Anticipated College Basketball Selections Revealed on Sunday
March Madness is Upon Us: Why Selection Sunday Matters
The sports world is buzzing with excitement! It's Selection Sunday, the day when just 136 teams earn the golden ticket to participate in the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments that kick off next week, boasting a grand total of 68 teams in each bracket. This is the reason why March is nothing short of crazed.
Prepare for a nail-biting evening, as the men's bracket will be unveiled on CBS at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the women's bracket's reveal starting at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. But before the big day, there are still some games to be played. Here are four things to keep an eye on as we eagerly await the announcement of this year's participants:
Last-Minute Automatic Qualifying Battles
While most conference tournaments wrapped up on Saturday night, there are still a handful of championship games on Sunday, with nine tournaments currently in the Spotlight. For the men, heavy hitters like the Ivy League, Southeastern, Atlantic 10, American Athletic, and Big 10 have their championship games on an action-packed early afternoon. The day begins with a riveting contest between Cornell and Yale for the Ivy League crown at noon ET, followed by another thrilling matchup between Tennessee and Florida in the SEC at 1 p.m. ET. The day winds down with the University of Alabama-Birmingham taking on Memphis at 3 p.m. ET for the AAC championship and Wisconsin-Michigan at 3:30 p.m. ET for the Big Ten crown.
On the women's side of things, some of the major conferences wrapped up their tournaments last week, but four mid-majors are stealing the show on Sunday. Kick off the action with Army playing Lehigh for the Patriot League championship at noon ET, followed by Stonehill taking on Fairleigh Dickinson for the Northeast Conference championship at 1 p.m. ET. The excitement continues as William & Mary battles Campbell for the Coastal Athletic Association championship at 2 p.m. ET, and Belmont goes head-to-head with Murray State for the Missouri Valley Conference championship at 3 p.m. ET.
The Entrance into the Dance is Tense
It's the uncertainty that keeps us on the edge of our seats. After months of grueling games, some teams are left waiting to discover whether they'll be making it to The Big Dance or settling for one of the sport's consolation tournaments, such as the National Invitational Tournament (NIT), College Basketball Invitational (CBI), or the inaugural College Basketball Crown.
Life on the bubble is no walk in the park, and some teams didn't do themselves any favors during their conference tournaments.
On the men's side, Indiana is holding its breath, hoping that its rollercoaster season will continue into March Madness. ESPN's Joe Lunardi's bracketology has the Hoosiers as one of the first four teams in, while CBS' Jerry Palm has Indiana as one of his last four teams in. The Hoosiers needed a win in the Big Ten tournament to boost their resume, but they lost to Oregon in the opening contest.
Other teams to keep an eye on in the men's tournament include Vanderbilt, San Diego State, Xavier, Boise State, Texas, Dayton, West Virginia, Wake Forest, and North Carolina.
For the women, Iowa State, Washington, Columbia, Princeton, Virginia Tech, Boise State, St. Joseph's, James Madison, and UNLV are all on the bubble, waiting anxiously for their fates, according to ESPN's Charlie Creme.
Will UNC Miss the Tournament Again?
The Tar Heels could have surely used a win against their archrivals Duke in the men's ACC tournament on Saturday. In the worst possible way. Alas, they fell short, losing in a crushing manner.
Jae-Lyn Withers' costly mistake, a lane violation on a free throw that would have tied the game against Duke in the final seconds, ultimately proved fatal. Withers stepped into the lane as teammate Ven-Allen Lubin sunk a free throw that would have tied the game. Instead of tying the game at 72, the referees waved off the basket. The final score read 74-71.
Now the Tar Heels find themselves in a precarious position, anxiously awaiting their fate. It's an unusual place for one of the sport's most successful programs to be, even if they were there not so long ago - the Tar Heels missed the tournament in 2023 before making a comeback the following season to win the ACC and advance to the Sweet 16.
UNC ended the 2024-25 season with a 22-13 record, including 13-7 in the ACC. They won just one game against Quad 1 teams and lost 12 Quad 1 games in their last 13 contests, according to CBS' Jerry Palm. It's not exactly a promising track record.
Colorado State's victory over Boise State in the Mountain West Conference championship game on Saturday could have been the deciding factor for the Tar Heels, as Boise State's strong performance in the tournament could potentially take UNC's spot.
Who Will Claim the Top Four Seeds?
Three of the four top seeds in the men's tournament, the crucial No. 1 teams who will have the smoothest path to the Final Four, seem like a sure thing at this point.
Auburn, which won the regular season championship in the SEC and finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in both the Associated Press and coach's rankings, seems like a lock to claim one of these spots, even though they lost to Tennessee in the semifinals of the SEC on Saturday. Houston, which won the Big 12 tournament championship on Saturday after wrapping up the regular season championship one week earlier, is also eyeing a historical milestone, as the Cougars are aiming to win their school's first-ever national championship. Duke, which won the ACC regular season championship, seems like a shoe-in for another top spot after a 73-62 victory over Louisville in the title game on Saturday.
The lone mystery remains as to who will snag the final top spot in the men's tournament. The winner of Florida vs. Tennessee in the SEC championship game on Sunday afternoon might just determine the answer.
On the women's side, it appears that the top spots are secure. ESPN's Creme has the University of South Carolina, the University of Texas, University of Southern California, and University of California-Los Angeles in the top positions, as all these teams wrapped up their conference tournaments days ago.
On Sunday, the 33rd edition of the NCAA men's basketball tournaments will square off with the Ivy League, Southeastern, Atlantic 10, American Athletic, and Big 10 championship games, following Selection Sunday. The uncertainty lingers as teams on the bubble, such as Indiana and North Carolina, await their fate, having lost crucial games in their conference tournaments. Meanwhile, in 2025, the University of North Carolina (UNC) finds itself in an unusual predicament, hoping to avoid missing the tournament for the second time in two years, following a disappointing loss against Duke in the ACC tournament. The men's tournament will determine the fourth top seed among Auburn, Houston, Duke, and potentially the winner of Florida vs. Tennessee in the SEC championship game, scheduled for Sunday.
