NCAA Tournament: Auburn, Duke, Houston, Florida nab top seeds

The NCAA men’s tournament bracket was unveiled on Sunday, with Auburn earning the No. 1 seed in the South region.

Duke claimed the No. 1 seed in the East, Houston secured the top spot in the West, and Florida rounded out the top seeds in the Midwest after a victory over Tennessee in the SEC championship game. Tennessee, Michigan State, Alabama, and St. John’s earned No. 2 seeds.

Duke, led by standout freshman Cooper Flagg, is considered by many as a favorite to capture the national title, assuming Flagg recovers fully from a sprained ankle. However, the Blue Devils were penalized by the selection committee for their strength of schedule (ranked 57th), playing in a down year for the ACC.

Auburn, on the other hand, produced the most Quad 1 wins in the country, finishing 16-5 against top-tier competition. The Tigers’ five losses — against Duke, Tennessee, Florida, Texas A&M, and Alabama — came to teams that are all highly seeded in the tournament.

With National Player of the Year candidate Johni Broome leading the way, Auburn aims to turn its No. 1 overall seed into its first NCAA championship.

Auburn Top Overall Seed

Auburn earned the No. 1 overall seed by capturing the SEC regular-season title and compiling a 28-5 record while navigating the nation’s second-most challenging schedule.

Despite a late-season slump that saw the Tigers lose three of their last four games, including a defeat to Tennessee in the SEC tournament semifinals, the selection committee looked past those struggles. Auburn’s overall resume, featuring the best regular season in an SEC that produced a record 14 NCAA tournament teams, was enough to secure the top seed.

The Tigers edged out a 31-3 Duke team, which boasted an impressive roster filled with NBA prospects. Duke had previously defeated Auburn in December and dominated the ACC with a 19-1 conference record to capture the regular-season title. The Blue Devils followed that up with an ACC tournament championship and enter the NCAA tournament with the nation’s top average margin of victory at 20.8 points.

NCAA Tournament

South region

No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 16 Alabama State/Saint Francis (Lexington, Thursday)

No. 8 Louisville vs. No. 9 Creighton (Lexington, Thursday)

No. 5 Michigan vs. No. 12 UC San Diego (Denver, Thursday)

No. 4 Texas A&M vs No. 13 Yale (Denver, Thursday)

No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 11 San Diego State/No. 11 North Carolina (Milwaukee, Friday)

No. 3 Iowa State vs. No. 14 Lipscomb (Milwaukee, Friday)

No. 7 Marquette vs. No. 10 New Mexico (Cleveland, Friday)

No. 2 Michigan State vs. No. 15 Bryant (Cleveland, Friday)

East region

No. 1 Duke vs. American/No. 16 Mount St. Mary’s (Raleigh, Friday)

No. 8 Mississippi State vs. No. 9 Baylor (Raleigh, Friday)

No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 12 Liberty (Seattle, Friday)

No. 4 Arizona vs. No. 13 Akron (Seattle, Friday)

No. 6 BYU vs. VCU (Denver, Thursday)

No. 3 Wisconsin vs. No. 14 Montana (Denver, Thursday)

No. 7 Saint Mary’s vs. No. 10 Vanderbilt (Cleveland, Friday)

No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 15 Robert Morris (Cleveland, Friday)

Midwest region

No. 1 Houston vs. No. 16 SIU Edwardsville (Wichita, Thursday)

No. 8 Gonzaga vs. No. 9 Georgia, (Wichita, Thursday)

No. 5 Clemson vs. No. 12 McNeese (Providence, Thursday)

No. 4 Purdue vs. No. 13 High Point (Providence, Thursday)

No. 6 Illinois vs. No. 11 Texas/Xavier (Milwaukee, Friday)

No. 3 Kentucky vs. No. 14 Troy (Milwaukee, Friday)

No. 7 UCLA vs. No. 10 Utah State (Lexington, Thursday)

No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 15 Wofford (Lexington, Thursday)

West region

No. 1 Florida vs. No. 16 Norfolk State (Raleigh, Friday)

No. 8 UConn vs. No. 9 Oklahoma (Raleigh, Friday)

No. 5 Memphis vs. No. 12 Colorado State (Seattle, Friday)

No. 4 Maryland vs. No. 13 Grand Canyon (Seattle, Friday)

No. 6 Missouri vs. No. 11 Drake (Wichita, Thursday)

No. 3 Texas Tech vs. No. 14 UNC Wilmington (Wichita, Thursday)

No. 7 Kansas vs. No. 10 Arkansas (Providence, Thursday)

No. 2 St. John’s vs. No. 15 Omaha (Providence, Thursday)