Crimson Tide lead early list of top tourney seeds
Alabama got the best of Houston in a nonconference matchup. That has Crimson Tide holding an early lead on the Cougars for the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, too.
The committee that will select the field of 68 revealed its preliminary list of top teams Saturday, with the Crimson Tide taking the top spot over the Cougars due to a head-to-head road win in December — which committee chairman Chris Reynolds said “put them over the top.”
Otherwise, there isn’t much difference when it comes to the teams’ resumes. They’re 1-2 in some order in the AP Top 25, NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool) and Kenpom rankings. Alabama entered the weekend with seven wins in Quadrant 1 compared to four for Houston, while both teams were unbeaten against Quadrant 2 opponents.
If the order holds, it would mark the first No. 1 regional seed for Nate Oats’ Crimson Tide in program history. Alabama climbed to No. 1 in the AP Top 25 poll earlier this week for the first time since 2003, though the Tide lost to Tennessee on Wednesday in its first game with that ranking.
Houston hasn’t held a No. 1 seed since 1983, during the “Phi Slama Jama” era of the early 1980s.
Purdue and reigning national champion Kansas were the other No. 1 seeds, with the Boilermakers spending a national-best seven weeks at No. 1 in the AP Top 25 this season. The nationally televised reveal of the top 16 seeds offers a snapshot of where things stand with a little more than three weeks remaining until the field is set.
Texas, Arizona, Baylor and UCLA were the preliminary No. 2 seeds, followed by Tennessee, Virginia, Iowa State and Kansas State as 3-seeds. Indiana, Marquette, Gonzaga and Xavier rounded out the list as No. 4 seeds.
The selection committee also sorted the top 16 seeds into four regional groupings, starting with Alabama headlining the South bracket that goes through Louisville, Kentucky. Baylor, Virginia and Indiana joined the Tide in the South.
Houston topped the Midwest bracket running through Kansas City, Missouri, followed by Texas, Tennessee and Xavier.
Purdue was the No. 1 seed in the East bracket running through New York, joined by UCLA, Iowa State and Marquette.
Kansas was the top seed in the West bracket running through Las Vegas, followed by Arizona, Kansas State and Gonzaga. The Big 12 finished with five teams in the top 16.