The No. 1 seeds in Saturday’s NCAA March Insanity Bracket preview have been Michigan, Duke, Arizona and Iowa State. Whereas the primary three have been largely anticipated, Iowa State’s inclusion on the highest line was something however a foregone conclusion.
In the end, the Cyclones (23-3, 10-3 Massive 12) received the nod over UConn and Houston from the NCAA Match choice committee forward of their Saturday journey to play BYU. UConn landed as the highest No. 2 seed, regardless of its unseemly residence loss to Creighton on Wednesday. Houston claimed the second No. 2 seed whereas Illinois and Purdue rounded out the No. 2 seed line.
With simply over three weeks to go till Choice Sunday, the image will change and evolve over the times forward. Actually, Saturday’s outcomes will nearly assuredly affect the image. However the bracket preview, which covers the highest 16 groups, affords an thought of how issues are shaping up because the common season nears its finish.
A whopping 10 groups from the Massive Ten and Massive 12 — 5 from every league — made the highest 16. The ACC and SEC every produced two representatives, whereas the Massive East and WCC every had one crew make the highest 16.
Right here is the complete rundown of the highest 16 from the bracket preview adopted by the large takeaways.
Official NCAA Match early seeds
Take a look at the complete subject of 68 on the CBS Sports activities Bracketology hub.
| Seed | Group | Convention | File | NET |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan | Massive Ten | 25-1 | 1 |
| 2 | Duke | ACC | 24-2 | 2 |
| 3 | Arizona | Massive 12 | 24-2 | 3 |
| 4 | Iowa State | Massive 12 | 23-3 | 6 |
| 5 | UConn | Massive East | 24-3 | 10 |
| 6 | Houston | Massive 12 | 23-3 | 8 |
| 7 | Illinois | Massive Ten | 27-5 | 4 |
| 8 | Purdue | Massive Ten | 22-5 | 7 |
| 9 | Florida | SEC | 20-6 | 9 |
| 10 | Kansas | Massive 12 | 20-6 | 13 |
| 11 | Nebraska | Massive Ten | 22-4 | 11 |
| 12 | Gonzaga | WCC | 26-2 | 5 |
| 13 | Texas Tech | Massive 12 | 19-7 | 17 |
| 14 | Michigan State | Massive Ten | 21-5 | 12 |
| 15 | Vanderbilt | SEC | 21-5 | 15 |
| 16 | Virginia | ACC | 23-3 | 16 |
Iowa State as a No. 1 seed
A theme within the race for the fourth No. 1 seed within the bracket was high-end victories. Iowa State boasts wins over No. 17 St. John’s, No. 8 Kansas and No. 2 Houston. The Cyclones suffered unflattering highway losses in opposition to Cincinnati and TCU, however these are labeled as Quad 1 defeats and the committee did not appear bothered by them.
Whereas our knowledgeable panelists believed the nod for the ultimate No. 1 seed ought to have gone to Houston, which charges barely higher than ISU in each the results-based and predictive metrics that seem on official NCAA crew sheets, the Cougars haven’t got the identical kind of blockbuster wins as Iowa State. Their losses have been all in shut video games in opposition to elite opposition (Tennessee, Texas Tech and Iowa State). However once more, who you beat appears to be way more vital than who beat you.
Actually, committee chair Keith Gill pointed on to the standard of Iowa State’s greatest wins — together with its head-to-head victory over Houston — in rationalizing the Cyclones as a No. 1 seed.
The “big-time win” methodology additionally defined why UConn edged Houston for the highest spot on the No. 2 seed line. Regardless of their ugly fall in opposition to Creighton this week, the Huskies boast victories over No. 10 Illinois, No. 8 Kansas and No. 12 Florida, which is a formidable haul of high-end wins.
Texas Tech takes successful
Texas Tech landed as a No. 4 seed within the bracket preview. Nonetheless, Gill shared that the Pink Raiders have been in line for a No. 3 seed earlier than it was revealed that star ahead JT Toppin suffered a season-ending ACL tear.
The reigning Massive 12 Participant of the Yr suffered the damage within the Pink Raiders’ loss at Arizona State on Tuesday. Saturday’s residence recreation in opposition to Kansas State would be the first post-Toppin knowledge level for the committee to digest. Relying on how the earlier than/after comparability of life with out Toppin goes, it stands to motive that the Pink Raiders might get hit even more durable on Choice Sunday.
A stacked Midwest
Although it can nearly actually unfold in another way on Choice Sunday, the sight of a stacked Midwest area within the bracket preview was jarring. It additionally underscored the problem the choice committee faces in adhering to stringent bracketing rules at a time when nearly all of at-large bids are going to groups from a small handful of conferences.
If this have been the actual bracket, followers of Michigan, Houston and Florida would understandably be disgruntled to see such powerful competitors standing of their path to a Remaining 4. However the composition of the preview’s high 16 technically met the the committee’s threshold for aggressive steadiness. Extra on that right here.
Bracketology: 2026 NCAA Match committee faces challenges with Michigan, Houston, Florida in similar area
David Cobb
