 10, and Atlantic 10 are among the conferences that played their tournament championships in the hours leading up to the 6:00 PM EST start time.

Soon enough, we will get some answers to early questions; how many teams will the ACC get in (looking at you, NC State, Clemson, and Pittsburgh)? What storylines will we be able to find in the early matchups? Can Vanderbilt get in? What about Arizona State? and so much more.

Here is the Selection Sunday Live Blog. As the brackets are released, On3 will update our thoughts in real-time.

The East Region

*Purdue gets the 1 seed, no surprise. But that potential second-round matchup of Memphis or Florida Atlantic could be interesting. Memphis is playing great, and Kendric Davis and Deandre Williams is one of the best 1-2 punches in the country right now.

*Max Abmas and Connor Vanover will get prime-time television against Duke. Duke won the ACC and has been playing really in March. Nine straight wins. Oral Roberts has won 17 straight and 26 of their last 27.

*Looking through the top part of this bracket, things could shape up well for five-seed Duke. A Zach Edey and Kyle Filipowski/Dereck Lively matchup could be interesting.

*Kentucky and Providence in the 6/11 matchup is fun. Bryce Hopkins, a Kentucky transfer, has been fantastic this season.

*What a draw for the two-seed Marquette. The bottom half of this bracket is tough and will be a blood bath to get out of.

*Southern California and Michigan State in a 7/10 matchup is a fun one; both Tom Izzo and Andy Enfield have seen tournament success.

*Jerome Tang as a three seed in his first year as a head coach is a masterful job. Marquis Newell and Keyontae Johnson are an excellent 1-2 duo.

The West Region

*Illinois and Arkansas in the 8/9 game is an interesting matchup. Both teams are supremely talented, and both team have laid some eggs this season. The point, one of these teams could make second-weekend runs…or not.

*You have to like how Kansas matchups up with the teams in this bracket.

*Another 5/12 matchup that has two mid-majors against one another. VCU and St. Mary’s are both capable of second weekend runs. VCU is playing really well right now.

*While this season has not been as good as seasons past, Gonzaga as a three-seed has to be a little scary for the bracket.

*UCLA will get Drew Pember and UNC-Asheville. Pember is fantastic; watch his production. UCLA has won 12 of their last 13, and Jaime Jacquez has been playing as well as anyone in the country since February 1.

*No favors for UConn out of the four spot. Iona and the VCU/St. Mary’s winner are both tough draws for the first two rounds.

The Midwest Region

*Interesting with Houston dropping in their conference tournament and maintaining the one seed. Will Marcus Sasser be healthy? Bracket breaks for some rock fight type matchups throughout.

*Indiana is a boom or bust four seed, could make a run or drop early. They have the talent. Can Trayce Jackson Daivs and Jalen Hood Schifino get consistent help?

*If Norchad Omier is healthy, Miami is not a team many will want to play.

*Few teams are playing as well as Penn State. Tough draw in the 7/10 game for Texas A&M, who came in second in the SEC.

*A lot of talk with Texas this season. Many say if Rodney Terry can make a run in the tournament, the job is his. Colgate is a tough draw, and then the winner of Penn State, Texas A&M.

*If Pittsburgh can make it to the second round against Xavier, that game will be fun to watch. Sean Miller against his alma mater.

The South Region

*Alabama gets the No. 1 overall seed. Playing their early-round games in Birmingham, Alabama. Should be a nice home crowd for the Crimson Tide.

*The NCAA Committee put a pair of mid-majors against one another, with Charleston and San Diego State in the 5/12 matchup. That takes an upset off the table, as both teams are capable of making a run.

*Bob Richey (Furman) and Pat Kelsey (Charleston) are both mid-major coaches who could be hot names in this, and/or future off-season coaching carousels.

*NC State vs. Creighton in the 6/11 matchup could be an absolute shootout. Both teams have gotten up buckets all season. Watch Jarkel Joiner and Terquavion Smith against that Creighton defense.

*Alabama and Arizona are exciting teams who play fast and score a lot. It will be interesting to see if both can make it all the way through. The winner of the Utah State vs. Missouri game could be primed to make a run.

*Watch Charleston here. They are a gritty team who can really shoot it. If they get to Alabama, that game could be very high scoring.

Pre-show

*In somewhat of a surprise, Memphis takes down Houston in the American Athletic Conference title game. They did not steal a bid, but this win certainly should help their seeding. Houston beat Memphis twice since February 19, and as we all know, it’s hard to win three. Memphis has beaten nine of their last non-Houston teams. Deandre Williams and Kendric Davis are playing as well as any duo in the country right now. Davis averaged 28.0 points in the tournament, and Williams 26.0 points and 12.3 rebounds.

*Despite a late run by Penn State, Purdue clinched the Big 10 Conference championship behind 30 points and 13 rebounds from National Player of the Year candidate Zach Edey. Purdue was in the top spot in the Big 10 from start to finish and has been a staple among the A.P. top ten for the majority of the later part of the season. The Boilermakers are on a nice five-game win streak heading into the tournament, despite an up-and-down February.

*It is right about 3:15 PM, and VCU earned its bid to go dancing with their come-from-behind win over Dayton in the Atlantic 10 Tournament Championship game. The Rams have won 10 of their last 11 and playing excellent basketball. Only one team in that 11 games stretch has scored more than 68 points.

*Right at 4:00 PM and Alabama clinches the SEC title by beating Texas A&M, who they just lost to eight days ago. Alabama has won seven of their last eight, and no game in the SEC Tournament was within ten points. Probable National Freshman of the Year Brandon Miller was awarded SEC Tournament MVP averaging 20.3 per game.